Luise Rainer

Biography

Luise Rainer was a German-American film actress who began her training in Germany at age 16 under Max Reinhardt and became a distinguished Berlin stage actress with his Vienna theater ensemble. Critics praised her acting quality, leading MGM to sign her to a three-year contract and bring her to Hollywood in 1935. She won two Academy Awards for her roles in "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936) and "The Good Earth" (1937), including the latter, where she played a subdued Chinese farm wife that stunned audiences.