The Kessler Twins

The Kessler Twins, known as Alice and Ellen Kessler, were German identical twin sisters born on 20 August 1936 in Nerchau, Saxony, Germany. They became absolute icons of European entertainment in the 1950s and 1960s as dancers, singers and actresses, achieving enormous popularity in Germany and especially in Italy. Their parents, Paul and Elsa Kessler, enrolled them in ballet classes at the age of six, and at eleven they joined the children’s ballet of the Leipzig Opera.

Career and fame

Early years: In 1955, at the age of 18, the family fled from East Germany to West Germany on a tourist visa. They soon started performing professionally, and in 1959 represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh’n” (“Tonight we want to go dancing”), finishing 8th.

Europe and the USA: They performed at the famous Lido cabaret in Paris, made their American television debut on shows such as The Red Skelton Hour and The Ed Sullivan Show, and appeared as dancers in the 1963 film Sodom and Gomorrah. That same year they graced the cover of Life magazine, cementing their international fame.

Italian superstars: In 1962 they moved to Italy and became the undisputed stars of the RAI television programme Studio Uno (1961–1966). Their perfectly synchronised dance routines – above all the legendary “Da-da-un-pa” – earned them the nickname “the legs of the nation” (le gambe della nazione). In 1976, at the age of 40, both posed together on the cover of Italian Playboy; that issue became the fastest-selling in the magazine’s history.

Later years: In 1986 they returned to Germany and settled permanently near Munich. They continued to appear on stage and television (including guest roles) until as late as 2017.

Death

On 17 November 2025, both sisters, aged 89, died at their home in Grünwald near Munich by medically assisted suicide (legal in Germany under certain conditions). They had planned it for at least a year because neither wanted to live without the other. In their will they asked that their ashes be placed in the same urn together with those of their mother and their dog – exactly as they had lived: inseparable.

The Kessler Twins are remembered as dazzling post-war entertainment stars who delighted audiences worldwide with their perfectly synchronised dancing and irresistible charisma. Their legacy lives on in the culture of both Italy and Germany.

Personal life of the Kessler Twins

Alice and Ellen Kessler were inseparable not only on stage but throughout their entire lives. They never married and deliberately chose a child-free life in order to devote themselves completely to their careers. As Alice said in a 2024 interview: “We never wanted to be mothers.” It was a conscious decision that allowed them to retain their freedom and focus on art. Their parents were the mechanic Paul Kessler and his wife Elsa, who supported their daughters’ artistic talents from childhood. From 1986 the twins lived in adjoining apartments in Grünwald, separated only by a sliding wall.

Romantic relationships and romances

The Kesslers were famous for their charisma and attracted huge male attention, yet they turned down many famous admirers – including Elvis Presley. Nevertheless, several significant relationships are known:

• Alice: long-term relationship with the French singer Marcel Amont (1950s–1960s, during their Paris years), later a multi-year romance with the Italian actor Enrico Maria Salerno.

• Ellen: spent many years with the Italian actor Umberto Orsini (1960s–1970s) and, in a 1996 interview with the German magazine Stern, revealed a brief affair with Hollywood star Burt Lancaster in 1956 while working at the Lido in Paris.

Their lives were remarkably scandal-free; the sisters always stressed that they “lived life to the full” while preserving their independence and avoiding marriage. In their final years they adored their dog Yello, whose ashes – like those of their mother Elsa – they wanted mixed with their own in the same urn. Their entire estate will be donated to charity.