
This lovely Austrian-born actress was born (in 1917) and raised in Vienna, performing as a child on stage and appearing in various productions for the renowned Max Reinhardt. Trained in dance, she was a member of the Bodenwieser Ensemble, a European troupe. Following a few high school plays and dance recitals, she went on to study drama and voice at the Vienna Conservatory. Maria arrived in the United States at the outbreak of war in 1938 and first performed on the New York stage, notably in the 1942 production of "The Moon Is Down." Spotted for films, she was one of many foreign actresses Hollywood took in at the time to fill their quota of exotic mystery ladies in war-era intrigue and film noir. She made her debut in Mission to Moscow (1943) for Warner Bros. and continued on freelancing for other studios with Days of Glory (1944), opposite Gregory Peck, Lady on a Train (1944), The Web…
movieThe Evil of Frankenstein
1964 · Rena's Mother (uncredited)
tvOne Step Beyond
1959 · Sylvia Ackroyd
tvWestinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
movieOutcasts of the City
1958
tvThe Californians
1957 · Mme. Jouvais
tvPerry Mason
1957 · Florence Wood
movieThree for Jamie Dawn
1956 · Julia Karek
Kings Row
1955
movieCrash of Moons
1954 · Cotondo, Potonda
movieFlight Nurse
1953 · Captain Martha Ackerman
movieNostradamus and the Queen
1953 · Queen Catherine de Medici
movieBy the Light of the Silvery Moon
1953 · Renee LaRue
tvFour Star Playhouse
1952 · Elsa
movieJoe Santa Claus
1951 · Maria Peters
movieStrictly Dishonorable
1951 · Countess Lili Szadvany
movieSurrender
1950 · Janet Barton
movie13 Lead Soldiers
1948 · Estelle Prager, alias Estelle Gorday
movieThe Web
1947 · Martha Kroner
movieThe Other Love
1947 · Huberta
movieRendezvous 24
1946 · Greta Holvig
movieLady on a Train
1945 · Margo Martin, Circus Club Singer
movieDays of Glory
1944 · Yelena
movieMission to Moscow
1943 · Tanya Litvinov