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Iwa Wanja

1905 – 1991

Bulgarian actress

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About Iwa Wanja

Lived 1905 – 1991 (aged 85). Iwa Wanja was a Bulgarian and German actor, singer, screenwriter, film actor, equestrian and writer.

Iwa Wanja (born Ivanka Nikolova Yanakieva; 10 October 1905 – 26 June 1991) was a Bulgarian actress based in Germany. She moved to Berlin to pursue her career, appearing in around thirty German films. She was married to Norbert Schultze, German composer, best remembered for having written the melody of the World War II classic Lili Marleen.

Life and career In 1937, Wanja appeared in the Nazi propaganda film, Urlaub auf Ehrenwort (Holiday on Parole, also known as Furlough on Parole).

Sometime around 1943, she wed German film composer Norbert Arnold Wilhelm Richard Schultze. They had two sons together. During their marriage, she penned the libretti for several of his compositions for the stage.

Selected filmography Women of Luxury (1925) A Sister of Six (1926) The Woman's Crusade (1926) I Liked Kissing Women (1926) Weekend Magic (1927) The Long Intermission (1927) The Marriage Nest (1927) The Prince's Child (1927) Girls, Beware! (1928) The President (1928) The House Without Men (1928) Polish Economy (1928) Dear Homeland (1929) The Right of the Unborn (1929) From a Bachelor's Diary (1929) Josef the Chaste (1930) The Court Concert (1936) Captain Bay-Bay (1953) A Life for Do (1954)

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Important facts

Family & relationships

Spouse
Norbert Schultze
Child
Kristian Schultze

People in Iwa Wanja's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Iwa Wanja's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Iwa Wanja?

Bulgarian actress (1905–1991)

When was Iwa Wanja born?

Iwa Wanja was born on 10 October 1905 in Karnobat.

When did Iwa Wanja die?

Iwa Wanja died on 26 June 1991 in Berlin.

What was Iwa Wanja's occupation?

Iwa Wanja was an actor, singer, screenwriter, film actor, equestrian and writer.

What nationality was Iwa Wanja?

Iwa Wanja was Bulgarian and German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Iwa Wanja

· Wikidata: Q1675872

· DBpedia: Iwa Wanja

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Iwa Wanja. https://biography.guide/iwa-wanja/

MLA: "Iwa Wanja." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/iwa-wanja/.

Chicago: "Iwa Wanja." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/iwa-wanja/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-24 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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