The German-born American actress and singer gained international recognition with Josef von Sternberg's Blue Angel, in 1930.
After being part of the 1920s Berliner scene, she went to Hollywood where she became one of the highest-paid actresses of the era. During World War II, a fervent anti-Nazi, she collaborated with the American army, entertaining soldiers throughout the world. From the 1950s, she almost exclusively worked as a cabaret-artist until the 1970s. The incarnation of glamour, Marlene Dietrich played with contrasts, combining masculinity and femininity, red lips and tailored trousers: a free, boyish 'Femme Fatale' who used to demandingly challenge Hitchcock who wanted to hire her on a movie: "No Dior no Dietrich."