Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef (; 28 December 19251 February 2002) was a German actress, voice actress, singer, and writer. She was billed in some English-language films as Hildegard Neff or Hildegarde Neff.
Early years
Hildegard Knef was born in
Ulm
Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...
in 1925. Her parents were Hans Theodor and Friede Augustine Knef. Her father, a decorated
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
veteran, died when she was only six months old, and her mother moved to Berlin and worked in a factory.
Knef began studying acting at age 14 in 1940. She left school at 15 to become an apprentice animator with
Universum Film AG
UFA GmbH, shortened to UFA (), is a film and television production company that unites all production activities of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann in Germany. Its name derives from Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (normally abbreviated as ...
. After she had a successful screen test, she went to the State Film School at
Babelsberg
Babelsberg () is the largest quarter ('' Stadtteil'') of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Pala ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, where she studied acting, ballet, and elocution.
Joseph Goebbels, who was
Hitler's
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
propaganda minister, wrote to her and asked to meet her, but Knef's friends wanted her to stay away from him.
German film career
![Image 9-30-22 at 10](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Image_9-30-22_at_10.04_PM.jpg)
Knef appeared in several films before the fall of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, but most were released only afterward. During the
Battle of Berlin she dressed as a soldier to stay with her lover,
Ewald von Demandowsky
Ewald von Demandowsky (21 October 1906 – 7 October 1946) was a German film producer who held the office of a Nazi German '' Reichsfilmdramaturg'' and was head of production at the Tobis Film company in the Third Reich.
Career
Demandowsky was ...
, and joined him in the defence of
Schmargendorf
Schmargendorf () is a south-western locality (''Ortsteil'') of Berlin in the district (''Bezirk'') of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Until 2001 it was part of the former district of Wilmersdorf.
Geography
Schmargendorf borders with the localities o ...
. The
Soviets
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in ...
captured her and sent her to a prison camp.
Her fellow prisoners helped her escape and return to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
. Von Demandowsky was executed by the Russians on 7 October 1946, but before that he secured for Knef the protection of the well-known character actor
Viktor de Kowa
Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet.
Life
He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...
in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
. De Kowa gave her the opportunity to be a
mistress of ceremonies in the theatre that he had opened. Knef also got a part in
Marcel Pagnol
Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionabl ...
's ''Marius'', which was directed by
Boleslaw Barlog
Boleslaw Stanislaus Barlog (28 March 1906 – 17 March 1999) was a German stage, film, and opera director primarily known for his work in reviving the theatrical life of Berlin after World War II. From 1951 until 1972 he served as the Intendant of ...
and proved one of the German theatre's great plays. De Kowa also directed Knef in other plays by
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
, Pagnol, and
George Abbott
George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades.
Early years
Abbott was born in Forestville, New Yo ...
.
Her two best known film roles were "Susanne Wallner" in
Wolfgang Staudte's film ''
Die Mörder sind unter uns
''Die Mörder sind unter uns'', a German film known in English as ''Murderers Among Us'' in the United States or ''The Murderers Are Among Us'' in the United Kingdom was one of the first post-World War II German films and the first '' Trümmerfil ...
'' (''The Murderers Are Among Us''), produced in 1946 by the
East German state film company, and the first film released after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
in
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
; and "Marina" in ''
Die Sünderin
''The Sinner'' (german: Die Sünderin) is a 1951 West German romantic drama film directed by Willi Forst and starring Hildegard Knef, Gustav Fröhlich and Änne Bruck. It was shot at the Bendestorf Studios and on location in Naples, Rome and ...
'' (''The Sinner''), in which she performed a brief nude scene, the first in German film history, which caused a scandal in 1950. The film was also criticised by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, which protested against the nude scene. Knef stated that she didn't understand the tumult that the film was creating.
She wrote that it was totally absurd that people reacted in that manner and made a scandal because of her nudity as
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
was a country that had created
Auschwitz and had caused so much horror. She also wrote, "I had the scandal, the producers got the money."
She performed in many films. In 1948, she received the best-actress award from the
Locarno Film Festival because of her role in the film ''Film Without a Title''. Her successful singing career started in the 1960s once her film career was not going very well. She wrote some songs by herself. She performed in television shows such as in episodes of ''
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
''Scarecrow and Mrs. King'' is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to September 10, 1987, on CBS.
The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner, as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative ...
'' and in a 2000 documentary in which she was playing by herself ''Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song''.
In the 1960s she appeared in a number of such low-budget films as ''
The Lost Continent''.
She appeared in the 1975 screen adaptation of the
Hans Fallada
Hans Fallada (; born Rudolf Wilhelm Friedrich Ditzen; 21 July 18935 February 1947) was a German writer of the first half of the 20th century. Some of his better known novels include '' Little Man, What Now?'' (1932) and ''Every Man Dies Alone'' ...
novel, ''
Every Man Dies Alone'' directed by
Alfred Vohrer
Alfred Vohrer (29 December 1914 – 3 February 1986) was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984. His 1969 film '' Seven Days Grace'' was entered into the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1972 ...
,
released in English as ''
Everyone Dies Alone
''Everyone Dies Alone'' / ''Alone in Berlin'' (Original title: ''Jeder stirbt für sich allein'') is a 1976 West German drama film adapted from the Hans Fallada novel '' Every Man Dies Alone''. The book was based on the story of two ordinary Germ ...
'' in 1976, and for which she won an award for best actress at the International Film Festival in
Karlovy Vary,
then
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
.
Career in the United States
David O. Selznick invited her to Hollywood, but she refused to agree to the conditions of the contract which reportedly included changing her name to Gilda Christian and pretending to be
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n rather than German.
Knef was cast as Hilde in the
Hollywood film ''
Decision Before Dawn
''Decision Before Dawn'' is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to g ...
'' (1951), directed by
Anatole Litvak
Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (russian: Анатолий Михайлович Литвак; 21 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), better known as Anatole Litvak, was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in vari ...
and co-starring with
Richard Basehart
John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. He starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson in the television science-fiction drama '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1964–68). He also portrayed Wilton Knig ...
and
Oskar Werner
Oskar Werner (; born Oskar Josef Bschließmayer; 13 November 1922 23 October 1984) was an Austrian stage and cinema actor whose prominent roles include two 1965 films, '' The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' and ''Ship of Fools''. Other notable ...
in a story about the later part of World War II.
![Hildegard Knef painting](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Hildegard_Knef_painting.png)
The following year Knef's first husband, an American named Kurt Hirsch, encouraged her to try again for success in the U.S. She changed her name from Knef to Neff, but was only offered a supporting role in ''
The Snows of Kilimanjaro'' (1952), an adaptation of an
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...
short story. Knef became a leading lady in films of Germany, France and Britain.
Her reputation in the U.S. was hurt because of her nude scenes in the German film ''
Die Sünderin
''The Sinner'' (german: Die Sünderin) is a 1951 West German romantic drama film directed by Willi Forst and starring Hildegard Knef, Gustav Fröhlich and Änne Bruck. It was shot at the Bendestorf Studios and on location in Naples, Rome and ...
'' (1950) and because she fell in love with a Nazi when she was 19.
Finally, in 1955, Knef was offered a starring role in the Broadway musical ''
Silk Stockings'' by
Cole Porter, which was based on the 1939 film ''
Ninotchka
''Ninotchka'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch, based o ...
'', which had starred
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...
in the title role. Knef had acted in at least 30 films in the United States and Europe, but her triumph came in New York when she played Ninotchka, an unemotional Soviet commissar. ''The New York Times'' drama critic
Brooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...
described her rendition as "an immensely skillful performance."
Singer
In the 1960s, Knef took a break from acting and started writing song lyrics. Then she started a successful concert and recording career.
She began her singing career in the United States on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
.
She began her new career in 1963 as a singer and surprised her audiences with the deep, smoky quality of her voice and the many lyrics, which she wrote herself. Fans around the world rallied in her support as she defeated cancer several times. She returned to Berlin after the reunification. In her peak, entertainment columnist called her the ""willowy blonde" who had "dusty voice" and "generous mouth".
In the 1960s and 1970s, she enjoyed considerable 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" ("Red roses are to rain for me"). She is also known for her version of the song "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" ("I still have a suitcase in Berlin") and "Mackie Messer" ("
Mack the knife
"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" (german: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", italic=no, link=no) is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama ''The Threepenny Opera'' (german: Die Dreig ...
").
English lyrics for Mackie Messer by Hildegard Knef
She sold more than three million records in total.
She launched 23 original albums which counted for 320 different songs. She wrote the lyrics for 130 songs herself.[
]
Publications
She published several books. Her autobiography ''Der geschenkte Gaul: Bericht aus einem Leben'' (''The Gift Horse: Report on a Life'', 1970) was a candid recount of her life in Germany during and after the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, and reportedly became the best-selling German book in the post-war years. Her second book ''Das Urteil'' (''The Verdict'', 1975) was a moderate success, and dealt with her struggle with breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...
. Knef not only achieved international best-seller status, her books were also widely praised by critics because her autobiographies were "better-than-the-average celebrity's". Arthur Cooper of ''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
'' claimed that the way in which Knef accounted in ''The Gift Horse: Report on a Life'' her childhood and difficult life being an actress and singer while living in Hitler's
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
and after the war in Europe and America, was "a bitterly honest book and a very good one". The book is not considered a book of " Hollywood-Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
gossip. The book doesn't try to persuade the public depicting a made up celebrity's adventures. It seems a book that tells the real life of Knef. It refers to her struggles as a German woman who grew up in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
under the Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
. The Gift Horse: Report on a Life was translated to English by Knef's second husband David Anthony Palastanga. In ''The Verdict'' which was also translated by Palastanga, Knef looked at her life in another perspective because she knew that she had cancer. Rachel MacKenzie wrote that Knef had her 56th operation, a mastectomy, in Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
on 10 August 1973. MacKenzie stated that from that cancer surgery, life had to be thought of in terms of pre-verdict and post-verdict. The book is divided in these two sections but they are not chronologically ordered because Knef wrote the two sections in a way that the reader is moved forward and backward in time and space. ''The Verdict'' describes in great detail the hospital scenes as well as the doctors and nurses in New York, Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
and Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
where she was hospitalised.
During her career, she performed in over 50 films. Nineteen of her films were produced in different countries other than Germany; They were produced in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Austria and Spain.
Personal life
Knef was married three times and divorced twice. Her first marriage was in 1947 to Kurt Hirsch. He was a U.S. information officer. They divorced in 1952. The second time she married the actor and record producer David Anthony Palastanga, on 30 June 1962. Knef had a daughter with him. They named her Christina Antonia. She attended public schools in Germany. When Knef was 47, she wrote a letter for her 5-year-old daughter. She wrote what she had learned; of beauty; of her grandfather's legacy about anti-human beings, of unconditional love and truth. She also wrote that the only mission of humans in this world was to serve in one form or other because she had noticed that those who didn't serve ended up as slaves. When she died, she was still married to her third husband, Paul von Schell.
Knef died of a lung infection
Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is a term often used as a synonym for pneumonia but can also be applied to other types of infection including lung abscess and acute bronchitis. Symptoms include shortness of breath, weakness, fever, co ...
in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, where she had moved after German reunification, at the age of 76. She smoked heavily for most of her life and suffered from emphysema.
Selected filmography
* ''The Noltenius Brothers
''The Noltenius Brothers'' (german: Die Brüder Noltenius) is a 1945 German drama film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Willy Birgel, Karl Mathias and Hilde Weissner.Bock & Bergfelder p. 52 Released in Berlin on 7 April, it was, by mos ...
'' (1945)
* '' Frühlingsmelodie'' (1945) - Zwilling ohne Leberfleck
* ''Under the Bridges
''Under the Bridges'' (german: Unter den Brücken) is a 1946 German drama film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring Hannelore Schroth, Carl Raddatz and Gustav Knuth. The film was shot in Berlin during the summer of 1944, but was not released u ...
'' (1946) - Girl in Havelberg
* ''Murderers Among Us
''Die Mörder sind unter uns'', a German film known in English as ''Murderers Among Us'' in the United States or ''The Murderers Are Among Us'' in the United Kingdom was one of the first post-World War II German films and the first ''Trümmerfilm ...
'' (1946) - Susanne Wallner
* '' Between Yesterday and Tomorrow'' (1947) - Das Mädchen Kat
* ''Film Without a Title
''Film Without a Title'' (German: ''Film ohne Titel'') is a 1948 German comedy film directed by Rudolf Jugert and starring Hans Söhnker, Hildegard Knef and Irene von Meyendorff.Shandley p.159 It was made by Bavaria Film at the Emelka Studios in M ...
'' (1948) - Christine Fleming
* '' Journey to Happiness'' (1948) - Susanne Loevengaard
* '' The Sinner'' (1951) - Marina
* ''Miracles Still Happen
''Miracles Still Happen'' ( it, I miracoli accadono ancora) is a 1974 Italian film directed by Giuseppe Maria Scotese. It features the story of Juliane Diller, the sole survivor of 92 passengers and crew, in the 24 December 1971 crash of LANSA ...
'' (1951) - Anita Weidner
* ''Decision Before Dawn
''Decision Before Dawn'' is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to g ...
'' (1951) - Hilde
* ''Nights on the Road
''Nights on the Road'' (german: Nachts auf den Straßen) is a 1952 West German crime drama film directed by Rudolf Jugert and starring Hans Albers, Hildegard Knef, Marius Goring and Lucie Mannheim.
It was produced by the veteran Erich Pommer w ...
'' (1952) - Inge Hoffmann
* '' Diplomatic Courier'' (1952) - Janine Betki
* '' The Snows of Kilimanjaro'' (1952) - Countess Liz
* ''Night Without Sleep
''Night Without Sleep'' is a 1952 American film noir mystery film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Gary Merrill, Linda Darnell and Hildegarde Neff. It was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Plot
A composer, Richard Morton ex ...
'' (1952) - Lisa Muller
* ''Alraune
''Alraune'' (German for ) is a novel by German novelist Hanns Heinz Ewers published in 1911. It is also the name of the female lead character. The book originally featured illustrations by Ilna Ewers-Wunderwald. Legend
The basis of the story o ...
'' (1952) - Alraune
* '' Henriette'' (1952) - Rita Solar
* '' Illusion in a Minor Key'' (1952) - Lydia Bauer
* ''The Man Between
''The Man Between'' (also known as ''Berlin Story'') is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason, Claire Bloom and Hildegard Knef. The screenplay concerns a British woman on a visit to post-war Berlin, who is ...
'' (1953) - Bettina
* '' A Love Story'' (1954) - Lili Schallweiß, Schauspielerin
* '' It Was Always So Nice With You'' (1954) - Minor Role (uncredited)
* '' Confession Under Four Eyes'' (1954) - Hilde Schaumburg-Garden
* ''Svengali
Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer.
Definition
...
'' (1954) - Trilby
* '' Escape from Sahara'' (1958) - Madeleine Durand
* '' The Daughter of Hamburg'' (1958) - Maria
* ''Subway in the Sky
''Subway in the Sky'' is a 1959 British crime film directed by Muriel Box and starring Van Johnson, Hildegard Knef and Albert Lieven. Hildegard Knef, who changed career in the 1960s to become a cabaret singer and songwriter, sings one song in t ...
'' (1959) - Lilli Hoffman
* '' The Man Who Sold Himself'' (1959) - Martina Schilling
* ''La strada dei giganti'' (1960) - Maria Luisa di Borbone
* '' No Orchids for Lulu'' (1962) - Baroness Geschwitz
* ''Ipnosi'' (1962)
* '' Caterina di Russia'' (1963) - Catherine the Great
* '' Landru'' (1963) - Mme X. / Madame Ixe
* ' (1963) - Jenny Diver
* ''Ballade pour un voyou'' (1963) - Martha Schwartz
* '' Das große Liebesspiel'' (1963) - Callgirl
* ''Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
'' (1964) - Elinor van Berg
* ''Waiting Room to the Beyond
''Waiting Room to the Beyond'' (german: Wartezimmer zum Jenseits and also known as ''Mark of the Tortoise'') is a 1964 German thriller film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Hildegard Knef.
Cast
* Hildegard Knef as Lorelli
* Götz George a ...
'' (1964) - Laura Lorelli
* ''Condemned to Sin
''Condemned to Sin'' (German: ''Verdammt zur Sünde'') is a 1964 West German drama film directed by Alfred Weidenmann and starring Martin Held, Hildegard Knef and Heidelinde Weis.Goble p.1003
The film's sets were designed by the art director Hert ...
'' (1964) - Alwine
* ''Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
'' (1964) - Ilona Valdez
* ''The Dirty Dozen
''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy ...
'' (1967) - (uncredited)
* '' The Lost Continent'' (1968) - Eva Peters
* ''Everyone Dies Alone
''Everyone Dies Alone'' / ''Alone in Berlin'' (Original title: ''Jeder stirbt für sich allein'') is a 1976 West German drama film adapted from the Hans Fallada novel '' Every Man Dies Alone''. The book was based on the story of two ordinary Germ ...
'' (1976) - Anna Quangel
* '' Fedora'' (1978) - The Countess
* ' (1980) - Peter's Mother
* ''Der Gärtner von Toulouse'' (1982) - Frau Théophot
* '' The Future of Emily'' (1984) - Mutter Paula
* ''Witchery
Witchery is a Swedish blackened thrash metal band formed by former members of Satanic Slaughter in 1997. The current lineup consists of guitarists Patrik Jensen and Rickard "Rille" Rimfält, bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, vocalist Angus Norder, a ...
'' (1988) - Lady In Black
* ''Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
'' (1995) - (German Dub)
* ''Eine fast perfekte Hochzeit'' (1999) - Marlene Wolf-Schönberg - Hennys Tante
Further reading
* Schröder, Christian: ''Hildegard Knef. Mir sollten sämtliche Wunder begegnen. Biographie.'' Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin 2004, .
* Trimborn, Jürgen: ''Hildegard Knef. Das Glück kennt nur Minuten''. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, München 2005, .
* Corinna Weidner (Hrsg.): ''Hildegard Knef. Fotografien von Rico Puhlmann''. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag, München 2005, .
* Roek, Petra: ''Fragt nicht, warum: Hildegard Knef – die Biografie''. Edel Edition, Hamburg 2009, .
* Weißbarth, Eberhard: ''Hildegard Knef – zwischen gestern und heute.'' Verlag Bibliothek der Provinz, Weitra/Österreich 2011, .
* Kusztrich, Imre: ''Ich bin kein Mannequin für Krebs. Reden, fühlen, zittern mit Hildegard Knef.'' Erinnerungen und Gespräche aus den schwierigsten Jahren einer großen Künstlerin im aufreibenden Kampf mit Medien und Alltag IGK-Verlag, Neusiedl/Österreich 2011, .
References
External links
Hildegard Knef
in the German Dubbing Card Index
*
*
Fan site, officially authorized
(partly in English)
* Ulrich E Bach: "The Woman Between: Hildegard Knef's Cold War Berlin Movie
In: Philip Broadbent & Sabine Hake (eds.) "Berlin: Divided City 1945-1989" (NYC: Berghahn Books, 2010): 115–125.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knef, Hildegard
1925 births
2002 deaths
People from Ulm
People from the Free People's State of Württemberg
German film actresses
German musical theatre actresses
German stage actresses
German women writers
German autobiographers
Actors from Baden-Württemberg
Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin
Deaths from emphysema
Women autobiographers
20th-century German actresses
20th-century German women singers
Burials at the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union