Hildegard Knef

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Not to be confused with Hildegarde.
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 This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia. (August 2010)
Hildegard Knef

Hildegard Knef, aged 69, at her last concert (March 5, 1995) in Berlin
Born December 28, 1925(1925-12-28)
Ulm, Germany
Died February 1, 2002(2002-02-01) (aged 76)
Berlin, Germany
Occupation Actress, singer, writer
Years active 1944–2001
Spouse Kurt Hirsch (1947–52) (divorced)
David Cameron (1962–76) (divorced) 1 child
Paul von Schell (1977–2002) (her death)

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 Neff or Hildegarde Neff.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Hildegard Knef was born in Ulm. She began studying acting in 1940, aged 14. She appeared in several films even before the fall of the Third Reich, but most were not released until after World War II.

During the Battle of Berlin Knef dressed as a soldier in order to stay with her then lover to Ewald von Demandowsky joining him to in the defence of Schmargendorf[1] and was later sent to a POW camp[2].

Her best-known film roles were as:

  • 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)
  • Marina in Die Sünderin (The Sinner), in which she performed the first nude scene in German film history, in 1950. The nude scene caused one of the largest scandals in German filmmaking history up until that time. When the Roman Catholic Church protested vehemently she responded “I can't understand all that tumult - five years after Auschwitz!”[3]

She also appeared in a number of 1960s low budget films such as Hammer films The Lost Continent.

[edit] United States

Hildegard Knef's hand and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood

David 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 Austrian rather than German.[4]

Years later, Knef's first husband, an American named Kurt Hirsch, encouraged her to try again for success in the USA. She changed her name from Knef to Neff and achieved a measure of stardom on Broadway as “Ninotchka” in the Cole Porter musical, Silk Stockings.

[edit] Chanteuse

She began a 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 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")[5]. She sold more than three million records in total.

[edit] Publications

She published several books. Her autobiography Der geschenkte Gaul - Bericht aus einem Leben (The Gift Horse - Report of a Life) from 1970 was a candid recount of her life in Germany during and after World War II. It allegedly 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.

[edit] Family

She was married three times and had a daughter, Christina (born May 16, 1968) by her second marriage, to British actor David Cameron.

[edit] Death

Knef died from emphysema, aged 76, on February 1, 2002.

[edit] Selected filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ Beevor, A (2003) Berlin: The Downfall 1945, Penguin Books, P311
  2. ^ http://www.hildegardknef.de/1-Hilde englisch/Chronology 1925-49.htm
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ English lyrics for Mackie Messer by Hildegard Knef

[edit] External links

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