Question 1

True or false: Marlene Dietrich was a German-born actress and singer who became a US citizen.

Accepted Answer

True. She was born in Berlin in 1901, became a US citizen in 1939, and actively supported Allied troops during WWII.

Question 2

True or false: Dietrich's signature song 'Lili Marleen' was originally a German wartime love ballad.

Accepted Answer

True. She popularized it in the 1940s, and it became beloved by soldiers on both sides of WWII.

Question 3

True or false: Dietrich refused to perform for American troops during World War II.

Accepted Answer

False. She actually performed tirelessly for Allied soldiers, often near front lines, and was awarded the Medal of Freedom.

Question 4

True or false: Dietrich insisted on wearing trousers in public long before it was fashionable for women.

Accepted Answer

True. She frequently wore menswear-style suits in the 1930s, challenging gender norms and influencing fashion.

Question 5

True or false: Dietrich had a close friendship with author Ernest Hemingway, who admired her courage.

Accepted Answer

True. They exchanged hundreds of letters, and Hemingway called her 'the most beautiful woman in the world' and praised her wartime work.

Question 6

True or false: Dietrich's real first name was Marie Magdalene, but she changed it legally to Marlene.

Accepted Answer

False. Her birth name was Marie Magdalene Dietrich, and 'Marlene' was a childhood contraction she kept as her stage name, not a legal change.

Question 7

True or false: During the Cold War, Dietrich refused to ever return to Germany because of the Nazis.

Accepted Answer

False. She did return to West Germany in the 1960s for concerts and visits, but was often criticized by Germans for her anti-Nazi stance.

Question 8

True or false: Marlene Dietrich was the first actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Accepted Answer

False. She was nominated once for Best Actress in 1931 for 'Morocco' but never won a competitive Oscar.

Marlene Dietrich Trivia Questions