Marlene Dietrich celebrated by Google Doodle – here’s why the German singer and actress’ 116th birthday is being marked
The iconic star is still remembered to this day for her style and influence
MARLENE Dietrich is one of the most famous women of the 20th century and is being remembered around the world today with a Google Doodle.
The German actress and singer was one of the biggest stars in the world during the 1920s and 1930s and is seen as a feminist icon for her iconic style.
Who was Marlene Dietrich?
Born in Berlin on December 27, 1901, Dietrich's full name was Maria Magdalene Dietrich but at the age of 11 she decided to join her first two names together to form Marlene.
From an early age, she showed a keen interest in music and theatre and began working as a chorus girl, performing both in Berlin and on the road around Germany.
This gave her a way into the entertainment world and in 1923 she made her film debut in Little Napolean - the same year she met her future husband Rudolf Sieber.
In 1924 Marlene gave birth to her only child, Maria Elisabeth.
Her breakthrough role came in 1929 when she landed the part of Lola Lola - a cabaret singer in The Blue Angel.
She later moved to America where she helped Jews and other at-risk people escape Nazi Germany as the Second World War began.
Dietrich performed for Allied troops across Europe and later returned to Germany and reunited with her sister.
She continued to work but her health began to deteriorate and in 1975 she fell off a stage and broke her thigh - ending her performing career.
The next year her husband Rudolf died of cancer. On May 6, 1992, she passed away as a result of renal failure at her Paris flat at the age of 90.
Such was her status, over 1,500 mourners attended her funeral - including ambassadors from the US, UK, Russia and France.
She was buried in Berlin, near her family following a request she made after the Berlin Wall fell and East and West Germany were reunited.
What is a Google Doodle?
In 1998, the search engine founders Larry and Sergey drew a stick figure behind the second 'o' of Google as a message to that they were out of office at the Burning Man festival and with that, Google Doodles were born.
The company decided that they should decorate the logo to mark cultural moments and it soon became clear that users really enjoyed the change to the Google homepage.
In that same year, a turkey was added to Thanksgiving and two pumpkins appeared as the 'o's for Halloween the following year.
Now, there is a full team of doodlers, illustrators, graphic designers, animators and classically trained artists who help create what you see on those days.
Recently, a Google Doodle celebrated the 2017 Winter solstice.