Person:Eleanora Erath (1)

Name	Eleanore Erath
Baptismal Name	Eleanora Rosa Emma Erath
Commonly Used Name	Sascha Bragowa
Commonly Used Name	Lena Malena
Married Name	Eleanore Anderson
Married Name	Lena Peters
Married Name	Eleanore Schünzel
Married Name	Eleanore Nelson
Married Name	Eleanore M. Rolfe
Gender	Female
Birth^[6]	9 Oct 1905	Konstanz, Konstanz, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Christening^[1]	19 Oct 1905	Konstanz, Konstanz, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Marriage	30 Sep 1931	Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United Statesto Wilmer Anderson
Naturalization^[12]	29 Nov 1933	Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
Marriage	3 Aug 1935	Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut, United Statesto Charles F. Peters
Marriage	16 May 1949	New York City, New York, United Statesto Reinhold Schünzel
Marriage	12 Feb 1959	Durham, Durham, North Carolina, United Statesto Donald Marr Nelson
Marriage	8 Oct 1971	San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United Statesto Kenneth Graham Rolfe
Death^[17]	30 Jul 1975	New York City, New York, United States

Eleanora Rosa Emma Erath was born in Konstanz, Germany, to Karl (Charles) Erath and Emma "Emmy" Rosa Buss. Not much is known about her father; some sources say he was Russian, others that he was a Gypsy fiddler. Further confusing matters, she lists a different man, Kurt Inger, as her father in a later marriage license. There are no known details about her childhood other than that she began dancing around age 14. At some point she studied under German dancer and teacher Mary Wigman.

When she was about 20, Eleanore was living in Berlin, where she joined UFA (Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft). She made her debut using the name Sascha Bragowa, a name she may have chosen to capitalize on the increased popularity of Russian actors in 1920s Berlin. As Sascha, she featured in two films, both of which were filmed and in the summer of 1926 and premiered that fall.

Following the release of her two German films, Eleanore left Berlin for America. She departed Hamburg on September 29, 1926, aboard the Westphalia and arrived in New York City on October 11. Her contact in the United States was Broadway manager and producer George Choos.

By April 1927, Eleanore appeared in Hollywood with the name Lena Malena. Touted as a "vivacious foreign flapper," part Gypsy, and a "real find" (and three and a half years younger than she truly was), Lena signed a contract with Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille said she had "an interesting European 'tang.' She is different." He is rumored to have selected her stage name. Casting directors and Hollywood columnists compared her to actresses Clara Bow, Colleen Moore, Pola Negri, and Lya de Putti. Sometime prior to her American acting debut, she posed as a Sennett Bathing Beauty.

Lena loved the spotlight, but remained genuine and friendly. She often spoke to the press and frequently attended parties and other social events in Hollywood. Shortly after her arrival in Hollywood, she remarked that it was very quiet compared to the bustling Berlin film scene: "Nothing to do but take a bunch of money and go down by the boulevard and in each shop, buy something." Lena learned English quickly through intense study, even though the silent films didn't require it. She once lamented that despite her efforts to gain unaccented fluency, she was usually cast as a foreign woman. Unfortunately, this was a hurdle she never overcame, and as the silent film era ended, so did her career. Perhaps also contributing to the end of her career was her first marriage; her husband, Wilmer Anderson, was unsupportive of her acting, and she only appeared in one screen production following her marriage.

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Filmography

1. "Der gute Ruf" (The Good Reputation) (October 21, 1926), directed by Pierre Marodon.

2. "Die keusche Susanne" (The Chaste Susanna) (November 11, 1926), directed by Richard Eichberg. Sascha/Lena plays Rose, the wife of Charency.

3. "The Fighting Eagle" (August 29, 1927), directed by Donald Crisp. Though uncredited, this was Lena's first on-screen appearance in an American film. She played a French peasant. Watch Here

4. "Chicago" (December 27, 1927), directed by Frank Urson. Lena, who plays a prisoner, is uncredited in this film. Watch Here

5. "Diamond Handcuffs" (May 5, 1928), directed by John P. McCarthy. Lena plays Musa, a South African girl at the center of drama surrounding a huge diamond. This film is considered lost.

6. "Tempest" (May 27, 1928), directed by Sam Taylor. Lena's minor role as Princess Tamara's friend is uncredited. Watch Here

7. "Tropic Madness" (December 19, 1928), directed by Robert G. Vignola. Lena plays Koki, a native islander who connives with a witch doctor after her husband falls in love with another woman. The film is mostly lost, with only 13 minutes of the 65-minute film surviving. Watch Here

8. "Das brennende Herz" (The Burning Heart) (German release February 16, 1929; US release May 10, 1930), directed by Ludwig Berger. This movie was filmed while she was in Berlin visiting director Manfred Noa, to whom she was briefly engaged. Lena played the part of Zazu.

9. "Die Ehe" (Marriage) (April 23, 1929), directed by Eberhard Frowein. This was the second movie Lena acted in while back in Berlin. She is uncredited in this film.

10. "Toot Sweet!" (November 10, 1929), directed by Alfred J. Goulding. This 20-minute short is Lena's first talkie. She plays a young woman whom a man is trying to woo, but she secretly has a partner already. Watch Here

11. "Redemption" (May 2, 1930), directed by Fred Niblo and Lionel Barrymore. Lena's role as a Gypsy girl is uncredited.

12. "Way for a Sailor" (November 1, 1930), directed by Sam Wood. Lena is also uncredited in this film adaptation of the same-named book. She plays a Singaporean party girl.

13. "Hell's Angels" (November 15, 1930), directed by Howard Hughes, Edmund Goulding, and James Whale. In this Oscar-nominated war drama, Lena is a waitress named Gretchen. Watch Here

14. "Monsieur la Volpe" / "Das Land Ohne Gesetz" (1930 or 1931), directed by Hal Roach. Lena played minor roles in these Italian and German versions of the Gilbert Roland film "Men of the North."

15. "Thundering Tenors" (February 7, 1931), directed by James W. Horne. As Doctor Schmidt, Lena tries to remove a fishbone from Charley Chase's throat, and a wrestling scene ensues. Watch Here

16. "Divorce a la Carte" (April 15, 1931), directed by Charles Lamont. Lena stars alongside George Sidney and Charles Murray in this short.

17. "Julius Sizzer" (September 7, 1931), directed by Edward Ludwig. In this short Jewish comedy, Lena plays a young woman named Olga. Watch Here

19. "Get Along Little Wifie" (November 3, 1933), directed by Charles Lamont. Lena's final on-screen performance is as a woman who moves in with her ex-husband and his new wife. Watch Here

18. "To Quito and Back" (October–December 1937), written by Ben Hecht. This seems to be her only Broadway performance, which took place under the name Lena Peters. She played Fifi Stewart.

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Partners

Lena was the center of much male attention. Shortly after her arrival in Hollywood, she told Hollywood columnist Dan Thomas, "American men are very nice and always show you a good time—but I don't take them seriously. Were I to take any one of them seriously, I would be a fool. I don't know how American girls can be sure of their men. They all say such nice things—and don't mean any of them. In this country men are so bold. They want you to do just as they do. When they laugh and have lots of fun, they want me to do the same. That is all right sometimes but there are times I want to sit quietly. When I do that, they ask, 'What is the matter?' and can't understand that I just want to be quiet. When I go to parties too, the men are the same. I often want to go home early so I can get to the studio early the next day but if they want me to stay they make me stay." On another occasion, she claimed both men and women in America underutilize their eyes in flirting. So bad are Americans at wooing one another, she said, that "if I don't make a success on the screen, I will open a school for the teaching of flirtations."

Her first prominent admirer was German textile merchant Martin Kirchner, who in vain sought to discourage her acting career and bring her back to their home country. On Sunday, September 4, 1927 (just a week after the premier of "The Fighting Eagle"), she and Hollywood photographer Melbourne Spurr were yachting in the Catalina Channel when their boat capsized. Melbourne could not swim; Lena was fearless. She tried to paddle the boat to shore, thankfully being intercepted by the Coast Guard. Shortly after their rescue, the pair announced their engagement. Despite many modern reports to the contrary, Lena and Melbourne never married, breaking off their engagement in early 1928.

By September 1928, Lena announced her engagement to German director Manfred Noa, whom she had known from her acting stint in Berlin. She returned to Berlin for a few months, where she filmed "The Burning Heart." Lena returned to America in January 1929, her engagement called off. Reportedly, Manfred had promised her he'd come to America with her, yet later changed his mind. Lena could not abide this change of heart, saying, "He is a very fine man, but he disappointed me very much by refusing to keep his word...Me, I love my Hollywood." She returned to Los Angeles a single woman.

Lena married Oklahoman-turned-Beverly Hills businessman and banker Wilmer Anderson on Wednesday, September 30, 1931. The wedding took place at at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills at 8:30 a.m. They had been dating for about a year prior to getting, though newspapers reported her friends were surprised by the wedding. (Wilmer had been married to Mary Frances Goddard, also from Ardmore, Oklahoma, since 1924; she died in their hometown on September 12, 1931, and they don't appear to have been divorced. Perhaps this is why no one knew of Lena's intent until shortly before their marriage?) Lena was attended by her friend and assistant Joye Brintnell. Afterwards, Lena and Wilmer honeymooned for a week in Reno, at Lake Tahoe, and the Grand Canyon before returning to Beverly Hills.

Wilmer and Lena divorced on July 27, 1934, in Los Angeles. Lena alleged that Wilmer belittled her, saying she was too stupid to be an actress and demanding she give up her career. A month after their divorce, Wilmer was arrested for hitting a man with his car—something he had also been arrested for (and found not guilty of) back in Ardmore, Oklahoma, in 1920.

On August 3, 1935, Lena wed her second husband, Charles F. Peters. She was almost thirty, though the papers reported her to be twenty-six; Charles was forty-eight. Her husband, who had also been previously married and had two daughters, Sally and Astrid, was a Norwegian immigrant to America. He worked as a commercial artist for the Rogers Peet company. The two married at the estate of Hendrik Willem Van Loon on Indian Head Road in Riverside, Connecticut. Lena moved in with Charles at his home, 311 E 72nd Street, where he'd lived since at least 1934. She appeared in one Broadway play under the name Lena Peters, but this appears to be her only on-stage appearance. Charles and Lena were separated sometime between 1940 and 1942. By 1942, Lena was living at 230 E 73rd Street and Charles was living at 8 W 13th Street, where he remained until his death in 1948.

Lena married for a third time on May 16, 1949, this time to Reinhold Schünzel, divorced German actor and director. (Schünzel had been quite popular in Germany, reportedly a favorite even among Nazi officials, despite being half-Jewish. He came to the United States in the late 1930s.) A year after their wedding, Lena and Reinhold left for Germany. Reinhold died of a heart attack on September 11, 1954, in Munich; the Schünzels had been staying at the Hotel Continental. Lena was forty-eight at the time. Her mother Emma had also died the previous year, in Reutlingen, and Lena had no other family there, but she seems to have remained in Germany for a time after her husband's death.

Lena's fourth marriage was her shortest. On February 12, 1959, at the age of fifty-four, she married seventy-year-old Donald Marr Nelson. Nelson was the former executive vice president of the Sears Roebuck Company, chair of the War Production Board, and later president of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers. He also served as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's emissary to China during World War II. Like Lena, Donald Nelson had been married and divorced several times before. Lena and Donald married at his home in Durham, North Carolina, and honeymooned in Hawaii for over a month before returning to Beverly Hills. They lived at 9033 Briarcrest Lane (later owned by Ted Forstmann).

Donald suffered a stroke in August and was hospitalized about a month before passing away. Initially it was thought Lena would not inherit his estate, as the most recently filed will (from December 1957) mentioned only his previous wife, Valerie, as well as the University of Missouri and Stephens College; however, an updated will was subsequently filed, naming Lena beneficiary. The schools contested this second will, attacking Lena as taking advantage of Donald when he was not of sound mind. In July 1960, a settlement was reached. Both schools received $25,000 at the time of settlement; Valerie Nelson received $125,000; Lena received the rest, including income from a $150,000 trust fund, with the stipulation that Stephens College and the University of Missouri received the remainder of the trust fund upon Lena's death.

There is an eleven-year gap in knowledge of Lena's life following the settlement of Donald Marr Nelson's estate and her fifth and final marriage on October 8, 1971. She married Welsh-born Kenneth Graham Rolfe in San Francisco. Kenneth was the youngest of ten children born to Robert John Rolfe and Catherine Jane Davies in Llanelli; following WWII, during which he served in the British Navy, he came to New York City and worked in the printing industry. He became very wealthy and a lover of the arts. Kenneth and Lena lived in Beverly Hills after they married. Kenneth died in Manhattan in 2008 and left a significant portion of his estate to various arts and charitable organizations. His remains were sent back to Wales.

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Death

Eleanore died on July 30, 1975, in New York City. She and Kenneth moved there not long before her death to pursue treatment for her severe illness. It is presently unknown where she is buried. Many film history websites falsely state that she died in April 1986 in Ohio and is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Dayton. For all that is known about Lena's life, it does not seem she ever even stepped foot in Ohio. She has been confused with Lena Mendola Malena, a Sicilian immigrant who married a man named Leonardo Malena. She was born in Italy, raised in New York City, and came to Dayton in 1926, when she married Leonardo, a fruit peddler. The couple lived the rest of their lives in the Greater Dayton area. The two women are not the same.

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