Free Republic

Luise Rainer, an actress who won two Oscars back to back for her roles in The Great Ziegfeld and the Good Earth, after emigrating from Germany, died at the age of 104. While she is remembering for her place in old Hollywood, often overlooked is the pro-Israel work of this Jewish actress. Rainer participated in the United Palestine Appeal’s Night of Stars (Palestine was the British Latin designation used for a colonial territory that included Israel). She was the chairwoman of the American tour of the Habima Theater, which stood to reason as her acting aspirations had begun as a...

Actress Luise Rainer, who became the first winner of consecutive Oscars in the 1930s, has died at the age of 104. The German-born star was named best actress in 1936 and 1937 - a feat achieved by only five actors in Academy Awards history to date. Her achievement made her a force in the golden age of Hollywood cinema, but was also a curse, making her last major film in 1943. She settled in London and made occasional appearances on film and TV. Rainer appeared in US small screen series The Loveboat in 1984, while her last substantial film role...