Luise Rainer (1910-2014)
Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 9:52AM 
Luise Rainer, Oscar's first back-to-back Acting winner for The Great Ziegfeld (1936) and The Good Earth (1937) was, for the past handful of years, perhaps better known for outliving everyone than for her brief movie stardom. She was just two weeks shy of her 105th birthday when she passed away early this morning of pneumonia. She is survived by her daughter and two granddaughters.
She was recently name-checked not so flatteringly in the Hollywood bio Hitchcock (2012) but the actress, still very much alive at the time, could surely roll with it. The outspoken import lived through tumultuous times, beginning her acting career on the German stage and screen before fleeing as Hitler consolidated power (she was Jewish) and then being sold to the American public as "The Viennesse Teardrop" because German wouldn't do back then. She quickly becoming a star while briefly marrying (unhappily) the playwright Cliff Odets who had several tumultuous affairs with famous actresses (as portrayed in Frances, 1982).
The outspoken diva was very vocal about what she thought of Hollywood, her unsatisfying career, and "The Oscar Curse" which she doesn't believe in though she admits that the back-to-back Oscars weren't at all helpful. The adulation prompted Hollywood to just throw her into anything, with no worries of miscasting or her own creative satisfaction.
Her career ended as swiftly as it began as she fought with the powers that be for more choice in her films. Soon she left Hollywood for New York and then London where she settled for good.
I had a seven-year contract that I broke and went away. I was a machine, practically, a tool in a big, big factory, and I could not do anything. I wanted to film Madame Curie, but Mayer forbade me. I wanted to do For Whom the Bell Tolls, but Selznick took Ingrid Bergman and brought her to Hemingway and I didn't know Hemingway. And so I left. I just went away. I fled; yes, I fled."
She flew away to, by all reports, a happier life outside the spotlight. Her remarkable longevity and semi-regular all smiles appearances over the years suggests that she enjoyed it.
Reader Comments (19)
So sad to wake up to news of this, though I guess most of us figured this day was sure to come sooner or later. Such an unusual but remarkable career. Thanks for this lovely piece.
Sorry to nitpick but wasn't Hitchcock from 2012?
what was she name-checked for in Hitccock? Haven't see it, enlighten me :)
RIP -> she's a legend
Seems sometimes winning an Oscar is worse than losing.
Mia -- rigth you are. correcting.
What. A. Life.
So sad, like the other Joe said we all knew this day would happen, confirmation that nobody lives forever. Does this mean that Olivia De Havilland is now the oldest living Oscar winner? Lupita Tovar becomes the oldest living actor.
Joe - the oldest living Oscar winner is now ELMO WILLIAMS (101 years old) who won Best Editing for High Noon. the oldest living winner of any acting trophy is OLIVIA DEHAVILLAND (98)
Thanks Nat, I hope that they are both around for a good few years. It's been quite a sad year for past Oscar winners, both Shirley Temple and Mickey Rooney were presented with special awards in the 1930s.
Seems sometimes winning an Oscar is worse than losing.
Depends. Legacy nominees that never win sting: Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sigourney Weaver. The key to being a sympathetic Oscar loser is being a legacy brand.
Sad news. So close to the 105 mark too but a remarkable life. The bright spot is that TCM already had a festival of her films scheduled for her birthday on January 12th. Not just the big titles either but rarely shown stuff like Big City and The Emperor's Candlesticks, so a wonderful opportunity to see or revisit her work.
RIP, and good for her for leaving Hollywood if it was not satisfying.
I'll never forget her performance in "The Good Earth." She was so expressive with her eyes, something that not many actresses are known for.
I was unaware of her lobbying for the parts in Madame Curie and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Greer Garson and Ingrid Bergman were both Oscar-nominated for their performances in those movies, so it's fascinating to think of Luise Rainer in those roles.
I'm so happy to have seen her interview with Robert Osborne from a few years ago. I love hearing stories about Old Hollywood from the people who were actually there.
OH MY GOD! this is so sad!
Rest in Peace Luise Rainer.
2014 has been a tragic year for actors.
Her work in The Good Earth is powerful. She had a healthy perception of Hollywood that probably saved her. Thanks for this lovely tribute, Nathaniel.
Small comment: Jeffrey DeMunn played Odets in Frances; Sam played the fictional Harry York, based on a real person.
brookesboy - thanks for the correction. fixed.
RIP. I have the utmost respect for artists.
Maybe this will prompt me to finally watch The Great Ziegfeld. Good for her for sticking up for herself. It sounds like she had a happy life, but film lovers missed out on her talent when she left Hollywood.
I am getting to this late because of the holidays. I have seen The Great Ziegfeld and The Good Earth and think she was terrific in The Good Earth in particular. Sure, she was playing Chinese but that was hardly her fault, and she was pretty exceptional.
And ultimately, I think she had the last laugh on Hollywood and the Oscar Curse by living longer (and happier?) than all the rest of them! :-)