Ellen Kessler | WatchedThis

Ellen Kessler

Ellen Kessler

Acting

Biography

Alice and Ellen Kessler (born 20 August 1936 in Nerchau, Saxony, Germany) are twin entertainers known in Europe, especially Germany and Italy, from the 1950s and 1960s for their singing, dancing, and acting. They are usually credited as the Kessler Twins (Die Kessler-Zwillinge in Germany and Le Gemelle Kessler in Italy), where they remain popular. The Kessler sisters enjoyed a significant degree of popularity in the US, appearing on national television programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show. The Kesslers made their American television debut on the CBS variety show, The Red Skelton Hour. They also appeared in the 1963 film Sodom and Gomorrah as dancers and were featured on the cover of Life Magazine that same year. Their parents, Paul and Elsa, sent them to ballet classes at the age of six, and they joined the Leipzig Opera's child ballet program at age 11. When they were 18, their parents used a visitor's visa to escape to West Germany, where they performed at the Palladium in Düsseldorf. They performed at The Lido in Paris between 1955 and 1960, where they met Elvis Presley, on leave from the Army on June 17, 1959, and represented West Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 8th place with Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n (Tonight we want to go dancing). They moved to Italy in 1960 and gradually moved to more serious roles. They became very popular thanks to the RAI television variety show Studio Uno (1961–1966). At the age of 40, they agreed to pose on the cover of the Italian edition of Playboy. That issue became the fastest-selling Italian Playboy to that date. They moved back to Germany in 1986 and live in Grünwald. They have received two awards from both the German and Italian governments for promoting German-Italian cooperation through their work in show business. Source: Article "Kessler Twins" from Wikipedia in english, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Filmography Movies

Acting

Poster for Maskenball bei Scotland Yard
MOVIE

Maskenball bei Scotland Yard

10.0(0.0K)
Maskenball bei Scotland Yard
Kessler-Zwillinge
Poster for The Thursday
MOVIE

The Thursday

7.0(0.0K)
The Thursday
Self
Treffpunkt HerzMOVIE
MOVIE

Treffpunkt Herz

7.0(0.0K)
Treffpunkt Herz
Gast
Poster for Erik the Conqueror
MOVIE

Erik the Conqueror

6.4(0.0K)
Erik the Conqueror
Daya
Poster for Countess Mariza
MOVIE

Countess Mariza

8.0(0.0K)
Countess Mariza
Rosika
Poster for Playgirl
MOVIE

Playgirl

5.1(0.0K)
Playgirl
Self
Ein Leben wie im FlugMOVIE
MOVIE

Ein Leben wie im Flug

Ein Leben wie im Flug
Self
Poster for Mein Schatz ist aus Tirol
MOVIE

Mein Schatz ist aus Tirol

5.8(0.0K)
Mein Schatz ist aus Tirol
Lo
Poster for Vier Mädels aus der Wachau
MOVIE

Vier Mädels aus der Wachau

6.3(0.0K)
Vier Mädels aus der Wachau
Hanni
Poster for Das Posthaus im Schwarzwald
MOVIE

Das Posthaus im Schwarzwald

5.7(0.0K)
Das Posthaus im Schwarzwald
Cilli

Gallery

Ellen Kessler portrait