Rose Stradner

Actress

Born: Jul 31, 1913
nationality: Austrian

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Career

Active 1933 – 1953

Biography

About Rose Stradner

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Rose Stradner, born Rosa Luise Maria Stradner in Vienna, Austria, was a rising ingénue on the Viennese stage before Hollywood came calling. Discovered by MGM's Louis B. Mayer during a European talent search, she was among a group of foreign imports that included Greer Garson, Ilona Massey, and Hedy Lamarr. Her early career showed promise, but personal struggles would eventually overshadow her work on screen.

After convent schooling, she studied at the Academy for Music and Art in Zurich at 16. At 19, she auditioned for Max Reinhardt and was handed a contract. She performed at the Volkstheater and Theater in der Josefstadt, taking on classics by Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Moliere, as well as modern plays by Dreiser and O'Neill. Between 1933 and 1936 she appeared in German-language films.

She arrived in the United States in 1936 with her then-husband, stage director Karl Heinz Martin, and her mother. The marriage soon ended in divorce. Her U.S. debut was as Edward G. Robinson's put-upon wife in The Last Gangster (1937), which led to an MGM contract. In 1939 she starred in Blind Alley, a Freudian thriller with Chester Morris and Ralph Bellamy.

Around that time she met writer, producer, and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. They married in 1939 and had two sons, Chris and Tom. She put her career on hold, returning for a small role as a Mother Superior in her husband's film The Keys of the Kingdom (1944). After three more films, her career was effectively over. In 1948 she was cast in the Edna Ferber play Bravo! but had to be replaced during tryouts, which caused severe mental strain.

Her fluency in several languages helped her husband's screenplays, but the marriage was rocky. Mankiewicz had affairs with stars like Judy Garland and Linda Darnell. Rose disliked being a housewife and turned to alcohol. She suffered emotional tirades and was admitted to sanitariums. On September 27, 1958, she died of an overdose of sleeping pills in the home she shared with her husband in Mt. Kisco, New York. She was 45.

Profile details

Personal

Died: Saturday 27th of September 1958 (age 45)
Years Active: 1933-1953 (started around 19 years old; 20 years active)
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexuality: Straight

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Frequently asked

How did Rose Stradner get discovered?

MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer discovered her while searching for talent in Europe, and she was brought to Hollywood along with Greer Garson, Ilona Massey, and Hedy Lamarr.

What caused Rose Stradner's career to end?

After marrying Joseph L. Mankiewicz, she put her career on hold. Though she returned for minor roles, her career effectively ended after only a few more films, and she struggled with mental health and alcoholism.

What was Rose Stradner's relationship to Joseph L. Mankiewicz?

She married the writer, producer, and director in 1939, and they had two sons. Their marriage was strained by his affairs and her unhappiness, but they remained married until her death in 1958.

Did you know

She was discovered by Louis B. Mayer alongside Greer Garson, Ilona Massey, and Hedy Lamarr.
Her first husband, Karl Heinz Martin, was a stage director she married in 1934; they divorced in 1938 after moving to the U.S.
She was cast in the Edna Ferber play Bravo! in 1948 but had to be replaced during tryouts.
Her death by overdose occurred in the same home she shared with Mankiewicz.