Czech stage and film actress Lyda Salmonova (1889–1968) was married to German actor Paul Wegener and appeared with him in the silent Horror classics Der Student von Prag / The Student of Prague (1913) and Der Golem (1915 and 1920).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 403/3, 1919-1924. Photo: Rembrandt phot. Collection: Didier Hanson.
German postcard, no. 942. Photo: Lyda Salmonova in Der Golem und die Tänzerin / The Golem and the Dancing Girl (Rochus Gliese, Paul Wegener, 1917). Collection: Didier Hanson.
Lyda Salmonova (in Germany: Salmonowa) was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic) in 1889. As a girl, she took dance classes.
In 1909, she moved to Berlin, where she studied acting at the Deutsches Theatre. Soon, manager-director Max Reinhardt offered her a role. She played a supporting part in the pantomime 'Sumurun' and also appeared in 'Der Totentanz' by August Strindberg.
One of her first film roles was the flower girl Lyduschka in the German silent Horror film Der Student von Prag / The Student of Prague (Stellan Rye, Paul Wegener, 1913). Balduin, a poor student (Paul Wegener), rescues a beautiful countess (Grete Berger) and soon becomes obsessed with her. A sorcerer makes a deal with the young man to give him fabulous wealth and anything he wants, if he will sign his name to a contract. The student hurriedly signs the contract, but doesn't realise what he's in for.
The film was remade in 1926, under the same title Der Student von Prag / The Student of Prague. Other remakes were produced in 1935 and 2004. Salmonova and Wegener married in 1913 and would costar in 15 films. In 1915, she appeared with Wegener in the silent Horror film Der Golem / The Monster of Fate, written and directed by Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen. The film is inspired by ancient Jewish legend about the golem, a clay statue brought to life by Rabbi Loew in 16th-century Prague to save the Jews from the ongoing brutal persecution by the city's rulers.
Der Golem is the first of a trilogy by Wegener, followed by the short comedy Der Golem und die Tänzerin / The Golem and the Dancing Girl (Paul Wegener, Rochus Gliese, 1917) and Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam / The Golem: How He Came into the World (Carl Boese, Paul Wegener, 1920). In all three films, Salmonova played the female lead. She also acted in the Horror film Der Bucklige und die Tänzerin / The Hunchback and the Dancer (1920) directed by F. W. Murnau. This film is considered lost.
German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin. Collection: Didier Hanson.
Paul Wegener. German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin-Wilh., no. 278.
In the early 1920s, Lyda Salmonova appeared in silent films such as the adventure film Brennendes Land / Burning Country (Heinz Herald, 1921) starring Marie Wismar, Ernst Deutsch and Kurt Vespermann. She also played a supporting role in the drama Irrende Seelen / Wandering Souls (Carl Froelich, 1921) starring Asta Nielsen, and based on 'The Idiot' by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
She also appeared in the historical epic Das Weib des Pharao / The Loves of Pharaoh (Ernst Lubitsch, 1922) starring Emil Jannings. A complete version of the film was considered lost for years. In 2011, a digitally restored and reconstructed version premiered, including the original music by composer Eduard Künneke, which Ernst Lubitsch had commissioned for the film. The Loves of Pharaoh was Lubitsch last German feature before he migrated to Hollywood in 1923.
Salmonova also played in the silent historical film Lucrezia Borgia / Lucretia Borgia (Richard Oswald, 1922) featuring Liane Haid. Her biggest roles were in the films by her husband, Paul Wegener. One of their last collaborations was Herzog Ferrantes Ende / Duke Ferrantes End (Paul Wegener, Rochus Gliese, 1922). Her last film was S.O.S. Die Insel der Tränen / S.O.S. The Island of Tears (Lothar Mendes, 1923), as the wife of Paul Wegener.
In 1923, the two divorced, and Lyda Salmonova’s film career stopped. She performed on stage till the early 1930s. She worked as an acting teacher. She taught at the Ufa film school in Potsdam-Babelsberg, and under the name Lyda Wegener, she started her own theatre school.
During the war years, she lived in Berlin and was bombed there several times. After the war, she returned to her birthplace, Prague. Lyda Salmonova died in 1968 in Prague. She was 79.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 403/1, 1919-1924. Photo: Rembrandt.
Paul Wegener and Lyda Salmonova. German collector card by Cigaretten Bilderdienst Altona-Bahrenfeld, no. 9 (Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst. Der Stumme Film). Collection: Manuel Palomino Arjona.
Paul Wegener and Lyda Salmonova. German collector card by Cigaretten Bilderdienst Altona-Bahrenfeld, no. 86 (Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst. Der Stumme Film). Collection: Manuel Palomino Arjona.
Sources: Film Zeit.de (German - now defunct), Wikipedia (German and English), and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 21 October 2026.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 403/3, 1919-1924. Photo: Rembrandt phot. Collection: Didier Hanson.
German postcard, no. 942. Photo: Lyda Salmonova in Der Golem und die Tänzerin / The Golem and the Dancing Girl (Rochus Gliese, Paul Wegener, 1917). Collection: Didier Hanson.
Silent horror
Lyda Salmonova (in Germany: Salmonowa) was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic) in 1889. As a girl, she took dance classes.
In 1909, she moved to Berlin, where she studied acting at the Deutsches Theatre. Soon, manager-director Max Reinhardt offered her a role. She played a supporting part in the pantomime 'Sumurun' and also appeared in 'Der Totentanz' by August Strindberg.
One of her first film roles was the flower girl Lyduschka in the German silent Horror film Der Student von Prag / The Student of Prague (Stellan Rye, Paul Wegener, 1913). Balduin, a poor student (Paul Wegener), rescues a beautiful countess (Grete Berger) and soon becomes obsessed with her. A sorcerer makes a deal with the young man to give him fabulous wealth and anything he wants, if he will sign his name to a contract. The student hurriedly signs the contract, but doesn't realise what he's in for.
The film was remade in 1926, under the same title Der Student von Prag / The Student of Prague. Other remakes were produced in 1935 and 2004. Salmonova and Wegener married in 1913 and would costar in 15 films. In 1915, she appeared with Wegener in the silent Horror film Der Golem / The Monster of Fate, written and directed by Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen. The film is inspired by ancient Jewish legend about the golem, a clay statue brought to life by Rabbi Loew in 16th-century Prague to save the Jews from the ongoing brutal persecution by the city's rulers.
Der Golem is the first of a trilogy by Wegener, followed by the short comedy Der Golem und die Tänzerin / The Golem and the Dancing Girl (Paul Wegener, Rochus Gliese, 1917) and Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam / The Golem: How He Came into the World (Carl Boese, Paul Wegener, 1920). In all three films, Salmonova played the female lead. She also acted in the Horror film Der Bucklige und die Tänzerin / The Hunchback and the Dancer (1920) directed by F. W. Murnau. This film is considered lost.
German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin. Collection: Didier Hanson.
Paul Wegener. German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin-Wilh., no. 278.
Wandering souls
In the early 1920s, Lyda Salmonova appeared in silent films such as the adventure film Brennendes Land / Burning Country (Heinz Herald, 1921) starring Marie Wismar, Ernst Deutsch and Kurt Vespermann. She also played a supporting role in the drama Irrende Seelen / Wandering Souls (Carl Froelich, 1921) starring Asta Nielsen, and based on 'The Idiot' by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
She also appeared in the historical epic Das Weib des Pharao / The Loves of Pharaoh (Ernst Lubitsch, 1922) starring Emil Jannings. A complete version of the film was considered lost for years. In 2011, a digitally restored and reconstructed version premiered, including the original music by composer Eduard Künneke, which Ernst Lubitsch had commissioned for the film. The Loves of Pharaoh was Lubitsch last German feature before he migrated to Hollywood in 1923.
Salmonova also played in the silent historical film Lucrezia Borgia / Lucretia Borgia (Richard Oswald, 1922) featuring Liane Haid. Her biggest roles were in the films by her husband, Paul Wegener. One of their last collaborations was Herzog Ferrantes Ende / Duke Ferrantes End (Paul Wegener, Rochus Gliese, 1922). Her last film was S.O.S. Die Insel der Tränen / S.O.S. The Island of Tears (Lothar Mendes, 1923), as the wife of Paul Wegener.
In 1923, the two divorced, and Lyda Salmonova’s film career stopped. She performed on stage till the early 1930s. She worked as an acting teacher. She taught at the Ufa film school in Potsdam-Babelsberg, and under the name Lyda Wegener, she started her own theatre school.
During the war years, she lived in Berlin and was bombed there several times. After the war, she returned to her birthplace, Prague. Lyda Salmonova died in 1968 in Prague. She was 79.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 403/1, 1919-1924. Photo: Rembrandt.
Paul Wegener and Lyda Salmonova. German collector card by Cigaretten Bilderdienst Altona-Bahrenfeld, no. 9 (Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst. Der Stumme Film). Collection: Manuel Palomino Arjona.
Paul Wegener and Lyda Salmonova. German collector card by Cigaretten Bilderdienst Altona-Bahrenfeld, no. 86 (Vom Werden deutscher Filmkunst. Der Stumme Film). Collection: Manuel Palomino Arjona.
Sources: Film Zeit.de (German - now defunct), Wikipedia (German and English), and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 21 October 2026.
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