Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge: A Beautiful Biography
Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge, also known as Colonel Baron Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge, was a German monarchist who served during World War I. He became a businessman in Berlin from the 1920s through the 1930s after surviving the war.
It was said that he was imprisoned because of giving protection to Jewish people and only got out due to a convenience brought by one of his love interests.
Keep reading for further insight.
Who Is Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge?
Born on November 21, 1886, Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge is a German aristocrat who supported the principle of having a monarchy. When he was around 28 years old, World War I broke out. Being the Prussian nobleman that he is, he became a cavalry commander and served during the war.
After surviving the war, Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge became a civilian and businessman in Berlin from the 1920s to 1930s. However, during World War II, it is said that he was imprisoned by the Nazis for refusing to join the military and shielding Jewish acquaintances.
With the support of his love interest, he was eventually able to break out of jail. They were able to flee and lived a normal life since then. For years, Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge had been under the radar, and he was famous and elusive at the same time because of his very private series of activities revolving around his personal life.
Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge Genealogy
Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge was the only son to his father, Friedrich Karl Bernhard Felix Heinrich Franz von Schlebrügge, who was born on February 21, 1849 in Breslau, Wroclaw, Wrocław County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, and to his mother, Nanny Schultz, who was born in October 17, 1860, in Germany.
Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge’s Love Interest
Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge had two marriages; one was with Margareta von Schlebrügge, who is also known as “Lindskogh,” and the other more popular marriage was with Birgit Holmquist.
Birgit Holmquist was born on March 6, 1911, and raised in Trelleborg, Skåne County, Sweden. She was the model for the statue of a nude woman overlooking the harbor of Smygehuk, in the southernmost part of Sweden. The statue, named “Famntaget” or “The Embrace,” was made by the artist Axel Ebbe and was erected in 1930.
Birgit Holmquist married Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge on the 12 of March, 1935, during the time that Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge was imprisoned by the Nazis. Birgit, being Swedish, used her national privilege to help Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge get out of prison, and they both fled to Mexico to be protected from the war.
In Mexico, Birgit gave birth to their two children, Björn “The Baron” von Schlebrügge, who was born on December 7, 1937, and Nena von Schlebrügge, born on January 8, 1941.
Speculations About Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge
While one surfs the internet, searching for more information about Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge, one question on the search results would catch attention; which says, “Was Uma Thurman’s grandfather a Nazi spy?” one reads more as it would pique interest.
According to the givens published about the Nazi activities in Mexico during the Second World War, one of the commanders of the German spies was a Baron called “Friedrich Kart Von Schelebrugge.” Interestingly, Uma Thurman’s grandfather’s name was Baron Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge.
Therefore, was it a coincidence?
Here is a translated quotation from the article written in the Spanish language: “The selected officer was 42 years old, and he had spent 10 of them working in Colombia in various branches of the Banco Germánico de las Américas del Sud. His name was Georg Nicolaus. As second in command, a baron named Friedrich Kart Von Schelebrugge was chosen.” Additionally, Uma Thurman’s mother, Nena von Schlebrügge, was born in Mexico, exactly the same year that the Nazi operation started.
Now the speculation is that the information about Friedrich Karl von Schlebrügge’s imprisonment during World War II for refusing to rejoin the military was just a cover-up to hide his real identity as a Nazi spy.
However, up until today, no one has really given accurate information about this speculation, and the truth still remains a mystery.
Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge’s Child
One of the two children of Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge, Nena von Schlebrügge, became famous in her chosen career. Know more about her life, career, and family as you read on.
Nena von Schlebrügge
Nena von Schlebrügge was born Birgitte Caroline von Schlebrügge. She became a famous model during the 1950s and 1960s. She is known in the present time as the mother of the famous American actress and model, Uma Thurman. Nena was first discovered by the English fashion and portrait photographer from Vogue, Norman Parkinson, during her teenage years.
Nena’s Love Life
Nena von Schlebrügge tied the knot with Timothy Leary, an American psychologist, and author, on December 12, 1964, in Millbrook in the mansion of William Hitchcock. D.A. Pennebaker documented their wedding event in his short film, You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You; however, she divorced Leary in 1965.
Nena’s second marriage was in 1967 to Robert Thurman, an American Buddhist writer, academician, ex-monk, and scholar. Nena devoted time to her family and gave up her modeling career.
She and Robert had four children – Ganden Thurman, their eldest son, born in 1967; Uma Thurman, their only daughter, born in 1970; Dechen Thurman, their second son, born in 1973; and the youngest son, Mipam Thurman, born in 1978. They had seven grandchildren.
Nena von Schlebrügge also pursued an acting career and worked in films, such as Ciao! Manhattan, a critically acclaimed American film in 1976. She also performed in the American comedy-drama film in 1977, Julian Po, and featured herself in a TV series entitled Arena in 2013.
She became the Managing Director of Tibet House in New York City in 1991 and served until 2002. She has been the managing Director of Menla Mountain Retreat since 2001 and is now the Executive Chairwoman who oversees the construction of the Tibetan medicinal spa facility and business in New York.
Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge’s Grandchild
Another personality from the bloodline of Baron Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge who became prominent, especially in the present generation, is Uma Thurman.
Uma Thurman is his grandchild through his daughter, Nena von Schlebrügge. Uma Thurman, or Uma Karuna Thurman, was born on April 29, 1970. Just like her mother, she made her way into the acting and modeling industry. She is also a producer and a writer. She has acted in various films, from dramas and romantic comedies to action and science fiction movies.
Uma’s Success
Other notable films and series in which Uma Thurman starred include her role as The Bride in Kill Bill (Volume 1 in 2003 and Volume 2 in 2004), as well as appearances in Henry and June in 1990, The Truth About Cats and Dogs in 1996, Batman and Robin in 1997, Gattaca in 1997, Les Misérables in 1998, Paycheck in 2003, The Producers in 2005, My Super Ex-Girlfriend in 2006, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2010, Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac in 2013, The Slap in 2015, Imposters from 2017 to 2018, and The House that Jack Built-in 2018.
She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Film for her performance in Hysterical Blindness in 2002, and she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the NBC musical series Smash in 2012.
In 1990, Uma Thurman married the English actor Gary Oldman, whom she met on the set of State of Grace, but they got divorced in 1992. She married the American actor Ethan Green Hawke on May 1, 1998, and together, they have two children, Maya, born in 1998, and Levon, born in 2002, but they separated in 2003.
In 2007, Uma Thurman started dating French financier Arpad Busson and got engaged in June 2008, but their engagement was called off in 2009. They reconciled but called off their engagement for the second time in April 2014. They have a daughter born in July 2012, and in 2017, they began sharing child custody.
Conclusion
Learning about Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge’s biography is both puzzling and interesting due to the speculations about him. However, his true nature remains a closed book.
Here is a short summary:
Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge was a German monarchist and businessman who was speculated to be a Nazi spy.
He is one of the most prominent Germans who wholeheartedly protected the Jewish, whether as associates or his friends.
He came from a very small family tree, being the only son himself.
He is the husband of Birgit Holmquist.
He is the biological father of Nena von Schlebrügge and the grandfather of the famous Hollywood actress, Uma Thurman.
Nevertheless, knowing that some personalities in Hollywood came from his bloodline is fascinating, and if we could gain more information about his life, it will be something worth reading.
