Dita Parlo (4 September 1906 – 13 December 1971) was a German film actress.
Born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt in Stettin (present-day Szczecin), Parlo made her first film appearance in Homecoming in 1928 and quickly became a popular actress in Germany. During the 1930s she moved easily between German and French language films, achieving success in such films as L'Atalante (1934) and La Grande Illusion (1937).
Parlo attempted to establish a career in American films but despite a couple of roles in Hollywood films, was unable to extend her European success. She was scheduled to appear in the proposed Orson Welles production of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness for RKO Radio Pictures. However, that project did not come to pass, and Welles began work on Citizen Kane. With the outbreak of World War II, Parlo returned to Germany. She appeared in only three films during the last thirty years of her life, making her final film appearance in 1965.
In more recent times, she has been referenced by Madonna, who said she had been fascinated by Parlo, and took her name for the character she created for her Sex book and Erotica album. Its title track commences with the line "My name is Dita, I'll be your mistress tonight... " Burlesque performer Dita Von Teese took her name in tribute to Parlo.[1]