Dita Parlo was born on 4 September 1908 in
Stettin,
Pomerania, then in the
German Empire. Sources differ as to whether her birth name was Grethe Gerda Kornstädt or Gerda Olga Justine Kornstädt. Her birth year is also sometimes listed as being 1906. Parlo made her first film appearance in
Homecoming (
Heimkehr) in 1928 and quickly became a popular actress in
Germany. During the 1930s she moved easily between German and French films, achieving success in several films, including, in the span of four years, two that are considered among the greatest in cinema history: ''
L'Atalante (1934) and La Grande Illusion'' (1937). Parlo attempted to establish a career in American films but despite a couple of roles in
Hollywood films, was unable to extend her European success. In the late 1930s, she was scheduled to appear in the
Orson Welles production of
Joseph Conrad's
Heart of Darkness for
RKO Radio Pictures, but the project was abandoned. She was deported to Germany as an enemy alien during World War II, but returned to France in 1949. She made only two films after the war,
Justice is Done (1950) and her final screen appearance in
La Dame de pique (1965). ==Personal life and death==