Laya Raki
Encyclopedia
Laya Raki is a former dancer and film actress popular in Germany
in the 1950s and early 1960s. She also became an international star for her roles in English films and TV productions.
, Germany
, to acrobat Maria Althoff, and her partner, acrobat and clown Wilhelm Jörns. As she was an admirer of the famous dancer La Jana
and liked to drink raki
, she assumed the stage name Laya Raki.
She attracted attention for the first time in 1947 - 1950 as a dancer in Frankfurt and other German cities.
When she performed in Berlin
, her star began to rise: her 38-23-36 figure (5.35 ft, 110 lbs) and erotic radiance became the talk of the town.
The film company DEFA engaged her for a small role as a dancer in the film The Council of the Gods, which won two awards. One newspaper, the Berliner Morgenpost
, wrote that she was a great dancer with an expressive face rich in nuances. In the same year the press department of Realfilm presented her as a new discovery in Die Dritte von rechts ("The Third from the Right"), a rather boring dance film, the highlight of which was the scene in which the scantily clad dancer Laya Raki (with only two white stars on her nipples) exposes herself to the lustful gazes of the male cinema audience. In 1953, she danced in the film Ehe für eine Nacht ("Marriage for One Night"). Her next film was Die Rose von Stambul ("The Rose of Stamboul"), in which the Austrian actor Paul Hörbiger
wants to marry her upon seeing her dancing. In Roter Mohn ("Red Poppy") she played the gypsy girl Ilonka who also conducted refreshing dialogues with the famous Viennese comic actor Hans Moser
.
In 1954, she was lured to London
by empty promises of film roles in the United Kingdom
and in Hollywood. There she found herself unemployed, but her situation made headlines that opened opportunities. The J. Arthur Rank Film Company
, which needed a slightly exotic type for a film in New Zealand
, received her with open arms. She was given the role of the Maori chieftain's seductive wife in "The Seekers" and created a worldwide stir by baring her breasts, 10 years before Rudi Gernreich
invented the first topless swimsuit.
After having taken acting lessons in Hollywood, she appeared in several UK TV productions, including 39 episodes of the popular series Crane
(1962–1965), which made her a well known actress. In it Laya Raki starred as Halima, a Moroccan
dancer and bartender, who is the partner of the title character, the bar owner and smuggler Richard Crane, played by Patrick Allen
.
She appeared in revealing outfits in film and photographs, and captured men's attention like no other German showgirl in the 1950s. She modeled for postcards, pin-up photographs and magazines all over the world. The Broadway columnist Earl Wilson
noted her preference for scanty clothing: “You should have seen Laya Raki. Even if she is dressed, she looks like, as if she only wears the zipper and has forgotten the material”. Of course he placed some photos of her in "Earl Wilson’s Album of Showgirls (1st Issue! 1956)".
In 1962, she sang and recorded "Faire l`amour" and "Oh Johnny hier nicht parken", which are still available as singles and on CD-ROMs. The latter was banned by a Nuremberg court who thought her ecstatic moaning was imitating coitus.
At the age of 30, Laya Raki married the Australian actor Ron Randell
in London
. “He is the best and most beautiful man of the world”, she said, and remained at his side until he died on June 11, 2005, in Los Angeles.
1950 Die Dritte von rechts (a.k.a. The Third from the Right)
1953 Ehe für eine Nacht (a.k.a. Marriage for One Night)
1953 Die Rose von Stambul (a.k.a. The Rose of Stamboul)
1954 Up to His Neck
1954 Am Anfang war es Sünde (a.k.a. The Beginning Was Sin a.k.a. V zacetku je bil greh (Yugoslavia: Slovenian title) )
1954 The Seekers
(a.k.a. Land of Fury, a.k.a. Dämonen der Südsee)
1955 Die Frau des Botschafters (a.k.a. The Ambassador's Wife)
1955 Gesperrte Wege (a.k.a. Camino cortado)
1955 The Adventures of Quentin Durward
(a.k.a. Liebe, Tod und Teufel)
1956 Küss mich noch einmal
1956 Roter Mohn
1957 TV Episode O.S.S. - Operation Sweet Talk (#1.10)
1958 Ascoltami (a.k.a. Song of Naples, a.k.a. Das Lied von Neapel, ...und vergib mir meine Schuld)
1960 TV Episode Hawaiian Eye
- Kim Quixote (#1.26)
1960 TV Episode Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond - House of the Dead (#2.37)
1962 TV Episode The Beachcomber - Long Live the Sultan (#1.30)
1962 TV Episode The Beachcomber - Pat Hand (#1.3)
1962 TV Episode The Beachcomber
1962 TV Episode Tales of Wells Fargo
- The Gold Witch (#6.31)
1963 - 1965 TV Series Crane, as "Halima" in 39 episodes
1963 Die Nylonschlinge (a.k.a. The Nylon Noose)
1963 Das Rätsel der roten Quaste (a.k.a.: Das Geheimmnis der roten Quaste)
1964 The Galant One
1964 Das Haus auf dem Hügel (a.k.a. Le Hibou chasse la nuit)
1965 TV Episode I Spy - Dragon's Teeth (#1.5)
1966 Poppies are Also Flowers (a.k.a. Danger Grows Wild (UK), Mohn ist auch eine Blume (AU, GER), a.k.a. Opération opium (FR), a.k.a. The Opium Connection (USA: video title)
1966 Savage Pampas (a.k.a. Pampa salvaje (Argentina, Spain))
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the 1950s and early 1960s. She also became an international star for her roles in English films and TV productions.
Biography
Laya Raki was born in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, to acrobat Maria Althoff, and her partner, acrobat and clown Wilhelm Jörns. As she was an admirer of the famous dancer La Jana
La Jana (actress)
La Jana was an Austro-German dancer and actress.-Life and career:...
and liked to drink raki
Raki (alcoholic beverage)
Raki is a Turkish unsweetened, anise-flavored hard alcoholic drink that is popular in Turkey, Greece, Serbia, and other Balkan countries as an apéritif. It is often served with seafood or meze...
, she assumed the stage name Laya Raki.
She attracted attention for the first time in 1947 - 1950 as a dancer in Frankfurt and other German cities.
When she performed in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, her star began to rise: her 38-23-36 figure (5.35 ft, 110 lbs) and erotic radiance became the talk of the town.
The film company DEFA engaged her for a small role as a dancer in the film The Council of the Gods, which won two awards. One newspaper, the Berliner Morgenpost
Berliner Morgenpost
Berliner Morgenpost is a German newspaper, based and mainly read in Berlin, where it is the second most read daily newspaper. Founded in 1898 by Leopold Ullstein, it was taken over by Axel Springer AG in 1959. The paper had a circulation of 145,556 issues in 2009, with an estimated 322,000 readers...
, wrote that she was a great dancer with an expressive face rich in nuances. In the same year the press department of Realfilm presented her as a new discovery in Die Dritte von rechts ("The Third from the Right"), a rather boring dance film, the highlight of which was the scene in which the scantily clad dancer Laya Raki (with only two white stars on her nipples) exposes herself to the lustful gazes of the male cinema audience. In 1953, she danced in the film Ehe für eine Nacht ("Marriage for One Night"). Her next film was Die Rose von Stambul ("The Rose of Stamboul"), in which the Austrian actor Paul Hörbiger
Paul Hörbiger
Paul Hörbiger was an Austrian theatre and film actor.-Life and work:Paul Hörbiger was born in Budapest, the son of Hans Hörbiger, an engineer who wrote Welteislehre on glacial cosmology, and elder brother of actor Attila Hörbiger. In 1902 the family returned to Vienna, while Paul attended the...
wants to marry her upon seeing her dancing. In Roter Mohn ("Red Poppy") she played the gypsy girl Ilonka who also conducted refreshing dialogues with the famous Viennese comic actor Hans Moser
Hans Moser (actor)
Hans Moser was an Austrian actor who, during his long career, from the 1920s up to his death, mainly played in comedy films. He was particularly associated with the genre of the Wiener Film...
.
In 1954, she was lured to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by empty promises of film roles in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and in Hollywood. There she found herself unemployed, but her situation made headlines that opened opportunities. The J. Arthur Rank Film Company
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
, which needed a slightly exotic type for a film in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, received her with open arms. She was given the role of the Maori chieftain's seductive wife in "The Seekers" and created a worldwide stir by baring her breasts, 10 years before Rudi Gernreich
Rudi Gernreich
Rudi Gernreich was a Austrian-born American fashion designer and gay activist.-Biography:Born in Vienna, Gernreich fled Austria at age 16 due to Nazism, and later migrated to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, California...
invented the first topless swimsuit.
After having taken acting lessons in Hollywood, she appeared in several UK TV productions, including 39 episodes of the popular series Crane
Crane (TV series)
Crane is a British black and white adventure series that aired on ITV from 1963 to 1965. It was shown on Monday nights at 8 PM.-Plot:The series was based around Richard Crane who was a successful city businessman who was tired of the big city rat race...
(1962–1965), which made her a well known actress. In it Laya Raki starred as Halima, a Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
dancer and bartender, who is the partner of the title character, the bar owner and smuggler Richard Crane, played by Patrick Allen
Patrick Allen
John Keith Patrick Allen was a British film, television and voice actor.-Life and career:Allen was born in Nyasaland , where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada during World War II where he remained to finish his education at McGill...
.
She appeared in revealing outfits in film and photographs, and captured men's attention like no other German showgirl in the 1950s. She modeled for postcards, pin-up photographs and magazines all over the world. The Broadway columnist Earl Wilson
Earl Wilson (columnist)
Earl Wilson , born Harvey Earl Wilson, was an American journalist, gossip columnist and author, perhaps best known for his nationally syndicated column, It Happened Last Night....
noted her preference for scanty clothing: “You should have seen Laya Raki. Even if she is dressed, she looks like, as if she only wears the zipper and has forgotten the material”. Of course he placed some photos of her in "Earl Wilson’s Album of Showgirls (1st Issue! 1956)".
In 1962, she sang and recorded "Faire l`amour" and "Oh Johnny hier nicht parken", which are still available as singles and on CD-ROMs. The latter was banned by a Nuremberg court who thought her ecstatic moaning was imitating coitus.
At the age of 30, Laya Raki married the Australian actor Ron Randell
Ron Randell
Ronald Egan "Ron" Randell was an Australian-born American film and stage actor.-Biography:Randell was born in Sydney. He started his career as a stage and radio performer in his teens. He soon established himself as a leading male juvenile for radio, acting for 2KY Players, George Edwards, BAP...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. “He is the best and most beautiful man of the world”, she said, and remained at his side until he died on June 11, 2005, in Los Angeles.
Filmography
1950 The Council of the Gods1950 Die Dritte von rechts (a.k.a. The Third from the Right)
1953 Ehe für eine Nacht (a.k.a. Marriage for One Night)
1953 Die Rose von Stambul (a.k.a. The Rose of Stamboul)
1954 Up to His Neck
Up to His Neck
Up to His Neck is a 1954 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Ronald Shiner as Jack Carter, Hattie Jacques as Rakiki and Anthony Newley as Tommy.-Cast:* Ronald Shiner as Jack Carter* Brian Rix as Wiggy* Laya Raki as Lao Win Tan...
1954 Am Anfang war es Sünde (a.k.a. The Beginning Was Sin a.k.a. V zacetku je bil greh (Yugoslavia: Slovenian title) )
1954 The Seekers
The Seekers (1954 film)
The Seekers is a 1954 British adventure film produced by the Rank Organisation and directed by Ken Annakin. It starred Jack Hawkins, Glynis Johns, Noel Purcell, and Kenneth Williams....
(a.k.a. Land of Fury, a.k.a. Dämonen der Südsee)
1955 Die Frau des Botschafters (a.k.a. The Ambassador's Wife)
1955 Gesperrte Wege (a.k.a. Camino cortado)
1955 The Adventures of Quentin Durward
The Adventures of Quentin Durward
The Adventures of Quentin Durward, known also as Quentin Durward, is a 1955 historical film released by MGM. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman...
(a.k.a. Liebe, Tod und Teufel)
1956 Küss mich noch einmal
1956 Roter Mohn
1957 TV Episode O.S.S. - Operation Sweet Talk (#1.10)
1958 Ascoltami (a.k.a. Song of Naples, a.k.a. Das Lied von Neapel, ...und vergib mir meine Schuld)
1960 TV Episode Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
- Kim Quixote (#1.26)
1960 TV Episode Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond - House of the Dead (#2.37)
1962 TV Episode The Beachcomber - Long Live the Sultan (#1.30)
1962 TV Episode The Beachcomber - Pat Hand (#1.3)
1962 TV Episode The Beachcomber
The Vessel of Wrath
"The Vessel of Wrath" is a short story by W. Somerset Maugham. Written in 1931 it first appeared in the April 1931 edition of Hearst's International Cosmopolitan . Maugham often introduced short stories as a contribution to periodicals and then later included them in books or collected editions...
1962 TV Episode Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
- The Gold Witch (#6.31)
1963 - 1965 TV Series Crane, as "Halima" in 39 episodes
1963 Die Nylonschlinge (a.k.a. The Nylon Noose)
1963 Das Rätsel der roten Quaste (a.k.a.: Das Geheimmnis der roten Quaste)
1964 The Galant One
1964 Das Haus auf dem Hügel (a.k.a. Le Hibou chasse la nuit)
1965 TV Episode I Spy - Dragon's Teeth (#1.5)
1966 Poppies are Also Flowers (a.k.a. Danger Grows Wild (UK), Mohn ist auch eine Blume (AU, GER), a.k.a. Opération opium (FR), a.k.a. The Opium Connection (USA: video title)
1966 Savage Pampas (a.k.a. Pampa salvaje (Argentina, Spain))