Truus van Aalten was a Dutch girl who was crazy about films. In 1926, when she was just sixteen, she won a competition and found herself acting in a movie in Berlin. Studio bosses soon realized that she was a gifted comedienne, and she went on to act in many feature films.
Her dream came true - she became a popular film star all over Europe. She specialized in comedy, and she worked with some of the greatest performers and producers of her time. Her films were shown in America, too, and she won acclaim on the Berlin stage.
When the Nazis came into power they stopped her working, and she had to return to German-occupied Holland. She was then offered her career back - if she'd appear in propaganda movies. She refused, and was never able to act again.
Truus van Aalten was born just over 100 years ago - this site is about her life, her films and the world she lived in.