La Jana

Boyishly slim, La Jana was the stage name of Henriette 'Henny' Hiebel, an Austrian actress and burlesque dancer. Born in 1905, she trained as a ballerina for ten years and made her stage debut at the Frankfurt Kinderoper at age eight. She later performed in cabaret, where director Géza von Cziffra reportedly discovered her at the Chat Noir in Paris. A successful tour of Britain brought her publicity, with the press alternately calling her Spanish or Hungarian. Glamour photos in Vogue added to the buzz, and she soon found her way into films.

Her movie career reached its peak with Truxa (1937) and The Stars Shine (1938), and she became known for oriental or Latin mystery and allure in roles like those in The Tiger of Eschnapur (1938), Das indische Grabmal (1938), and Stern von Rio (1940). She was married to opera star Michael Bohnen and was said to have had a romantic link with Wilhelm, the last Crown Prince of the former German Empire.

La Jana's life ended at age 35 from pneumonia, at the height of her fame. Because she left few personal notes, much of her life remains unknown, fueling rumors. One unverified story claims she helped Jewish colleagues escape Nazi Germany and was murdered by the SS, though no evidence supports this. Her short life and mysterious circumstances have cemented her cult status.