Leni Stengel

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
Died	1 April 1982(1982-04-01) (aged 80) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1929–1953
Spouse(s)	Boris Ingster (m. 1930; div. 19??) Hans Stengel (m. 19??; died 19??)

Early life

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

Career

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

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

Leni Stengel as Zuleika, in Beau Ideal (1931)

Partial filmography and television credits

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)

• 1952-1953: Lux Video Theatre (TV series), "Ti Babette" (1953), "Legacy of Love" (1952)
• 1952: Police Story (TV series), "Detective Sergeant, Martin Stephens"
• 1951: Lights Out (TV series), "Dark Image"
• 1951: The Clock, "Accident on Canigou" (1951)
• 1934: Art Trouble (short), as Girl at nightclub, with Shemp Howard
• 1934: Henry the Ache (short), with Shemp Howard^{[citation needed]}
• 1933: Kickin' the Crown Around (short), as The Queen, with Clark and McCullough
• 1933: The Barbarian, as Ilsa, a German Tourist
• 1933: Luxury Liner (1933 film), as Slattern (uncredited)^{[citation needed]}
• 1932: The Animal Kingdom, as Franc Schmidt, an artist
• 1932: Hollywood Speaks, as Mrs. Landau^{[citation needed]}
• 1932: Man About Town (1932 film), as Countess Vonesse^{[citation needed]}
• 1931: Husband's Holiday, as Molly Saunders^{[citation needed]}
• 1931: The Beloved Bachelor, as Julie Stressman^{[citation needed]}
• 1931: Casanova wider Willen, German version of Parlor, Bedroom and Bath, with Buster Keaton^{[citation needed]}
• 1931: The Road to Reno, as Mrs. Stafford Howes
• 1931: Cracked Nuts, as Queen Carlotta
• 1931: Beau Ideal, as Zuleika
• 1930: Half Shot at Sunrise, as Olga, with Wheeler & Woolsey