Maria Litto

Maria Litto (1919–1996) was a German ballet dancer, choreographer and film actress. In 1970, she pioneered dance programming on German television.

Early life

Born in Ovenhausen, Höxter, on 9 September 1919, Litto attended the town's primary and secondary schools. From the age of 16, she received training in ballet at the Tanzschule Carus in Holzminden and, when 18, at the Folkwangschule in Essen. She completed her training at the Wuppertal Municipal Theatre.

Career She joined the Berlin Opera ballet in 1941, first becoming a solo dancer and then, in 1944, prima ballerina. In 1948, she performed in Werner Egk's ballet Abraxas. Thereafter she danced in various films including Third from the Right, Melody of Fate, Maya of the Seven Veils and, taking the lead role, in Queen of the Arena. In 1953, she starred in the musical Die Blume von Hawaii (The Flower of Hawaii) where she played Princess Lia a fictionalised version of Liliuokalani.

Selected filmography The Old Boss (1942) Love Me (1942) Love Premiere (1943) Beloved Darling (1943) Nora (1944) Life Calls (1944) Third from the Right (1950) Melody of Fate (1950) Professor Nachtfalter (1951) Maya of the Seven Veils (1951) Queen of the Arena (1952) Dunja (1955) Three Days Confined to Barracks (1955) Three Birch Trees on the Heath (1956) (1957) I Learned That in Paris (1960) The Gorilla of Soho (1968) The Man with the Glass Eye (1969)