Margit Carstensen (born 29 February 1940) is a German theatre and film actress, best known outside Germany for roles in the works of film director

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

Theater career

Carstensen, the daughter of a physician, was born and raised in the north-German city of

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

. Upon graduation from the local high school in 1958, she studied acting at the

Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg is one of the larger universities of music in Germany. It was founded 1950 as ''Staatliche Hochschule für Musik'' (Public college of music) on the base of the former private acting school of Annem ...

. This education led to her first stage appearances in

Kleve Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

and

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

. In 1965 Margit Carstensen received a four-year engagement with the Deutsches Schauspielhaus (German Playhouse) in Hamburg. There she played leading roles in plays by

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...

and the classical Spanish playwright

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...

. In 1969 she gained a local profile for her work in the

Theater am Goetheplatz The , also incorrectly known as the , is the main theatre of the city of Bremen in the north of Germany, the main venue of Theater Bremen. Completed in 1913 in the Neoclassical style, it is located in the cultural district to the east of the old ...

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

, where she first met director

. She then worked under his direction in a comedy by the 18th-century Venetian

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

''The Coffee Shop'' (which was recorded for television in 1970), bringing her national attention in West Germany. She subsequently played the role of serial murderess Geesche Gottfried in the premiere of Fassbinder’s own play ''Bremen Freedom'' (also televised, in 1972), and then in the title role of his

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

adaptation ''Nora Helmer'' (televised in 1974) derived from ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...

''. From 1973 to 1976 Carstensen held a steady acting engagement in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

, and the next year worked once again in Hamburg. In 1977 she moved to what was then

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

where she performed on the highly regarded ''Staatliche Schauspielbühnen''. In 1982 she moved to

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

in order to work with director

Hansgünther Heyme Hansgünther Heyme (born 22 August 1935) is a German theatre director and prominent figure in the Regietheater movement of the 1960s and 70s. Born in Bad Mergentheim, he studied at Heidelberg University and then under the German director Erwin Pi ...

, where she appeared in a series of plays directed by him. Over the years she also performed in many smaller roles on the most important of the

German-language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a ...

stages, for example making several appearances in the

Munich Kammerspiele The Munich Kammerspiele (German: Münchner Kammerspiele) is a state-funded German-language theater company based at the ''Schauspielhaus'' on Maximilianstrasse in the Bavarian capital. The company currently has three venues: the main stage of ...

. By the late 1980s she had developed ongoing working relationships with the German directors

Werner Schroeter Werner Schroeter (7 April 1945 – 12 April 2010) was a German film director, screenwriter, and opera director known for his stylistic excess. Schroeter was cited by Rainer Werner Fassbinder as an influence both on his own work and on German cine ...

Christoph Schlingensief Christoph Maria Schlingensief (24 October 1960 – 21 August 2010) was a German theatre director, performance artist, and filmmaker. Starting as an independent underground filmmaker, Schlingensief later staged productions for theatres and festivals ...

and

Leander Haußmann Leander Haußmann (sometimes Haussmann) (; born 26 June 1959, Quedlinburg) is a German theatre and film director. The son of actor Ezard Haußmann and costume designer Doris Haußmann, he attended the Ernst Busch theatre school in Berlin. Hau ...

. In 1995 she followed Haußmann to

Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...

, in order to work with him there. For the 2003–04 season, Carstensen appeared in the

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Burgtheater, in the premiere of

Elfriede Jelinek Elfriede Jelinek (; born 20 October 1946) is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She is one of the most decorated authors writing in German today and was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voi ...

’s play ''Bambiland'' under the direction of Schlingensief. In 2008 she appeared in the Schauspielhaus Bochum (Playhouse Bochum), in

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 nation ...

's ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

''.

Film and television

Carstensen is best known outside Germany for the many film and television productions of Rainer Werner Fassbinder in which she participated. She played leading roles in the Fassbinder films ''

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant ''The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'' (german: Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant) is a 1972 West German romantic drama film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, based on his own play. Featuring an all-female cast, the plot tak ...

'' (1972), her best-known role for Fassbinder; ''

Martha Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to ...

'' (1974), with

Karlheinz Böhm Karlheinz Böhm (16 March 1928 – 29 May 2014) was an Austrian-German actor and philanthropist. He took part in 45 films and became well known in Austria and Germany for his role as Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in the Sissi film trilogy a ...

, analysing a traditional marriage in a contemporary setting; '' Fear of Fear'' (1975); ''

Mother Küsters' Trip to Heaven ''Mother Küsters' Trip to Heaven'' (german: Mutter Küsters' Fahrt zum Himmel) is a 1975 German film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It stars Brigitte Mira, Ingrid Caven, Karlheinz Böhm and Margit Carstensen. The film was sho ...

'' (1975); ''

Satan's Brew ''Satan's Brew'' (german: Satansbraten) is a 1976 German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Plot The poet Walter Kranz and his practical wife Luise live with Walter's mentally disabled brother Ernst. They have money problems, as the for ...

'' (1976); '' Chinese Roulette'' (1976) and ''Women in New York'' (1977). She also appeared in individual episodes of two Fassbinder television productions: ''

Eight Hours Don't Make a Day ''Eight Hours Don't Make a Day'' (german: Acht Stunden sind kein Tag) (also translated as ''(Eight Hours Are Not a Day)'' is a West German television miniseries written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Commissioned by Westdeutscher Ru ...

'' (1972), and '' Berlin Alexanderplatz'' (1980). Carstensen also worked in international productions. In the fifth film made by Polish director

Andrzej Żuławski Andrzej Żuławski (; 22 November 1940 – 17 February 2016) was a Polish film director and writer. Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in his films, and enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences. In the late 1 ...

, ''

Possession Possession may refer to: Law * Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance * Drug possession, a crime * Ownership * ...

'' (1981), a French-German coproduction, she performed together with

Isabelle Adjani Isabelle Yasmina Adjani ; born 27 June 1955) is a French actress and singer of Algerian and German descent. She is the only performer in history to win five César Awards for acting; she won the Best Actress award for '' Possession'' (1981), '' ...

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

and

Heinz Bennent Heinz Bennent (18 July 1921 – 12 October 2011) was a German actor. Biography Bennent was born in Stolberg, and served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. His career began after the end of World War II in Göttingen. He moved to Switzerland ...

. Four years later she worked with Polish-born director

Agnieszka Holland Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Poles, Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej ...

on her film ''

Angry Harvest ''Angry Harvest'' (german: Bittere Ernte) is a 1985 West German film directed by Agnieszka Holland. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It is based on a novel written by Hermann Field and Stanislaw Mierzenski ...

'' (1985), together with

Armin Mueller-Stahl Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 17 December 1930) is a retired German film actor, painter and author, who also appeared in numerous English-language films since the 1980s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role i ...

. This film was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. Her artistic collaboration with director

began with two of his film projects. In his ''100 Years of Adolf Hitler: The Last Hour in the Führerbunker'' (1989), she played the part of

Magda Goebbels Johanna Maria Magdalena "Magda" Goebbels (née Ritschel; 11 November 1901 – 1 May 1945) was the wife of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. A prominent member of the Nazi Party, she was a close ally, companion, and politic ...

. In his satirical political spoof ''Terror 2000: Germany Out of Control'' (1992), she played the role of a detective. Carstensen has appeared in films by directors such as

(''

Sonnenallee ''Sonnenallee'' (''Sun Avenue'' or ''Sun Alley'') is a 1999 German comedy film about life in East Berlin in the late 1970s. The movie was directed by Leander Haußmann. The film was released shortly before the corresponding novel, ''Am kürzere ...

'', 1999);

Romuald Karmakar Romuald Karmakar (born February 15, 1965) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He was born in Wiesbaden, Germany as the son of a Bengali father and a French mother. From 1977 to 1982 he lived in Athens. He has won several national ...

(''

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

'', 2000); Chris Kraus (''Scherbentanz'', 2002, a role for which she won the

Bavarian Film Award The Bavarian Film Awards (german: Bayerischer Filmpreis) have been awarded annually since 1979 by the state government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the German Film Awards, these are the ...

for Best Actress); Oskar Roehler (''

Agnes and His Brothers ''Agnes and His Brothers'' (german: Agnes und seine Brüder) is a 2004 film directed by Oskar Roehler. Plot Three very different siblings: Hans-Jörg, a librarian who is a sex addict; Werner, a politician in a troubled marriage with a son who ...

'', 2004) and

Detlev Buck Detlev Buck (; born 1 December 1962 in Bad Segeberg) is a German film director, actor, film producer, producer and screenwriter. Life and work From his first short film at the age of 21 in 1982, ', he has remained one of the most important film ...

(''Hands off Mississippi'', 2007). During the 2007–08 season Carstensen assisted with the Austrian-German TV documentary ''Mr. Karl – A Person for People'', directed by Kurt Mayer.

Awards

Margit Carstensen has received many awards in her career. Among these are the 1973 German Film Awards (Gold), for her acting in ''The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'', and the 2002 Bavarian Film Award, for her acting in ''Scherbentanz''. In 1972 she was chosen by the German Film Critics Guild as Best Actress of the Year.

Filmography

*' (1970, TV film, based on a play by

), as Vittoria *' (1970, TV film), as Margarete *''Die Ahnfrau – Oratorium nach Franz Grillparzer'' (1971, TV film, based on a play by

Franz Grillparzer Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the famous Burgtheater in Vien ...

), as Berta *''

'' (1972), as Petra von Kant *' (1972, TV film), as Geesche Gottfried *''

: Oma und Gregor'' (1972, TV), as Housewife *'' The Tenderness of Wolves'' (1973), as Mrs. Lindner *''

World on a Wire ''World on a Wire'' (german: Welt am Draht) is a 1973 German science fiction television serial, starring Klaus Löwitsch and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Shot in 16 mm, it was made for German television and originally aired in 1973 in ...

'' (1973, TV film, based on the novel '' Simulacron-3''), as Maya Schmidt-Gentner *' (1974, TV film, based on the play ''

''), as Nora Helmer *''

'' (1974, TV film, based on a story by

Cornell Woolrich Cornell George Hopley Woolrich ( ; December 4, 1903 – September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. He sometimes used the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr., rated Woolrich th ...

), as Martha *''

'' (1975), as Marianne Thälmann *'' Fear of Fear'' (1975, TV film), as Margot *''

'' (1976), as Andrée *'' Chinese Roulette'' (1976), as Ariane Christ *''Adolf and Marlene'' (1977), as Marlene *' (1977, TV film, based on the play '' The Women''), as Sylvia Fowler *' (1978), as Miss Rosner *'' The Third Generation'' (1979), as Petra Vielhaber *' (1979, TV film), as Mrs. Lukaschewski *'' Berlin Alexanderplatz: Epilogue'' (1980, TV series, based on the novel '' Berlin Alexanderplatz''), as Terah, Angel *''

'' (1981), as Margit Gluckmeister *'' The Council of Love'' (1982, based on a play by

Oskar Panizza Leopold Hermann Oskar Panizza (12 November 1853 – 28 September 1921) was a German psychiatrist and avant-garde author, playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, publisher and literary journal editor. He is best known for his provocative tragicomedy ...

), as Prosecutor *''

The Roaring Fifties ''The Roaring Fifties'' (german: Die wilden Fünfziger ) is a 1983 West German comedy film directed by Peter Zadek and starring Juraj Kukura, Boy Gobert and Peter Kern. It is based on the novel ''Hurra, wir leben noch'' by Johannes Mario Simmel. ...

'' (1983, based on a novel by

Johannes Mario Simmel Johannes Mario Simmel (7 April 1924 – 1 January 2009), also known as J. M. Simmel, was an Austrian writer. He was born in Vienna and grew up in Austria and England. He was trained as a chemical engineer and worked in research from 1943 to ...

), as Secretary *''An Ideal Husband'' (1984, TV film, based on the play '' An Ideal Husband''), as Lady Markby *''Emilia Galotti'' (1984, TV film, based on the play ''

Emilia Galotti ''Emilia Galotti'' () is a play in five acts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781), which premiered on 8 March 1772 in Brunswick ("Braunschweig" in German). The work is a classic example of German '' bürgerliches Trauerspiel'' (bourgeois ...

''), as Countess Orsina *''

'' (1985), as Eugenia *''Half of Love'' ( ''La Moitié de l'amour'', 1985) *''100 Years of Adolf Hitler: The Last Hour in the Führerbunker'' (1989), as

*''Underground'' (1989, TV film), as Krista/Tina *''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and a ...

'' (1991, TV series, episode ''"Wer bist du, Vater?"/"Who are you, Father?"''), as Mrs. Hauser *''Terror 2000: Germany Out of Control'' (1992), as Margret *''

Anwalt Abel ''Anwalt Abel'' (German: ''Attorney Abel'') is a German television film series, broadcast on ZDF between 1988 and 2002. 20 television films were produced, based on the detective novels of Fred Breinersdorfer. See also *List of German televisi ...

'' (1997, TV series, episode ''"Das schmutzige Dutzend"''), as Mrs. Nussbauer *''Gesche's Poison'' (1997), as Mrs. Timm *' (1997), as Margit *''

Rider of the Flames Rider or Riders may refer to: People * Daniel Rider (1938–2008), American mathematician * Fremont Rider (1885–1962), American writer and librarian * George Rider (1890–1979), American college sports coach and administrator * H. Rider Hagga ...

'' (1998), as Mrs. von Proeck *''

'' (1999), as Direktorin *''John Gabriel Borkman'' (2000, TV film, based on the play ''

John Gabriel Borkman ''John Gabriel Borkman'' is a 1896 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was his penultimate work. Plot The Borkman family fortunes have been brought low by the imprisonment of John Gabriel who used his position as a bank manager to ...

''), as Gunhild Borkman *' (2000), as Regine Görler *''The Fool and His Wife This Evening in Pancomedia'' (2002, TV film, based on a play by Botho Strauß) *' (2002), as Käthe *''

'' (2004), as Roxy *''The Captain from Köpenick'' (2005, TV film, based on the play '' The Captain of Köpenick''), as Marie Hoprecht *'' It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine.'' (2007), as Linda Barnes *' (2007), as Mrs. Strietzel *''Mr. Karl – A Person for People'' (2008, TV documentary) *' (2009, TV film) *''

Finsterworld ''Finsterworld'' is a 2013 German motion picture drama directed by Frauke Finsterwalder and co-written by Finsterwalder and Christian Kracht, starring Margit Carstensen, Sandra Hüller, Corinna Harfouch, Christoph Bach, Carla Juri, and Jaku ...

'' (2013), as Mrs. Sandberg *''

Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by ...

'' (2016, TV series, episode ''"Wofür es sich zu leben lohnt"''), as Margarethe Weißkopf

References

External links

Margit Carstensen
in the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carstensen, Margit 1940 births Living people Actors from Kiel German film actresses German stage actresses Best Actress German Film Award winners Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg alumni 20th-century German actresses 21st-century German actresses German television actresses