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Before coming to America to take an unsuccessful stab at Hollywood stardom, Dolly Haas had established herself as a luminary on stage and screen in her native Germany. Born in Hamburg, in 1916, she began dancing at age six, was a professional actress during her teens, and made her German feature film debut in 1923, with One Summer of Happiness. She continued appearing in films there through the early '30s, but when the National Socialists came to power, Hass emigrated to Great Britain. There, she appeared in such films as Broken Blossoms (1935) and Spy of Napoleon (1939). Shortly after making the latter film, she moved to the U.S., but once in Hollywood was unable to find a film that suited her. In the early '40s, she moved to New York to forge a successful career on Broadway, appearing in shows such as Lute Song opposite Yul Brynner and Crime and Punishment with John Gielgud. In 1975, Haas' contribution to German cinema was honored with a retrospective at the Berlin International Film Festival.