Ellen Kessler
Acting • Born 1936-08-20 – Died 2025-11-17
Biography
Alice and Ellen Kessler (born 20 August 1936 in Nerchau, Saxony, Germany) are twin entertainers known in Europe, especially Germany and Italy, from the 1950s and 1960s for their singing, dancing, and acting. They are usually credited as the Kessler Twins (Die Kessler-Zwillinge in Germany and Le Gemelle Kessler in Italy), where they remain popular. The Kessler sisters enjoyed a significant degree of popularity in the US, appearing on national television programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show. The Kesslers made their American television debut on the CBS variety show, The Red Skelton Hour. They also appeared in the 1963 film Sodom and Gomorrah as dancers and were featured on the cover of Life Magazine that same year. Their parents, Paul and Elsa, sent them to ballet classes at the age of six, and they joined the Leipzig Opera's child ballet program at age 11. When they were 18, their parents used a visitor's visa to escape to West Germany, where they performed at the Palladium in Düsseldorf. They performed at The Lido in Paris between 1955 and 1960, where they met Elvis Presley, on leave from the Army on June 17, 1959, and represented West Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 8th place with Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n (Tonight we want to go dancing). They moved to Italy in 1960 and gradually moved to more serious roles. They became very popular thanks to the RAI television variety show Studio Uno (1961–1966). At the age of 40, they agreed to pose on the cover of the Italian edition of Playboy. That issue became the fastest-selling Italian Playboy to that date. They moved back to Germany in 1986 and live in Grünwald. They have received two awards from both the German and Italian governments for promoting German-Italian cooperation through their work in show business. Source: Article "Kessler Twins" from Wikipedia in english, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Filmography
105 credits
Maskenball bei Scotland Yard
Movie • 1963
Kessler-Zwillinge
The Thursday
Movie • 1964
Self
Treffpunkt Herz
Movie • 1975
Gast
Erik the Conqueror
Movie • 1961
Daya
Countess Mariza
Movie • 1958
Rosika
Playgirl
Movie • 1966
Self
Ein Leben wie im Flug
Movie • 2007
Self
Mein Schatz ist aus Tirol
Movie • 1958
Lo
Vier Mädels aus der Wachau
Movie • 1957
Hanni
Der Bettelstudent
Movie • 1958
Katja
Das Posthaus im Schwarzwald
Movie • 1958
Cilli
The Count of Luxemburg
Movie • 1957
Franzi
Scherben bringen Glück
Movie • 1957
Flora Fleuron
Hochzeitsnacht im Paradies
Movie • 1962
Milli
Mit Rosen fängt die Liebe an
Movie • 1957
Lotte
Solang es hübsche Mädchen gibt
Movie • 1955
Ellen
Der Vogelhändler
Movie • 1962
Tänzerin
Dead Woman from Beverly Hills
Movie • 1964
Tiddy Sister Nr. 1
Die Zwillinge vom Zillertal
Movie • 1957
Tänzerin
Songs, Bullies and Chicks
Movie • 1964
Self
The Beautiful Legs of Sabrina
Movie • 1958
Tänzerin
Love and the Frenchwoman
Movie • 1960
L'autre jumelle, un mannequin de publicité (segment "L'Adultère")
The Magician
Movie • 1960
Hildegarde
Johannes Heesters: Eine Legende wird 100
Movie • 2003
Self
Sodom and Gomorrah
Movie • 1962
Dancer
Andere Zeiten - andere Sitten
Movie • 1967
Self
Complexes
Movie • 1965
Self (segment "Guglielmo il Dentone")
Die lachende Dritte
Movie • 1961
Ellen
Rocco e le sorelle
Movie • 1961
Tabarin
Movie • 1958
Self
Perpetuum Musicale - Eine Revue ohne Aufenthalt
Movie • 1963
Self
Show - Charme - Chansons
Movie • 1965
Self
Alice und Ellen
Movie • 1971
Self
Festival der Stars
Movie • 1969
Self
Paris nach Noten
Movie • 1968
Self
Ein roter Teppich für....
TV • 2002
Self
Domenica In
TV • 1976
Self
Lieben Sie Show ?
TV • 1962
Self - Host
Showgeschichten
TV • 1986
Self
Continental Showcase
TV • 1966
Self
Wer weiß denn sowas?
TV • 2015
Self
Heimat - Deine Filme
TV • 2008
Self
Scene of the Crime
TV • 1970
Mutter Bemering
Dalli Dalli
TV • 1971
Self - Contestant
Am laufenden Band
TV • 1974
Self - Guest
Stars in the Ring
TV • 1959
Self
Die Harald Schmidt Show
TV • 1995
Self
Balko
TV • 1995
Ira Adomeit
Auf eigene Gefahr
TV • 1993
Lucie Grindel
Dalli Dalli
TV • 1971
Self
Inas Nacht
TV • 2007
Self
Lafer! Lichter! Lecker!
TV • 2006
Self
Klimbim
TV • 1973
Self
Lukas
TV • 1996
Ellen Kessler
Ein Schloß am Wörthersee
TV • 1990
Erika Strassberg
Markus Lanz
TV • 2008
Self
Die Montagsmaler
TV • 1974
Self
Alles Nichts Oder?!
TV • 1988
Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV • 1948
Self
Hätten Sie heut’ Zeit für mich?
TV • 1972
Self
Bio’s Bahnhof
TV • 1978
Self
Die diebischen Zwillinge
TV • 1971
Kathy
Mini Playback Show
TV • 1990
Self
Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten
TV • 1969
Self
Starparade
TV • 1968
Self
Die Pyramide
TV • 1979
Self
Bambi
TV • 1948
Self - Laudation
Ringlstetter
TV • 2016
self
Zum blauen Bock
TV • 1957
Self
Auf los geht's los
TV • 1977
Self
Zimmer frei!
TV • 1996
Self
Discorama
TV • 1959
Self
Numéro un
TV • 1975
Self
Menschen bei Maischberger
TV • 2003
Self
Filmlegenden. Deutsch
TV • 2006
Self
alfredissimo! Kochen mit Bio
TV • 1994
Self
Kölner Treff
TV • 1976
Self
Menschen der Woche
TV • 2000
Self
Boulevard Bio
TV • 1991
Self
Die verflixte 7
TV • 1984
Self
Versteckte Kamera
TV • 1995
Self
Alpha Forum
TV • 1998
Self
Lebens-Künstler
TV • 1995
Self
DAS!
TV • 1991
Self
NDR Talk Show
TV • 1979
Self
Music & Guests
TV • 1976
Self
Aeschbacher
TV • 2001
Self
Wortwechsel
TV • 1982
Self
Hotel Victoria
TV • 1961
Self
Menschen
TV • 1982
Self
Riverboat
TV • 1992
Self
8 x 1 in Noten
TV • 1973
Self
Anneliese Rothenberger gibt sich die Ehre
TV • 1971
Self
Die Caterina-Valente-Show
TV • 1966
Self
Wünsch dir was
TV • 1969
Self
Die Feste mit Florian Silbereisen
TV • 1994
Self
Herzlichen Glückwunsch - Die Michael Schanze Jubiläumsgala
TV • 2005
Self
Nachtcafé
TV • 1987
Self
Night-Club
TV • 1968
Self
The Danny Kaye Show
TV • 1963
Self
Pssst ...
TV • 1990
Self
Heut' abend
TV • 1980
Self
Deutscher Vorentscheid zum Eurovision Song Contest
TV • 1956
Self
Wieder zurück: Siegfried Arno - Eine Musik-Show aus Studio 3
TV • 1962
Self
Eurovision Song Contest
TV • 1956
Self - Contestant