Photo: Carl Van Vechten / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Lotte Lenya is one of those figures I think more people should know. An Austrian-American singer and actress, she's inseparable from the work of her husband Kurt Weill, and her unmistakable voice defined songs like Mack the Knife for generations. She won a Tony for her stage work and later reached a wider audience playing the villainous Rosa Klebb in a James Bond film, which always amazes me given her serious theatrical roots. What I admire is the range, from Weimar-era cabaret to Broadway to Hollywood. She lived through enormous upheaval and kept reinventing herself, and that durability is what makes her so memorable to me.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Lotte Lenya
- Name (Japanese)
- ロッテ・レーニャ
- Reading
- ろって・れーにゃ
- Born
- October 18, 1898 – November 27, 1981
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Dog
- Origin
- Vienna, Austria
- Occupation
- stage actor / film actor / monologist / actor / opera singer
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Lotte Lenya born?
October 18, 1898 – November 27, 1981.
Where is Lotte Lenya from?
Lotte Lenya is from Vienna, Austria.
What does Lotte Lenya do?
Lotte Lenya works as stage actor, film actor, monologist, actor, opera singer.
Stage actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from Austria →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.