Katharina Thalbach (; actually ''Katharina Joachim genannt Thalbach''; born 19 January 1954) is a German actress and stage director. She played theatre at the Berliner Ensemble and at the

Volksbühne Berlin The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") is a theater in Berlin. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Square) in what was the GDR's capital. It has been called Berlin's most iconic theatre. About The Vo ...

, and was actress in the film '' The Tin Drum''. She worked as a theatre and opera director.

Life and work

Born in

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...

, Katharina Thalbach's father

Benno Besson Benno Besson (born René-Benjamin Besson; 4 November 1922 in Yverdon-les-Bains – 16 February 2006 in Berlin, Germany) was a Swiss actor and director. He had great success as director at Volksbühne Berlin, Deutsches Theater and Berliner Ense ...

was a director, her mother Sabine Thalbach, was an actress.ineGraph Lexikon> Also actors are her half-brother and her stepmother

Ursula Karusseit Ursula Karusseit (2 August 1939 – 1 February 2019) was a German actress. At the age of four, Thalbach was playing children's roles on stage, on television and in films.ineGraph Lexikon /> After the death of her mother in 1966, Helene Weigel took her under her care.ineGraph Lexikon /> In 1967, she made her debut as the whore Betty (later the Polly) in Erich Engel's production of Brecht's ''

Dreigroschenoper ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with musi ...

''.ineGraph Lexikon /> She completed her

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

at the Max-Planck-Oberschule.ineGraph Lexikon /> She obtained her stage maturity examination () as a master student of Helene Weigel, Berliner Ensemble. Thalbach played at the Berliner Ensemble and at the

, where her father worked as artistic director.ineGraph Lexikon /> In 1976, Thalbach moved with her partner Thomas Brasch to West Germany, because he was protesting against

Wolf Biermann Karl Wolf Biermann (; born 15 November 1936) is a German singer-songwriter, poet, and former East German dissident. He is perhaps best known for the 1968 song "Ermutigung" and his expatriation from East Germany in 1976. Early life Biermann was b ...

's expatriation. In West Berlin, she made her debut at the

Schillertheater The Schiller Theater is a theatre building in Berlin, Germany. It is located in the central Charlottenburg district at Bismarckstraße 110, near Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Opened in 1907, the building served as a second venue for the Konzerthaus Berl ...

. She acted as a guest star in

Hans Lietzau Hans Lietzau (2 September 1913 – 30 November 1991) was a German theatre director, actor, and producer. He was born in Berlin, Germany. In 1953 he directed Friedrich Schiller's ''The Robbers'', with Ernst Schröder as Karl Moor. From 1969 to 1970 ...

's production of Hauptmann's ''

Der Biberpelz ''The Beaver Coat'' (german: Der Biberpelz) is a satirical play by Gerhart Hauptmann premiered in Berlin in 1893. The work is an example of a German naturalistic ''Diebskomödie'', or 'thief's comedy'. The drama takes place "somewhere in Berlin ...

'' and in

Jürgen Flimm Jürgen Flimm (born 17 July 1941, in Gießen) is a German theater and opera director, and theater manager. After establishing himself as one of the exponents of Regietheater, Flimm was called to manage renowned theaters and festivals. His operatic ...

's production of Kleist's '' Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'', for which she was voted actress of the year by ''

Theater heute ''Theater heute'' (German: ''Theatre Today'') is a German language monthly magazine with a special focus on theatre. The magazine is based in Berlin, Germany, and has been in circulation since 1960. History and profile ''Theater heute'' was foun ...

'' in 1980. She had success with the role of Maria in Volker Schlöndorff's 1979

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of Grass' '' The Tin Drum''. In 1984, she performed the Ophelia in Shakespeare's '' Hamlet'' in Zürich. Since 1987, she worked as a director. Her break through was the award-winning production ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

''. Since 1997, she was opera director, with productions of Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'' and Janáček's '' The Cunning Little Vixen'' in Berlin.

Personal life

Thalbach's partner Thomas Brasch was an author. Her daughter

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

(born 1973) from a former relationship with and her granddaughter (born 1995) are actresses. She is married to Uwe Hamacher. She lives in Berlin.

Awards

Source: * 1973 Critics' Prize of the Berliner Zeitung,

GDR 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 ...

* 1973 Actress of the Year,

* 1978 Bavarian Film Award for best young actress * 1980 German Actors' Award from the Federal Directors' Association * 1980 Actress of the Year, Theater heute * 1983 IFF Actor Award for ''Domino'' * 1987

German Film Award The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...

: Filmband in Gold (Best Actress)ineGraph Lexikon /> * 1991

Konrad Wolf Prize The Konrad Wolf Prize (german: Konrad-Wolf-Preis) is a German performing arts, new media art and film award given since 1986 by the Academy of Arts, Berlin (formerly the East German Academy of Arts). It is named after the East German film director a ...

, Academy of Arts * 1992 Critics' Award (Barcelona): Best Foreign Production for ''Macbeth''ineGraph Lexikon /> * 1996

Carl Zuckmayer Medal The Carl Zuckmayer Medal (german: Carl-Zuckmayer-Medaille) is a literary prize given by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in memory of Carl Zuckmayer. The medal itself was fashioned by state artist Otto Kallenbach. The prize is also given with a ...

* 1997

Adolf Grimme Prize The Grimme-Preis ("Grimme Award"; prior to 2011: Adolf-Grimme-Preis) is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme. * 2007 Bavarian Film Award, as best actress for '' Strike'' * 2007 Order of Merit of Berlin * 2009 Golden Curtain of the Berliner Theaterclub e.V. for ''As you like it'' * 2011 Golden Curtain of the Berliner Theaterclub e.V. for ''The Abduction of the Sabine Women'' * 2012 Star on the * 2012 German Actors Award (Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement) * 2013 Audio Book Prize of the City of Wiesbaden for ''Der Bärbeiß'' * 2013 German Academy for Television for Best Supporting Role (The Minister) * 2014 German Audiobook Prize (special prize for her life's work) * 2015 * 2015 Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany * 2015

German Comedy Award The Deutscher Comedypreis ("German Comedy Award") is awarded by Brainpool TV. Because Brainpool's in-house productions have received extensive awards, the designation as the ''German Comedy Award'' is controversial. The awards ceremony takes pla ...

for Best Actress * 2019 Officer of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

* 2020

Memberships

* 1995 Member of the

Freie Akademie der Künste Hamburg The Freie Akademie der Künste in Hamburg e.V. is a Non-profit organization, not-for-profit association of artists, founded in 1950 by the organ-builder and writer Hans Henny Jahnn. It now includes architecture, visual arts, performing arts, lit ...

* 1999 Member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin * 2003 Founding member of the

Deutsche Filmakademie The Deutsche Filmakademie is an independently run organization with a focus on filmmaking in Germany. It was founded in 2003 in Berlin as a way to provide native filmmakers a forum for discussion and a way to promote the reputation of German ci ...

(German Film Academy) * Member of the Deutsche Akademie der Darstellenden Künste

Filmography

Source: * ''

Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler (; ; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws ...

'' (1974) * ''The Blue Light'' (1976) * ''It is an Old Story'' * ''Schlaraffenland'' * '' Lotte in Weimar'' * ' (1976) * ''

The Second Awakening of Christa Klages ''The Second Awakening of Christa Klages'' (german: Das zweite Erwachen der Christa Klages) is a 1978 West German drama film directed by Margarethe von Trotta, her debut solo film. Plot Worried about the prospects of her children's day care center ...

'' (1978) * '' Winterspelt'' (1978) * '' The Tin Drum'' (1979) * ' (1979, TV miniseries) * ' (1980, TV film) * ''

Angels of Iron ''Angels of Iron'' (german: Engel aus Eisen) is a 1981 German crime film directed by Thomas Brasch. It was entered into the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, but did not win at Cannes. Director Thomas Brasch won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Directi ...

'' (1981) * ' (1982) * ''

Sophie's Choice ''Sophie's Choice'' may refer to: * ''Sophie's Choice'' (novel), a 1979 novel by American author William Styron ** ''Sophie's Choice'' (film), a 1982 American drama film directed by Alan J. Pakula ** ''Sophie's Choice'' (opera), an opera by the ...

'' (1982) * ''

Embers ''Embers'' is a radio play by Samuel Beckett. It was written in English in 1957. First broadcast on the BBC Third Programme on 24 June 1959, the play won the RAI prize at the Prix Italia awards later that year. Donald McWhinnie directed Jack ...

'' (1983) * ''Peaceful Days'' (1984) * ' (1986) * ''

Flight North ''Flight North'' (german: Flucht in den Norden, fi, Pako pohjoiseen) is a 1986 West German-Finnish drama film directed by . It was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Katharina Thalbach as Johanna * as Ragnar * Le ...

'' (1986) * ''

Väter und Söhne – Eine deutsche Tragödie ''Väter und Söhne – Eine deutsche Tragödie'' (English title: ''Fathers and Sons: A German Tragedy'') is a 1986 German-language television miniseries directed by Bernhard Sinkel and starring Burt Lancaster, Julie Christie. Plot The series e ...

'' (1986, TV miniseries) * ' (1988) * ''

The Passenger – Welcome to Germany ''The Passenger – Welcome to Germany'' (german: Der Passagier – Welcome to Germany) is a 1988 German drama film directed by Thomas Brasch. It was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Tony Curtis – Mr. Cornfield * Katharina T ...

'' (1988) * ''

Follow Me Follow may refer to: * ''Follow'' (album), the third album by Pakho Chau *Follow (dancer), one member of a partner dance *"Follow", a song by Jerry Merrick, popularized by Richie Havens on his 1966 album ''Mixed Bag'' *"Follow", a song by Drowning ...

'' (1989) * ''

Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg ''Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg'' ( sv, God afton, Herr Wallenberg – En Passionshistoria från verkligheten) is a 1990 film about Swedish World War II diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who was instrumental in saving the lives of thousands of Hungarian J ...

'' (1990) * ' (1990) * '' Just a Matter of Duty'' (1993) * ' (1994) * '' Back to Square One'' (1994) * '' Silent Night'' (1995) * ''Gefährliche Freundin'' (1996, TV film) * ''Caipiranha'' (1999) * '' Sonnenallee'' (1999) * ''Liebesau – the other Home'' (2001, TV miniseries) * ''

Die Manns – Ein Jahrhundertroman ''Die Manns – Ein Jahrhundertroman'' (; ''The Manns – Novel of a Century'') is a 2001 German Docudrama- miniseries directed by Heinrich Breloer. The miniseries is divided in three parts and tells the story of the Mann family, a family of fam ...

'' (2001, TV miniseries) * ' (2005, TV film) * ''The Robber Hotzenplotz'' (2006) * ' (2006, TV film) * '' Strike'' (2006) * ''

Deadline – Jede Sekunde zählt ''Deadline – Jede Sekunde zählt'' is a German television series. See also *List of German television series The following is a list of television series produced in Germany: Current Drama * ''4 Blocks'' (TNT Serie, 2017–2019) * ''Al ...

'' (2007, TV series) * ' (2007) * '' Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution'' (directed by Bille Eltringham, 2007) * ''You Are Not Alone'' (2007) * ''

The Moon and Other Lovers , image = Der Mond und andere Liebhaber.jpg , alt = , caption = , director = Bernd Böhlich , producer = Eva-Marie Martens , writer = Bernd Böhlich , starring = Katharina ThalbachFritzi ...

'' (2008) * '' Ruby Red'' (2013) * ' (2013, TV film) * ''

Der Tote im Pub Der or DER may refer to: Places * Darkənd, Azerbaijan * Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US * Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq * d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Ocean ...

'' (2013, TV-adaptation of ''The Man With A Load Of Mischief'' from the Richard Jury mystery series by

Martha Grimes Martha Grimes (born May 2, 1931) is an American writer of detective fiction. She is best known for a series featuring Richard Jury, a Scotland Yard inspector, and Melrose Plant, an aristocrat turned amateur sleuth. Biography Grimes was born in ...

) * '' Mord im Nebel'' (2015, TV-adaptation of ''Help the poor Struggler'' from the Richard Jury mystery series by

) * ''

Inspektor Jury spielt Katz und Maus Inspektor or inspehtori, Swedish and Finnish for inspector, is the largely honorary chairman of student nations in Lund and Uppsala universities in Sweden and University of Helsinki in Finland. The inspektor has a supervisory role in their nation ...

'' (2017, TV-adaptation of ''The Deer Leap'' from the Richard Jury mystery series by

) * ' (2018) * ''Der faule Engel'' (2019) (p. Addi) * ' (2019)

Theatre and Opera

Actress

Source: * Polly in ''

'' at the Berliner Ensemble 1969 * Venus/Galatea in '' Die schöne Helena'' (ed. Peter Hacks Volksbühne) 1972 * ''Lovely Rita''

1978 * '' Der Hauptmann von Köpenick'' * '' Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'' (Schauspiel Köln) 1980 * ''

Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...

'' (1995) * Frau Jenny Treibel in ''

Frau Jenny Treibel ''Frau Jenny Treibel'' is a German novel published in 1892 by Theodor Fontane. Plot The primary subject of the novel revolves around two Berlin families. One is the upper-class Treibel family consisting of the Councillor of commerce and his ...

'' (

Hans Otto Theater The Hans Otto Theatre (German: ''Hans-Otto-Theater''), named after the actor Hans Otto, is a municipal theatre in Potsdam in Germany. Its headquarters and main venue is in the Großes Haus am Tiefen See in Potsdam's cultural district on Schiff ...

Potsdam) 2005 * Tante Augusta in ''Ernst und seine tiefere Bedeutung'' (Komödie am Kurfürstendamm) 2006 (also stage director) * Emanuel Striese und Luise Striese in ''Der Raub der Sabinerinnen'' (''The Abduction of the Sabine Women'') (Hans Otto Theater Potsdam) 2006 (also stage director)

Director

Source: * ''

'' ( Schiller Theater Berlin) * ''

Mann ist Mann Mann may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Mann (chess), a variant chess piece which moves as a king * ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Bollywood motion picture * ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine * Mann Theatres, a theatre chain co ...

'' and ''Dreigroschenoper'' ( Thalia Theater Hamburg) * ''Der Hauptmann von Köpenick'' and ''

Romeo und Julia is an opera in two acts by Heinrich Sutermeister. The composer wrote the libretto, after Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet''. Erik Levi explains that the opera: "presents a synthesis of Romantic and impressionist elements. It marks a ... return ...

'' ( Maxim Gorki Theater) * '' Das schlaue Füchslein'' and '' Der Barbier von Sevilla'' ( Deutsche Oper Berlin) * ''

'' ( E-Werk Berlin) * ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

'', ''

Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny ''Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny'' (german: Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, links=no) is a political-satirical opera composed by Kurt Weill to a German libretto by Bertolt Brecht. It was first performed on 9 March 1930 at the i ...

'', '' Rigoletto'' (

Oper Köln The Cologne Opera (German: Oper der Stadt Köln or Oper Köln) refers both to the main opera house in Cologne, Germany and to its resident opera company. History of the company From the mid 18th century, opera was performed in the city's court th ...

) * ''

Hänsel und Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in Grimms' Fairy Tales, ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little ...

'' and '' Aida'' ( Semperoper Dresden) * '' Die Fledermaus'' (

Theater Erfurt The Theater Erfurt is a German municipal theatre located in Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. The main stage is in a building in the Brühlervorstadt, completed in 2003. The theatre offers musical theatre and concerts, played by the Philharmonisc ...

) * '' Fidelio'' (

Oper Zürich Oper may refer to: ;Technology * Operator (disambiguation) ** IRC operator * Outstanding Physical Education Preparation, a website for PE preparation ;Opera * Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Leipzig, Komische Oper Berlin, Alte Oper * Romantische Oper ...

) * '' Im Dickicht der Städte'' (Berliner Ensemble) * '' Die Zauberflöte'' () * ''

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui ''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' (german: Der aufhaltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui, links=no), subtitled "A parable play", is a 1941 play by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. It chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago m ...

'' ( Comédie-Française Paris) * '' Wie es euch gefällt'' (Komödie am Kurfürstendamm)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thalbach, Katharina 1954 births Living people People from East Berlin Actresses from Berlin German stage actresses German theatre directors German opera directors Best Actress German Film Award winners German film actresses German television actresses 20th-century German actresses 21st-century German actresses Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin