Mady Christians

Marguerita Maria "Mady" Christians (January 19, 1892 – October 28, 1951) was an Austrian actress who later became a naturalized citizen of the United States. She enjoyed a prominent career in both theatre and film in America until she faced blacklisting during the McCarthy era. Born to Rudolph Christians, a notable German actor, and his wife Bertha, Mady's family relocated to Berlin when she was just a year old. In 1912, they moved to New York City, where her father took on the role of general manager at the Irving Place Theatre. Five years later, she returned to Europe to study acting under the renowned Max Reinhardt.

Before the early 1930s, Christians featured in several European films, including the landmark 1929 German sound film, It's You I Have Loved. In 1933, she toured the U.S. in the play Marching By, and the subsequent year she secured a Broadway contract, which enabled her to escape the Nazi regime along with other German artists.

On Broadway, Christians took on significant roles such as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet and Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part I, directed by Margaret Webster, a member of a notable circle of lesbian theatre professionals. Their close friendship has been suggested to be romantic as well. She also starred in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine and originated the role of Mama in the 1944 play I Remember Mama. Her final film appearances were in All My Sons and Letter from an Unknown Woman, both released in 1948.

Throughout World War II, Christians was actively involved in advocacy for refugees and workers' rights, particularly within the entertainment industry. Her political engagement drew the attention of the FBI, especially after she publicly criticized the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1941. By 1950, Christians had been labeled a "concealed communist" by an informant, and her name appeared in the blacklist compilation Red