110 Years of Tallinn's Baroness Irene von Meyendorff – A Third Reich Film Star

Irene von Meyendorff was born 110 years ago in Tallinn to an aristocratic family and rose to become one of Germany's most celebrated film stars. With blonde hair and a mysterious background, the actress was often compared to Marilyn Monroe, but unlike her, Irene came from an aristocratic lineage.

Exactly 110 years ago, a woman was born in Tallinn who became the brightest star in the Third Reich's cinematic firmament – Irene von Meyendorff. A beauty from a Baltic German aristocratic family, she built a career in the German film industry and rose to become one of the most sought-after screen personalities of the pre-war and wartime period.

Aristocratic background and brilliant career

Irene von Meyendorff's story is unique because her stardom was not connected with rising from poverty, as was the case with many Hollywood legends, but rather the opposite – she came to the screen with aristocratic origins and a regal demeanor. This gave her a mystical and inaccessible aura that captivated audiences.

For the German public, von Meyendorff embodied a blonde, alluring and mysterious feminine type, whom she was later compared to Marilyn Monroe. Yet the paths of these two stars to fame were entirely different: while Monroe clawed her way up from the dust of city streets, Tallinn's baroness seemed to descend from the heavens themselves.

Tallinn's daughter on the world stage

Von Meyendorff's story is also Tallinn's story – the capital gave the world a woman whose name resounded on the big screens of German cinemas. Her Baltic German origins and upbringing left their mark on both her choice of roles and her personal style, which distinguished her from the average film star of that era.

This year marks 110 years since Irene von Meyendorff's birth – a reason to recall that Tallinn has given the world numerous outstanding personalities over the decades, whose stories deserve to be rediscovered.