Acting
Aug 19, 1936
Nerchau, Germany
Ellen Kessler
Acting
Biography
Alice and Ellen Kessler (born 20 August 1936 in Nerchau, Saxony, Germany) are twin entertainers known in Europe, especially Germany and Italy, from the 1950s and 1960s for their singing, dancing, and acting. They are usually credited as the Kessler Twins (Die Kessler-Zwillinge in Germany and Le Gemelle Kessler in Italy), where they remain popular. The Kessler sisters enjoyed a significant degree of popularity in the US, appearing on national television programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show. The Kesslers made their American television debut on the CBS variety show, The Red Skelton Hour. They also appeared in the 1963 film Sodom and Gomorrah as dancers and were featured on the cover of Life Magazine that same year. Their parents, Paul and Elsa, sent them to ballet classes at the age of six, and they joined the Leipzig Opera's child ballet program at age 11. When they were 18, their parents used a visitor's visa to escape to West Germany, where they performed at the Palladium in Düsseldorf. They performed at The Lido in Paris between 1955 and 1960, where they met Elvis Presley, on leave from the Army on June 17, 1959, and represented West Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 8th place with Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n (Tonight we want to go dancing). They moved to Italy in 1960 and gradually moved to more serious roles. They became very popular thanks to the RAI television variety show Studio Uno (1961–1966). At the age of 40, they agreed to pose on the cover of the Italian edition of Playboy. That issue became the fastest-selling Italian Playboy to that date. They moved back to Germany in 1986 and live in Grünwald. They have received two awards from both the German and Italian governments for promoting German-Italian cooperation through their work in show business. Source: Article "Kessler Twins" from Wikipedia in english, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Feature Films (36)
Agostino announces an incredible invention: a device that allows one to jump into any TV show. He's promptly declared insane and ends up in an institution. Giorgio, however, who is convinced by Agostino's abilities, rescues him, and the two begin to use the invention as a marketing strategy: The cake, which comes from Giorgio's aunts' oven and hasn't sold well up to this point, is now being advertised across television.
Maskenball bei Scotland Yard
It's the story of a day spent by Dino, separated by his wife, who sees his son Robertino after five years. Dino has not contributed anything in life and to win the affection of his son, invents a story about his past. At the end of the day however, he will succeed in establishing a positive relationship with his son and telling the truth about himself.
The Thursday
In the 9th Century, two Viking children, separated since their early childhood with one raised by the British and the other by Vikings, meet after nearly 20 years as rivals as war breaks out between Britian and the Vikings for control of England.
Erik the Conqueror
Paying a rare visit to her estate, a countess clashes with the man she hired to manage it.
Countess Mariza
Alexandra is a model who comes to Berlin to rekindle an affair she started in Rome with businessman Joachim Steigenwald. But he pretends to be too busy for her and has his employee take Alexandra sightseeing. He, too, immediately falls under her enchantment. When they encounter Steigenwald, she finds herself between the two men, as someone who is always up for flirting with men …
Playgirl
Television & Series (71)
This documentary takes an entertaining and informative look at the German Heimatfilm phenomenon. The first part examines the history of the genre since the 1950s, while the second part presents crowd favorites of the genre.
Heimat - Deine Filme
Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland.
