Luise Rainer

Luise Rainer (born 12 January 1910) is a German film actress. Known as The "Viennese Teardrop", she is the first woman to win two Academy Awards , and the first person to win them back to back. She was discovered by MGM talent scouts while acting on stage in Austria and Germany and after appearing in Austrian films. Her training began in Germany from the age of 16 by leading stage director Max Reinhardt . After a few years, she became recognized as a "distinguished Berlin stage actress", acting with Reinhardt's Vienna theater ensemble. Critics "raved" at her stage and film acting quality, leading MGM to sign her to a three-year contract and bring her to Hollywood in 1935. A number of filmmakers anticipated she might become another Greta Garbo , MGM's leading female star. Her first American role was in the film Escapade (1935), which was soon followed with a relatively small part in the musical biopic The Great Ziegfeld (1936). Despite her limited appearances in the film, she "so impressed audiences" that she won the Oscar for Best Actress . In her next role, producer Irving Thalberg was convinced, despite the studio's disagreement, that she could play the part of a poor uncomely Chinese peasant in The Good Earth , based on Pearl Buck 's novel about hardship in China . The subdued character she played was such a dramatic contrast to her previous, vivacious character, that she won another Academy Award, even with Greta Garbo as one of the nominees. However, she would later remark that by winning two consecutive Oscars, "nothing worse could have happened to me", as audience expectations from then on would be too high to fulfill. She was then given parts in a string of unimportant movies, leading MGM and Rainer to become disappointed, and she ended her brief 3-year career in films, soon returning to Europe. Adding to her rapid decline, some feel, was the "poor career advice" given her by then husband, playwright Clifford Odets , along with the unexpected death, at age 37, of her producer, Irving Thalberg , whom she greatly admired. Some film historians consider her the "most extreme case of an Oscar victim in Hollywood mythology". She currently lives in London . International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers , St.

She was the first actor to win multiple Academy Awards and the first person to win them consecutively. At the time of her death, she was the longest-lived individual ever to have received an Academy Award . Rainer began acting in Germany at age 16, being trained by Austria's leading stage director, Max Reinhardt . Within a few years, she had become a distinguished Berlin stage actress with Reinhardt's Vienna theater ensemble. After years of acting on stage and in films in Austria and Germany, she was discovered by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scouts, who signed her to a three-year contract in Hollywood in 1935. A number of filmmakers envisioned she might become another Greta Garbo , MGM's leading female star at the time. Her first American film role was in Escapade in 1935. The following year, she was given a supporting part in the musical biography The Great Ziegfeld , where, despite limited appearances, her emotion-filled acting quality so impressed audiences that she was awarded an Oscar as Best Actress . She was later dubbed "the Viennese teardrop", for her dramatic telephone scene in the film. The subdued character role was such a dramatic contrast to her previous, vivacious character that she again won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Yet by winning two consecutive Oscars, she later noted, nothing worse could have happened to her, as audience expectations from then on would be too high to fulfill. After a string of unimportant movie parts, MGM and Rainer became disappointed, leading her to end her brief three-year film career, soon returning to Europe. Adding to her rapid decline, some feel, was the poor career advice given her by then husband, playwright Clifford Odets , along with the unexpected death at age 37 of her producer, Irving Thalberg , whom she greatly admired. Some film historians consider her the "most extreme case of an Oscar victim in Hollywood mythology". International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers , St.

German-born Austrian and American film actress Luise Rainer ( / ˈ r aɪ n ər / , ; 12 January 1910 – 30 December 2014) was a German-American-British film actress. She was the first thespian to win multiple Academy Awards and, with that, the first to win back-to-back; at the time of her death, thirteen days shy of her 105th birthday, she was the longest-lived Oscar recipient , a superlative that had not been exceeded as of 2020. Rainer started her acting career in Germany at age 16, under the tutelage of Austria's leading stage director, Max Reinhardt . Within a few years, she had become a distinguished Berlin stage actress with Reinhardt's Vienna theater ensemble. Critics highly praised the quality of her acting. After years of acting on stage and in films in Austria and Germany, she was discovered by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scouts, who signed her to a three-year contract in Hollywood in 1935. A number of filmmakers predicted she might become another Greta Garbo , MGM's leading female star at the time. Her first American film role was in Escapade in 1935. The following year she was given a supporting part in the musical biography The Great Ziegfeld , where, despite limited appearances, her emotion-filled performance so impressed audiences that she was awarded the Oscar for Best Actress . She was later dubbed the "Viennese teardrop" for her dramatic telephone scene in the film. The subdued character role was such a dramatic contrast to her previous vivacious character that she again won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Rainer and Jodie Foster are the only actresses ever to win two Oscars by the age of thirty. However, she later stated nothing worse could have happened to her than winning two consecutive Oscars, as audience expectations from then on would be too high to fulfill. After a string of insignificant roles, MGM and Rainer became disappointed, leading her to end her brief three-year film career, soon returning to Europe. Adding to her rapid decline, some feel, was the poor career advice she received from her then-husband, playwright Clifford Odets , along with the unexpected death at age 37 of her producer, Irving Thalberg , whom she greatly admired. Some film historians consider her the "most extreme case of an Oscar victim in Hollywood mythology". International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers , St.

German-born actress (1910–2014) For the British watercolour artist, see Louise Rayner . Luise Rainer ( / ˈ r aɪ n ər / RY -nər , ; 12 January 1910 – 30 December 2014) was a German-American-British film actress. She was the first thespian to win multiple Academy Awards , and the first to win back-to-back; at the time of her death, thirteen days shy of her 105th birthday, she was the longest-lived Oscar recipient (and the longest-lived female star from Classic Hollywood), a superlative that has not been exceeded, as of 2026. Rainer started her acting career in Germany at age 16, under the tutelage of Austria's leading stage director, Max Reinhardt . Within a few years, she had become a distinguished Berlin stage actress with Reinhardt's Vienna theater ensemble. Critics highly praised the quality of her acting. After years of acting on stage and in films in Austria and Germany, she was discovered by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scouts, who signed her to a three-year contract in Hollywood in 1935. A number of filmmakers predicted she might become another Greta Garbo , MGM's leading female star at the time. Her first American film role was in Escapade in 1935. The following year she was given a supporting part in the musical biography The Great Ziegfeld , where, despite limited appearances, her emotion-filled performance so impressed audiences that she was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress . She was later dubbed the "Viennese teardrop" for her dramatic telephone scene in the film. The subdued character role was such a dramatic contrast to her previous vivacious character that she again won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Rainer, Jodie Foster and Hilary Swank are the only actresses ever to win two Oscars before the age of 30. However, she later stated nothing worse could have happened to her than winning two consecutive Oscars, as audience expectations from then on would be too high to fulfill. After a string of insignificant roles, MGM and Rainer became disappointed, leading her to end her brief three-year film career, soon returning to Europe. Adding to her rapid decline, some feel, was the poor career advice she received from her then-husband, playwright Clifford Odets , along with the unexpected death at age 37 of her producer, Irving Thalberg , whom she greatly admired. Some film historians consider her the "most extreme case of an Oscar victim in Hollywood mythology". International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers , St.

German-born actress (1910–2014) For the British watercolour artist, see Louise Rayner . Luise Rainer ( / ˈ r aɪ n ər / RY -nər , German: [ˈʁaɪnɐ] ; 12 January 1910 – 30 December 2014) was a German-born film actress. She was the first thespian to win multiple Academy Awards , and the first to win back-to-back; at the time of her death, thirteen days shy of her 105th birthday, she was the longest-lived Oscar recipient (and the longest-lived female star from Classic Hollywood), a superlative that has not been exceeded, as of 2026. Rainer started her acting career in Germany at age 16, under the tutelage of Austria's leading stage director, Max Reinhardt . Within a few years, she had become a distinguished Berlin stage actress with Reinhardt's Vienna theater ensemble. Critics highly praised the quality of her acting. After years of acting on stage and in films in Austria and Germany, she was discovered by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scouts, who signed her to a three-year contract in Hollywood in 1935. A number of filmmakers predicted she might become another Greta Garbo , MGM's leading female star at the time. Her first American film role was in Escapade in 1935. The following year she was given a supporting part in the musical biography The Great Ziegfeld , where, despite limited appearances, her emotion-filled performance so impressed audiences that she was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress . She was later dubbed the "Viennese teardrop" for her dramatic telephone scene in the film. The subdued character role was such a dramatic contrast to her previous vivacious character that she again won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Rainer, Jodie Foster and Hilary Swank are the only actresses ever to win two Oscars by the age of 30. However, she later stated nothing worse could have happened to her than winning two consecutive Oscars, as audience expectations from then on would be too high to fulfill. After a string of insignificant roles, MGM and Rainer became disappointed, leading her to end her brief three-year film career, soon returning to Europe. Adding to her rapid decline, some feel, was the poor career advice she received from her then-husband, playwright Clifford Odets , along with the unexpected death at age 37 of her producer, Irving Thalberg , whom she greatly admired. Some film historians consider her the "most extreme case of an Oscar victim in Hollywood mythology". International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers , St.