The Queen of Cool: Marlene Dietrich's Love Affair with Cigarettes

Marlene Dietrich was a German actress and singer known for her stunning beauty, acting skills, and distinctive style. During her time, she was one of the most popular and recognizable actresses in the world, and her image was captured in countless photographs, films, and advertisements.

One of the defining traits of Dietrich’s image was her love of smoking. She was often seen with a cigarette in hand, and her distinctive smoking style became an iconic part of her persona. Her audience considered her confidence and seductive demeanor while smoking very appealing and captivating. Dietrich often used smoking as a form of on-screen acting, which was a key part of her persona on and off the screen.

Dietrich was also a controversial figure for her smoking habits. When smoking was not considered socially acceptable for women, Dietrich’s confidence and unapologetic attitude about her smoking helped break down societal barriers and challenged traditional gender roles. Her smoking style was considered bold, daring, and rebellious, and she was a significant influence on the next generation of women who sought to push the boundaries of what was regarded as acceptable behavior.

Despite the criticism and controversy surrounding her smoking habits, Marlene Dietrich continued to smoke throughout her life and remained an iconic figure in the entertainment industry. Today, she is remembered as one of the most captivating and influential actresses of the 20th century, and her distinctive style and smoking habits continue to be celebrated and remembered.

#1 Mistinguett and Marlene Dietrich, smoking in the 1930s

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#2 Marlene Dietrich dressed in men’s top hat and tails from the film ‘Morocco’.

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#3 Marlene Dietrich making her Hollywood film debut as the tuxedo clad Amy Jolly in the film ‘Morocco’, directed by Josef von Sternberg

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#4 Marlene Dietrich smoking

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#5 Marlene Dietrich and Italian actor Paul Porcasi in a scene from the film ‘Morocco’, 1930.

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#6 Marlene Dietrich smoking

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#7 Marlene Dietrich kneeling by a lake smoking a cigarette in a double breasted suit, 1932

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#8 Marlene Dietrich smoking, 1932

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#9 Marlene Dietrich having dinner with Brian Aherne in a scene from the film ‘Song Of Songs’

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#10 Marlene Dietrich smoking

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#11 Marlene Dietrich in ‘Blonde Venus’ for a pageant of Film Memories to be held in aid of the Princess Beatrice Hospital

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#12 Marlene Dietrich wearing a tux between Maurice Chevalier (left) and Gary Cooper.

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#13 Marlene Dietrich in ‘Blonde Venus’ for the Pageant of Film Memories

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#14 Marlene Dietrich wearing a soft pull-on hat and smoking a cigarette.

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#15 Marlene Dietrich smoking, 1934

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#16 Marlene Dietrich, 1934

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#17 Marlene Dietrich dining with director Josef von Sternberg, 1935

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#18 Sultry Smoker, Marlene Dietrich, 1930s

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#19 Marlene Dietrich as the temptress Concha Perez in a scene from the film ‘The Devil is a Woman’

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#20 Marlene Dietrich, 1935

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#21 Marlene Dietrich in a typical arrogant but sexy pose from ‘The Devil is a Woman’

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#22 Marlene Dietrich in the ‘Devil is a Woman’, 1935

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#23 Marlene Dietrich, 1935

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#24 Marlene Dietrich Smoking on Staircase

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#25 Actress Marlene Dietrich Smoking, 1935

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#26 Marlene Dietrich sits in a canvas chair wearing a turban and holding a cigarette on the desert location set, 1936

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#27 Marlene Dietrich, the epitome of screen sensuality.

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#28 Marlene Dietrich in a scene from the romantic drama ‘Angel’, 1937

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#29 Marlene Dietrich in an advertisement for the romantic drama ‘Angel’, 1937

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#30 Marlene Dietrich in her role as Maria Barker in a scene from the romantic drama ‘Angel’, 1937

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#31 Marlene Dietrich stars in the film ‘Angel’

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#32 Marlene Dietrich stars in the film ‘Angel’

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#33 Marlene Dietrich stars in the film ‘Angel’

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#34 Marlene Dietrich wearing an elegant white dress, 1937

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#35 Melvyn Douglas sits next to German-born actor Marlene Dietrich while she smokes a cigarette, 1937

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#36 Ernest Hemingway and Marlene Dietrich

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#37 Marlene Dietrich ( 1901 – 1992) as Frenchy in a scene from the film ‘Destry Rides Again’, 1937

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#38 Marlene Dietrich lunching with director George Marshall (left), and producer Joe Pasternak on her latest film ‘Destry Rides Again’, 1939

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#39 Basil Rathbone meets fellow stars Marlene Dietrich

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#40 Marlene Dietrich smoking a cigarette and wearing a sailor’s cap in a promotional portrait for ‘Seven Sinners’

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#41 Marlene Dietrich puffing a ciggarette in her suite at the St. Regis Hotel

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#42 Marlene Dietrich wearing a matching set of ostentatious jewellery in the role of Elizabeth Madden in the comedy, ‘The Lady is Willing’, 1942

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#43 Errol Flynn with Marlene Dietrich, Maria Magdalena von Losch, Lili Damita, and jack Warner

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#44 Marlene Dietrich taking a cigarette break during the filming of ‘Martin Roumagnac’, 1944

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#45 Marlene Dietrich on the set of ‘A Foreign Affair’, 1940s

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#46 Marlene Dietrich in NYC, 1948

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#47 Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrichshare a cigarette in a scene from the murder mystery ‘Stage Fright’, 1950

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#48 Glynis Johns with Marlene Dietrich.

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#49 German Actress holding a cigarette, dressed in a tailored suit, with hat, bow-tie and cufflinks.

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#50 Actress Marlene Dietrich

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#51 Dietrich Smoking, 1950

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#52 Rita Gam and Marlene Dietrich performing at the opening of a circus in New York City, 1952

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#53 Marlene Dietrich smiles at photographers, 1954.

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#54 Elia Kazan and Marlene Dietrich sit together at the premiere reception for director George Cukor’s film, ‘A Star is Born,’ 1950s

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#55 Arthur O’Connell, Marlene Dietrich and Vittorio De Sica in The Monte Carlo Story

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#56 Renato Rascel, Vittorio De Sica and Marlene Dietrich on the set of the film The Monte Carlo Story

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#57 Marlene Dietrich and Vittorio De Sica on the set of the film The Monte Carlo Story chatting during a break on the set of the film The Monte Carlo Story.

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#58 Marlene Dietrich asking for lighting her cigarette to a security worker

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#59 Marlene Dietrich sharing a joke with US actor and director Orson, 1958

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#60 Marlene Dietrich smoking during the making of the 1961 movie Judgment at Nuremberg

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