Marika Rökk was a German-Austrian dancer, singer, and actress of Hungarian descent born as Marie Karoline Rökk on November 3, 1913, in Cairo. She achieved professional recognition for a musical career characterized by revue films and operettas and for her status as a leading film star in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. Rökk achieved professional recognition for a career that began after she moved to Paris in 1924 and performed as a dancer at the Moulin Rouge. She achieved professional recognition for signing a contract with the company UFA in 1934 and making her German film debut in Leichte Kavallerie (1935). Her recording career included the song “Ich brauche keine Millionen” (1939) from the film Hallo Janine! and the song “In der Nacht ist der Mensch nicht gern alleine” (1944). Rökk achieved professional recognition for starring in the movie Frauen sind doch bessere Diplomaten (1941), which was the first German motion picture in Agfacolor. She achieved professional recognition for receiving the Bambi award in 1948 and performing the title role in the musical Hello, Dolly! in 1968. Her discography included several studio recordings from the 1930s and 1940s and her last main stage role in the comedy Das Kuckucksei in 1986. Rökk achieved professional recognition for receiving the Deutscher Filmpreis in 1981 and the Ehrenmedaille der Bundeshauptstadt Wien in gold in 1983. She died on May 16, 2004.
