Ellen Kessler
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.
Known for
Scene of the Crime
Mutter Bemering
Bambi
Self - Laudation
Die Harald Schmidt Show
Self
Die Feste mit Florian Silbereisen
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Playgirl
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Tabarin
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Ein Schloß am Wörthersee
Erika Strassberg
Die Pyramide
Self
Dalli Dalli
Self - Contestant
Dalli Dalli
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The Danny Kaye Show
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Complexes
Self (segment "Guglielmo il Dentone")
Stars in the Ring
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Numéro un
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Wer weiß denn sowas?
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Die Montagsmaler
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Der Vogelhändler
Tänzerin
Menschen
Self
Hochzeitsnacht im Paradies
Milli
Auf los geht's los
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Balko
Ira Adomeit
Music & Guests
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Versteckte Kamera
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Scherben bringen Glück
Flora Fleuron
The Magician
Hildegarde
Pssst ...
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Am laufenden Band
Self - Guest
Auf eigene Gefahr
Lucie Grindel
Mini Playback Show
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Alles Nichts Oder?!
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Klimbim
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Lukas
Ellen Kessler
Andere Zeiten - andere Sitten
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Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten
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Sodom and Gomorrah
Dancer
8 x 1 in Noten
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Die verflixte 7
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Herzlichen Glückwunsch - Die Michael Schanze Jubiläumsgala
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Deutscher Vorentscheid zum Eurovision Song Contest
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Hotel Victoria
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Filmlegenden. Deutsch
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Anneliese Rothenberger gibt sich die Ehre
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Hätten Sie heut’ Zeit für mich?
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Wünsch dir was
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Countess Mariza
Rosika
Continental Showcase
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Love and the Frenchwoman
L'autre jumelle, un mannequin de publicité (segment "L'Adultère")
Lieben Sie Show ?
Self - Host
Rocco e le sorelle
Festival der Stars
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Alice und Ellen
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The Thursday
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Heimat - Deine Filme
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Der Bettelstudent
Katja
Die Caterina-Valente-Show
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Songs, Bullies and Chicks
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Dead Woman from Beverly Hills
Tiddy Sister Nr. 1
Erik the Conqueror
Daya
Ein Leben wie im Flug
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The Beautiful Legs of Sabrina
Tänzerin
The Count of Luxemburg
Franzi
Die Zwillinge vom Zillertal
Tänzerin
Treffpunkt Herz
Gast
Die diebischen Zwillinge
Kathy
Maskenball bei Scotland Yard
Kessler-Zwillinge
Das Posthaus im Schwarzwald
Cilli
Solang es hübsche Mädchen gibt
Ellen
Wieder zurück: Siegfried Arno - Eine Musik-Show aus Studio 3
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Mit Rosen fängt die Liebe an
Lotte
Johannes Heesters: Eine Legende wird 100
Self
Vier Mädels aus der Wachau
Hanni
Die lachende Dritte
Ellen
Mein Schatz ist aus Tirol
Lo
Show - Charme - Chansons
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NDR Talk Show
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DAS!
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Paris nach Noten
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Markus Lanz
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Perpetuum Musicale - Eine Revue ohne Aufenthalt
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Kölner Treff
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Eurovision Song Contest
Self - Contestant
Zum blauen Bock
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Nachtcafé
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Riverboat
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The Ed Sullivan Show
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Zimmer frei!
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alfredissimo! Kochen mit Bio
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Menschen bei Maischberger
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Heut' abend
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Inas Nacht
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Menschen der Woche
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Aeschbacher
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Wortwechsel
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Alpha Forum
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Boulevard Bio
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Ringlstetter
self
Discorama
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Lafer! Lichter! Lecker!
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Domenica In
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Showgeschichten
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Lebens-Künstler
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Bio’s Bahnhof
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Starparade
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Ein roter Teppich für....
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Night-Club
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