Kessler Twins

Alice and Ellen Kessler (born 20 August 1936 in Nerchau, Saxony, Germany) are twin entertainers known in Europe, especially Germany and Italy, from the 1950s and 1960s and until today for their singing, dancing, and acting. They are usually credited as the Kessler Twins (Die Kessler-Zwillinge in Germany and Le Gemelle Kessler in Italy), and remain popular today.

Kessler Twins
The Kessler Twins in 2005
Born	Alice & Ellen Kessler (1936-08-20) 20 August 1936 Nerchau, Saxony, Germany
Other names	Die Kessler-Zwillinge (in Germany) Le Gemelle Kessler (in Italy)
Occupation	Actress singers dancers
Years active	1942–present
Parent(s)	Paul & Elsa Kessler

The Kessler sisters enjoyed a significant degree of popularity in the US, appearing on numerous national television programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show. The Kesslers made their American television debut on the CBS variety show, The Red Skelton Hour. They also appeared in the 1963 film Sodom and Gomorrah as dancers and were featured on the cover of Life Magazine that same year.

Their parents, Paul and Elsa, sent them to ballet classes at the age of six, and they joined the Leipzig Opera's child ballet program at age 11. When they were 18, their parents used a visitor's visa to escape to West Germany, where they performed at the Palladium in Düsseldorf. They performed at The Lido in Paris between 1955 and 1960, and represented West Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 8th place with Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n (Tonight we want to go dancing).

The Kessler Twins pictured on the Italian magazine TV Sorrisi e Canzoni in 1965

The Kessler Twins performing on The Danny Kaye Show in 1966

They moved back to Germany in 1986 and currently live in Grünwald. They have received two awards from both the German and Italian governments for promoting German-Italian cooperation through their work in show business.