HILDEGARD KNEF
Name: Hildegard Knef
Born: 28 December 1925 Ulm, Germany
Died: 1 February 2002 Berlin, Germany
Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef (December 28, 1925 - February 1, 2002) was a
German actress, singer and writer. She was billed in some English language films
as Hildegard(e) Neff. Arguably, her most influential roles included that of
Susanne Wallner in Wolfgang Staudte's film Die Mörder sind unter uns (The
Murderers Are Among Us) (the first film released after the Second World War in
East Germany and produced by the Soviet filmmaking enterprise DEFA-Studio für
Spielfilme) as well as her role as Marina in Die Sünderin (The Sinner) in which
she performed the first nude scene in German filmmaking in 1950. The incident in
the latter film sparked one of the largest scandals in German filmmaking history
and drew the criticism of the Roman Catholic Church. She was the first and only
German to have a successful Broadway show (Silk Stockings written by Cole Porter).
She was sometimes compared to that other great German actress, Marlene Dietrich,
in that they both were, or portrayed as, the liberated, self-confident woman.
Hildegard Knef was one of the most important actresses of post-war Germany.
In the 1960s and 1970s she enjoyed much success as a singer of German chansons,
which she often co-wrote. The song she is mostly remembered for is "Für mich
soll's rote Rosen regnen" ("It shall rain red roses for me"). She is also known
for her version of the song "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" (I`ve got a
suitcase left in Berlin...), the title of which is still often cited in articles
and in common speech throughout Germany.
She has published several books. Her autobiography Der geschenkte Gaul - Bericht
aus einem Leben (The Gift Horse - Report of a Life) from 1970 is a candid, but
not sensationalist, recount of her life in Germany during and after World War II.
It became the best selling German book after World War II. Her second book "Das
Urteil" ("The Verdict") from 1975 was a moderate success. It dealt with her
struggle with breast cancer.
She was married three times and had a daughter (born in 1968) from her second
husband David Cameron Palastanga.
Name: Hildegard Knef
Born: 28 December 1925 Ulm, Germany
Died: 1 February 2002 Berlin, Germany
Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef (December 28, 1925 - February 1, 2002) was a
German actress, singer and writer. She was billed in some English language films
as Hildegard(e) Neff. Arguably, her most influential roles included that of
Susanne Wallner in Wolfgang Staudte's film Die Mörder sind unter uns (The
Murderers Are Among Us) (the first film released after the Second World War in
East Germany and produced by the Soviet filmmaking enterprise DEFA-Studio für
Spielfilme) as well as her role as Marina in Die Sünderin (The Sinner) in which
she performed the first nude scene in German filmmaking in 1950. The incident in
the latter film sparked one of the largest scandals in German filmmaking history
and drew the criticism of the Roman Catholic Church. She was the first and only
German to have a successful Broadway show (Silk Stockings written by Cole Porter).
She was sometimes compared to that other great German actress, Marlene Dietrich,
in that they both were, or portrayed as, the liberated, self-confident woman.
Hildegard Knef was one of the most important actresses of post-war Germany.
In the 1960s and 1970s she enjoyed much success as a singer of German chansons,
which she often co-wrote. The song she is mostly remembered for is "Für mich
soll's rote Rosen regnen" ("It shall rain red roses for me"). She is also known
for her version of the song "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" (I`ve got a
suitcase left in Berlin...), the title of which is still often cited in articles
and in common speech throughout Germany.
She has published several books. Her autobiography Der geschenkte Gaul - Bericht
aus einem Leben (The Gift Horse - Report of a Life) from 1970 is a candid, but
not sensationalist, recount of her life in Germany during and after World War II.
It became the best selling German book after World War II. Her second book "Das
Urteil" ("The Verdict") from 1975 was a moderate success. It dealt with her
struggle with breast cancer.
She was married three times and had a daughter (born in 1968) from her second
husband David Cameron Palastanga.