Leni Stengel (12 September 1901 – 1 July 1982) was a German-born actress who appeared on Broadway, on television, and in films, through the 1920s to 1950s.

Leni Stengel
Stengel in The Animal Kingdom (1932)
Born(1901-09-12)12 September 1901
Berlin, Germany
Died1 April 1982(1982-04-01) (aged 80)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1929–1953
Spouse(s)Boris Ingster
(m. 1930; div. 19??)
Hans Stengel
(m. 19??; died 19??)

Early life

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She was born in Berlin, Germany, and was a grandniece of the German composer Friedrich von Flotow.[citation needed]

Career

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Leni Stengel, with Don Dillaway and Ann Harding in The Animal Kingdom (1932)

Her work in films includes Half Shot at Sunrise (1930), Cracked Nuts (1931), Beau Ideal (1931), The Animal Kingdom (1932), and Hollywood Speaks (1932).[1] She worked with Buster Keaton in Casanova wider Willen ("The Reluctant Casanova", 1931), the German version of Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931).[citation needed]

In television, she appeared in Lux Video Theatre, "Ti Babette" (1953), "Legacy of Love" (1952); Police Story, "Detective Sergeant, Martin Stephens" (1952);[citation needed] Lights Out, "Carmelita" (1951), The Clock, "Accident on Canigou" (1951).[citation needed]

On Broadway, she appeared in Princess Turandot (1926, fantasy), These Few Ashes (1928, comedy), Tovarich (1936, comedy), and Swan Song (1946, her final Broadway appearance).[citation needed]

In her films and radio performances with comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey, such as Half Shot at Sunrise (1930) and Cracked Nuts (1931), she worked as the straight man and romantic interest with Robert Woolsey, as Dorothy Lee did with Bert Wheeler.

In Half Shot at Sunrise, they share a comic dance routine, during which she tears off most of Woolsey's doughboy uniform, until he ends up in his skivvies, posing in a fountain.[2]

Later life

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She died in 1982 in New York City, New York, USA.

 
Leni Stengel as Zuleika, in Beau Ideal (1931)

Partial filmography and television credits

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Robert Woolsey and Leni Stengel in Half Shot at Sunrise (1930)
 
Leni Stengel with Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough in Kickin' the Crown Around (1933)

References

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  1. ^ Leni Stengel at Rotten Tomatoes
  2. ^ "Thumbnails for Half Shot at Sunrse".
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