All The Babes
Career
Active 1928 – 1932
Biography
About Anny Ahlers
Anny Ahlers was a woman of average weight with red hair, born on December 21, 1907 in Hamburg, Germany. At age four she began performing in a circus, and as a teenager she studied ballet and singing. In 1928 she made her film debut in the German film Casanova. She had a beautiful voice and starred in successful operettas in Berlin and Vienna. Audiences loved her, and she quickly became one of Europe's most popular stars. Anny landed leading roles in the films True Jacob and The Company's In Love. She went to London in 1932 to star in the musical The DuBarry. Although she did not speak English, her singing won rave reviews. Critics called her "vivacious" and said she was destined for Hollywood stardom. She fell in love with the show's producer Stanley Scott, but their romance didn't last.
During a performance in September of 1932, she had a nervous breakdown on stage. The show closed while she recovered at a seaside resort. Rumors began that she had developed an addiction to morphine and sleeping pills. She started dating Sir Merrik Burrell, a recently divorced millionaire. He gave her an emerald ring and commissioned a portrait of her from artist Philip Alexius De Laszlo. By the spring of 1933, Anny was suffering from tuberculosis and had severe insomnia. On March 14, 1933, she died after falling from her second floor balcony. She broke her neck and was killed instantly. Anny was only twenty-five years old. Her maid told reporters that Anny was a sleepwalker and might have fallen. However, the coroner ruled that her death was a suicide. She was cremated, and her ashes were buried in Hamburg. Merrik was given a lock of her red hair, which he kept for the rest of his life.
Record
Profile details
Personal
- Died
- Tuesday 14th of March 1933 (age 25)
- Years Active
- 1928-1932 (started around 20 years old; 4 years active)
- Birthplace
- Germany
- Ethnicity
- Caucasian
- Sexuality
- Straight
Frequently asked
Why did Anny Ahlers die so young?
Anny died at 25 after falling from a second-floor balcony. The coroner ruled her death a suicide, though her maid suggested she might have been sleepwalking.
What was Anny Ahlers's career like after her film debut?
After debuting in Casanova in 1928, she became a popular operetta star in Berlin and Vienna, then performed in London's The DuBarry in 1932, earning strong reviews despite not speaking English.
Did you know
- She had red hair, which her admirer Merrik Burrell kept for the rest of his life.
- Her death was officially ruled a suicide, despite her maid's claim that she was a sleepwalker.
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