Editing Luise Rainer (section)

==Early life and career==
The daughter of Heinrich and Emilie (née Königsberger) Rainer, known familiarly as "Heinz" and "Emmy", Rainer was born on 12 January 1910 in [[Düsseldorf]], Germany<ref name="Parker">Parker, John (1947) ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 10th revised ed. London: Pitmans; p. 1176</ref> and raised in [[Hamburg]] and later in [[Vienna]], Austria. Some sources list her birthplace as Vienna.<ref name="Monush"/><ref name="tcm">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=157225|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402045925/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=157225|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 April 2010|title=Turner Classic Movies|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=7 June 2010}}</ref><ref>''International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers&nbsp;– Actors and Actresses'', St. James Press (1997) p. 997</ref> Describing her childhood, she stated, "I was born into a world of destruction. The Vienna of my childhood was one of starvation, poverty and revolution."<ref name="Osborne">Osborne, Robert A. ''Academy Awards Illustrated: A Complete History of Hollywood's Academy Awards'', ESE California (1969) p. 71</ref> Her father was a businessman who settled in Europe after spending most of his childhood in [[Texas]], where he was sent at the age of six as an orphan. (Rainer had stated that because of her father, she is an American citizen "by birth".)<ref>"[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s1wlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HugFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4420,4912533&dq=luise-rainer-retaining-her-viennese-vivacity-at-73 Luise Rainer, retaining her Viennese vivacity at 73]" by Bob Thomas, ''[[The Gettysburg Times]]'', 10 November 1983, p. 15</ref> Rainer's family was upper-class and Jewish.<ref name="Brenman">[[Brenman-Gibson, Margaret]]. ''Clifford Odets'', Applause Books (2002)</ref>{{rp|402}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Luise Rainer profile|url=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USArainer.htm|work=Spartacus Educational|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213182918/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USArainer.htm|archive-date=13 February 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Luise Rainer 1936.jpg|thumb|Rainer publicity photo in 1936]]
Rainer had two brothers and was a premature baby, born two months early. She describes her father as being "possessive" and "tempestuous", but whose affections and concern were centered on her. Luise seemed to him as "eternally absent-minded" and "very different". She remembers his "tyrannical possessiveness", and was saddened to see her mother, "a beautiful pianist, and a woman of warmth and intelligence and deeply in love with her husband, suffering similarly".<ref name="Brenman"/> Although generally shy at home, she was immensely athletic in school, becoming a champion runner and a fearless mountain climber. Rainer said she became an actress to help expend her physical and overly emotional energy. It was her father's wish, however, that she attend a good finishing school and "marry the right man."<ref name="Brenman"/> Rainer's rebellious nature made her appear to be more of a "tomboy" and happy to be alone. She also feared she might develop what she saw as her mother's "inferiority complex".<ref name="Brenman"/>

She was only six when she decided to become part of the entertainment world, and recalled being inspired by watching a [[circus]] act:

<blockquote>I thought that a man on the wire was marvelous, in his spangles and tights. I wanted to run away and marry him but I never had an opportunity. I am sure, though, that the experience first disclosed to me the entertainment world. For years I longed to be able to walk on a tight wire, too.<ref>"Circus Act Inspires Career for Rainer", ''[[Pittsburgh Press]]'', 15 May 1938, p. 8</ref>
</blockquote>

At age 16, Rainer chose to follow her dream to become an actress; under the pretext of visiting her mother, she traveled to Düsseldorf for a prearranged audition at the Dumont Theater.<ref name="thomas">"How Hollywood 'Discovered' Its Latest Foreign Star" by Dan Thomas, ''Laredo Morning Times'', 17 November 1935 p. 13</ref>

In the 1920s the theatre director [[Louise Dumont]] separated from her husband. Dumont was attached to a number of young actresses including [[Fita Benkhoff]], Hanni Hoessrich, and Rainer. It has been presumed that Dumont was bisexual.<ref name=lsb>[http://www.lesbengeschichte.de/bio_dumont_d.html Bio of Dumont], lesbengeschichte.de, Retrieved 24 July 2016</ref>

Rainer later began studying acting with [[Max Reinhardt]], and, by the time she was 18, there was already an "army of critics" who felt that she had unusual talent for a young actress.<ref name="Brenman"/> She soon became a distinguished Berlin stage actress as a member of Reinhardt's Vienna theater ensemble.<ref name="Affron"/><ref name="Thomson">[[David Thomson (film critic)|Thomson, David]]. ''[[The New Biographical Dictionary of Film]]'', Alfred A. Knopf (2002) p. 708{{ISBN missing}}</ref> Her first stage appearance was at the Dumont Theater in 1928, followed by other appearances, including Jacques Deval's play ''Mademoiselle'', Kingsley's ''[[Men in White (play)|Men in White]]'', [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]'', ''[[Measure for Measure]]'', and [[Luigi Pirandello|Pirandello]]'s ''[[Six Characters in Search of an Author]]''.<ref name="Parker"/>

In 1934, after appearing in several German language films, she was seen performing in the play ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] talent scout Phil Berg, who offered her a three-year contract in Hollywood.<ref name="thomas"/> He thought she would appeal to the same audience as Swedish MGM star [[Greta Garbo]].<ref name="shipman">[[David Shipman (writer)|Shipman, David]] (1970)''The Great Movie Stars, The Golden Years''. New York: Bonanza Books LCCN 78-133803; pp. 450–51</ref> Initially, Rainer had no interest in films, saying in a 1935 interview: "I never wanted to film. I was only for the theater. Then I saw ''[[A Farewell to Arms (1932 film)|A Farewell to Arms]]'' and right away I wanted to film. It was so beautiful."<ref name="thomas"/>