Susi Lanner

Susi Lanner, born Mechthilde Reif on August 27, 1911, in Vienna, Austria, was an actress whose career spanned European film, stage, and Broadway. She died on March 16, 2006, in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Lanner's early training encompassed drama, dance, and singing, and she built her initial stage presence performing as a singer and dancer in operettas and revues in Vienna. Her film career began in 1932 with the comedy Three on a Honeymoon, in which she appeared alongside Brigitte Helm and Oskar Karlweis. From that debut she progressed from supporting roles to prominent co-starring parts, working with established German-language stars including Heinz Rühmann, Theo Lingen, and Hans Moser.

Among her lead film roles, Lanner appeared opposite Harry Piel in Artisten and opposite Hans Söhnker in the drama Herbstmanöver. She starred in Hans Deppe's comedy Meiseken and appeared opposite Erik Ode in The Daring Swimmer. Additional notable credits included the drama Moscow-Shanghai, directed by Paul Wegener and featuring silent-film star Pola Negri, and Robert A. Stemmle's comedy Heinz in the Moon with Heinz Rühmann. She also took part in the musical The Last Waltz, which featured Camilla Horn. Her film work in German productions continued through 1937.

Shortly before Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938, Lanner relocated to the United States with her husband, Roy Frazier Potts, an American businessman who served as Vice President of the New-York Overseas Corp. She did not continue her film career following the move. That same year she appeared on Broadway in Good Hunting, marking her sole credited Broadway appearance.