Lee Parry was born Mathilde Charlotte Benz on 14 January 1901, daughter of the stage actor, opera tenor, and variety director Josef Friedrich Benz (1863–1928), who was popularly known as "Papa Benz", and the singer Mathilde Benz (1880–1967). Parry was discovered by director
Richard Eichberg in 1919, who she subsequently married. She made her film debut in
Jettatore, followed by
Sins of the Parents and
Nonne und Tänzerin (all 1919), all of which were directed by Eichberg. Parry was at the pinnacle of her career when she starred in the historical drama
Monna Vanna (1922) opposite
Paul Wegener and
Hans Sturm. She co-starred in several films with
Bela Lugosi during the period in which he lived in Germany, including
Hypnosis and
The Curse of Man. In addition to acting in films, Parry also acted on the stage and starred in several Viennese operettas. She also embarked on a successful music career, recording popular songs such as "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt". Her final screen appearance was in
Adieu Vienne (1939). In 1956, Parry moved to
Buenos Aires with her second husband, Siegmund Breslauer, who was a director at the German exile theater Freie Deutsche Bühne. Following a theatrical comeback in the play
Manon, she continued to perform for several more years on various stages across South America. Parry died on 24 January 1977 in
Bad Tölz. ==Filmography==