Elli Silman

Elli Silman (1898-1982) had worked in the film industry since the 1920s, first in Germany, then in exile in the Netherlands, in France and finally in Hollywood. But she returned to Germany after the end of the war as an unknown “in uniform,” i.e., as an employee of the military government: in Berlin, she was used in denazification proceedings of cultural workers. Because she knew the industry well and also had contacts in Hollywood, she began to place actors in film productions and thus became one of the first female agents in Germany. Together with her business partner Ilse Alexander, she helped to build up the star system of post-war German cinema. Even though she was one of the few truly influential women in the industry, Elli Silman has so far been overlooked by film historians.