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La Jana(1905-1940)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
La Jana
La Jana was the stage name of the brunette Viennese-born actress and exotic dancer Henriette 'Henny' Hiebel. She was trained as a ballerina for ten years and first performed at the Frankfurt Kinderoper at the age of eight. Of boyishly slim build, she appeared on stage in cabaret in 1921. Soon after, she was reputedly discovered for the screen by the director Géza von Cziffra at the Chat Noir cabaret in Paris. She received good publicity from a successful tour of Britain, during which the press alternately touted her as being Spanish or Hungarian. The build-up continued with glamour photographs for Vogue magazine. Movies followed and La Jana hit the big time with Kuolonhyppy (1937) (dancing on a giant tambourine) and Es leuchten die Sterne (1938). Propelled to instant stardom, she came to represent oriental or Latin mystery and allure as the scantily-clad heroines of Eschnapurin tiikeri (1938), Maharadjan kosto (1938) (as the high priestess of a cult) and Rion tähti (1940).

Her life ended tragically young at the very peak of her popularity. She died of pneumonia at the age of 35, a fact which rather cemented her cult status. Since she left few personal notes, little of La Jana's life is known. This has given life to unverified rumours and scuttlebutt. One fanciful story has it that she aided in the escape from Nazi Germany of Jewish acting colleagues and was consequently murdered by the SS.

La Jana was married to the opera star Michael Bohnen and was said to have previously been romantically involved with Wilhelm, the last Crown Prince of the former German Empire.
BornFebruary 24, 1905
DiedMarch 13, 1940(35)
BornFebruary 24, 1905
DiedMarch 13, 1940(35)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos14

Peter Elsholtz and La Jana in Kuolonhyppy (1937)
La Jana in Eschnapurin tiikeri (1938)
La Jana and Paul Roschberg in Es leuchten die Sterne (1938)
La Jana
La Jana
La Jana
La Jana
La Jana
La Jana in Maharadjan kosto (1938)
Philip Dorn, Kitty Jantzen, and La Jana in Eschnapurin tiikeri (1938)
La Jana in Rion tähti (1940)
Curt Bois and La Jana in Der Schlemihl (1931)

Known for:

Lucie Höflich and Ralph Arthur Roberts in Der Biberpelz (1928)
Der Biberpelz
  • Leontine
  • 1928
Gustav Diessl, Philip Dorn, and La Jana in Eschnapurin tiikeri (1938)
Eschnapurin tiikeri
6.1
  • Maharani von Eschnapur
  • 1938
Karl Anton, Bruno Mondi, Gustav Diessl, Willy Engel-Berger, Max Gülstorff, Heinrich Jonen, Fritz Kampers, Hans Fritz Köllner, La Jana, Paul Otto, Harald Paulsen, Werner Scharf, Felix von Eckardt, Hubert von Meyerinck, and J. Fenneker in Rion tähti (1940)
Rion tähti
5.7
  • Concha
  • 1940
Es leuchten die Sterne (1938)
Es leuchten die Sterne
6.3
  • Tänzerin
  • 1938

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Der Trichter Nr. 10 (1940)
    Der Trichter Nr. 10
    Short
    • 1940
  • Karl Anton, Bruno Mondi, Gustav Diessl, Willy Engel-Berger, Max Gülstorff, Heinrich Jonen, Fritz Kampers, Hans Fritz Köllner, La Jana, Paul Otto, Harald Paulsen, Werner Scharf, Felix von Eckardt, Hubert von Meyerinck, and J. Fenneker in Rion tähti (1940)
    Rion tähti
    5.7
    • Concha
    • 1940
  • Hans Moser, Karin Hardt, Hans Holt, Attila Hörbiger, La Jana, Christl Mardayn, and Josef von Báky in Varieté-ihmisiä (1939)
    Varieté-ihmisiä
    6.2
    • Silvia Castellani
    • 1939
  • Es leuchten die Sterne (1938)
    Es leuchten die Sterne
    6.3
    • Tänzerin
    • 1938
  • Theo Lingen, Gustav Diessl, Philip Dorn, Richard Eichberg, Kitty Jantzen, La Jana, and Thea von Harbou in Maharadjan kosto (1938)
    Maharadjan kosto
    6.2
    • Indira, eine indische Tänzerin
    • 1938
  • Gustav Diessl, Philip Dorn, and La Jana in Eschnapurin tiikeri (1938)
    Eschnapurin tiikeri
    6.1
    • Maharani von Eschnapur
    • 1938
  • Kuolonhyppy (1937)
    Kuolonhyppy
    6.8
    • Yester, Tänzerin
    • 1937
  • Ich bin Du
    Short
    • 1934
  • Mischa Spoliansky, Henry Bender, Curt Bois, Gregori Chmara, Max Ehrlich, Hans Rameau, La Jana, Max Nosseck, Lewis Ruth, Hans Adalbert Schlettow, Victor Skutezky, Hubert von Meyerinck, J. Fenneker, and Lewis Ruth Band in Der Schlemihl (1931)
    Der Schlemihl
    • Garda Maro, Tänzerin
    • 1931
  • Die Warschauer Zitadelle (1930)
    Die Warschauer Zitadelle
    • Vera Proskaja
    • 1930
  • Spanisches Intermezzo
    Short
    • 1929
  • Der lustige Witwer
    • Lucile Daumier
    • 1929
  • Meineid - Ein Paragraph, der Menschen tötet (1929)
    Meineid - Ein Paragraph, der Menschen tötet
    • Daisy Storm
    • 1929
  • Casanova
    • Dancer
    • 1928
  • Ritter der Nacht
    • Marie-Louise
    • 1928

Soundtrack

  • Karl Anton, Bruno Mondi, Gustav Diessl, Willy Engel-Berger, Max Gülstorff, Heinrich Jonen, Fritz Kampers, Hans Fritz Köllner, La Jana, Paul Otto, Harald Paulsen, Werner Scharf, Felix von Eckardt, Hubert von Meyerinck, and J. Fenneker in Rion tähti (1940)
    Rion tähti
    5.7
    • performer: "Stern von Rio"
    • 1940

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Lary Jana
  • Born
    • February 24, 1905
    • Vienna, Austria-Hungary
  • Died
    • March 13, 1940
    • Wilmersdorf, Berlin, Germany(pneumonia)
  • Other works
    She acted in Herbert and Ellis's revue, "Streamline," in a Charles B. Cochran's production at the Palace Theatre in London, England with Florence Desmond, Roy Russell, Charles Heslop, Naunton Wayne, Tilly Losch, Nora Howard, June Hart, Sepha Treble, Iris March, William Stephens, Moya Nugent, Esmond Knight, Larry Adler, and Kyra Nijinsky in the cast. Doris Zinkelsen, Cecil Beaton, and Rex Whistler designed Mr. Cochran's Young Ladies.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Article

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    There were rumors of an affair between her and Joseph Goebbels.
  • Nickname
    • Henny

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