16 Facts About Zarah Leander

Zarah Leander was born as Sara Stina Hedberg in Karlstad, studying piano and violin as a child, and sang on stage for the first time at the age of six.

Zarah Leander initially had no intention of becoming a professional performer and led an ordinary life for several years.

Zarah Leander's fame brought her proposals from the European continent and from Hollywood, where a number of Swedish actors and directors were working.

Zarah Leander wrote a song for Zarah Leander, "I skuggan av en stovel", in 1934 which strongly condemned the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany.

Zarah Leander opted for an international career on the European continent.

Zarah Leander became renowned as a very tough negotiator, demanding both influence and a high salary, half of which was to be paid in Swedish kronor to a bank in Stockholm.

Zarah Leander neither socialized with leading party members nor took part in official Nazi Party functions.

Zarah Leander pointed out in later years that what made her a fortune was not her salary from UFA, but the royalties from the records she released.

Zarah Leander was still contractually obligated for another film to UFA, but held up the film representatives by rejecting script after script.

Zarah Leander's comeback found an eager audience among pre-war generations who had never forgotten her.

Zarah Leander appeared in a number of films and television shows, but she would never regain the popularity she had enjoyed before and into the first years of World War II.

Zarah Leander was often questioned about her years in Nazi Germany.

Zarah Leander claimed that her position as a German film actress merely had been that of an entertainer working to please an enthusiastic audience in a difficult time.

Zarah Leander herself denied any suggestion that she had acted as a spy for any country.

Zarah Leander continued to be popular in Germany for many decades after World War II.

Zarah Leander was interviewed several times on German television before her death.