No less than an icon of ‘Golden Era’ Hollywood, Marie Magdalene ‘Marlene’ Dietrich will forever be remembered for her songful Teutonic tones, uncompromising personal style and that razor sharp sense of humour.

Born in 1901 in Berlin, Marlene began her career as a chorus girl — it was in such a humble cabaret that she was discovered by director Josef von Sternberg. Josef brought Marlene to Hollywood, and the world to Marlene, in her breakthrough role as Lola-Lola in 1930’s The Blue Angel. It was here that Marlene won the world over with those immortal lines: “… falling in love again, never wanted to, what am I to do?”. Sternberg would go on to make several more films with Marlene as the centrepiece.

Who can forget her in Morocco, dressed in a tuxedo, cigarette in hand as she sings Give Me The Man? This film made Marlene’s name, earning her an Academy Award nomination. She’d go on to star in dozens of films over a fruitful career spanning decades. In 1953, now legendary for her singing voice, Marlene made the seamless transition to nightclub singer, serenading adoring fans all over the world. Sexy, sultry and sophisticated, Marlene was a superstar in every sense of the word.