Born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt in Stettin(Szczecin) Parlo made her first film appearance 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). She 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 Orson Welles production of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness but this did not eventuate. 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.