Hildegard Knef facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hildegard Knef
Knef in 1969
Born	Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef (1925-12-28)28 December 1925 Ulm, Württemberg, Germany
Died	1 February 2002(2002-02-01) (aged 76) Berlin, Germany
Occupation	Actress singer writer
Years active	1944–2001
Spouse(s)	Kurt Hirsch (1947–52) (divorced) David Palastanga (1962–76) (divorced) 1 child Paul von Schell (1977–2002) (her death)

Hildegard Knef was a famous German actress, singer, and writer. She was born on December 28, 1925, and passed away on February 1, 2002. In some English movies, she was known as Hildegard Neff or Hildegarde Neff.

Early Life and Training

Hildegard Knef was born in Ulm, Germany, in 1925. Her father passed away when she was only six months old. After this, her mother moved them to Berlin, where she worked in a factory.

Hildegard started studying acting when she was 14 years old, in 1940. At 15, she left school to become an apprentice animator. This was at a big film company called Universum Film AG. After a successful screen test, she went to the State Film School in Babelsberg, Berlin. There, she studied acting, ballet, and how to speak clearly.

German Film Career

Hildegard Knef appeared in several movies before Nazi Germany fell. However, most of these films were released after the war ended. During the Battle of Berlin, she dressed as a soldier to stay with her boyfriend, Ewald von Demandowsky. She joined him in defending a part of Berlin called Schmargendorf.

The Soviets captured her and sent her to a prison camp. But her fellow prisoners helped her escape, and she returned to Berlin. Before he was executed, her boyfriend made sure she was protected by a famous actor named Viktor de Kowa.

De Kowa gave Hildegard a chance to be a host at a theater he had opened. She also got a role in a play called Marius. De Kowa directed her in other plays by famous writers like Shakespeare.

One of her most famous German films was The Sinner (1951). This movie caused a lot of discussion in Germany. Hildegard said she didn't understand why the film created such a stir. She also wrote that she had the "scandal," but the movie producers got the money.

In 1948, she won the best-actress award at the Locarno Film Festival. This was for her role in the film Film Without a Title. She appeared in over 50 films during her career. Nineteen of these films were made outside of Germany. These countries included the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Austria, and Spain.

Career in the United States

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

A famous Hollywood producer, David O. Selznick, invited Hildegard to Hollywood. But she didn't agree to his contract conditions. He reportedly wanted her to change her name to Gilda Christian and pretend to be Austrian, not German.

Hildegard was cast in the Hollywood film Decision Before Dawn (1951). This movie was about the later part of World War II. She also had a supporting role in The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952). This film was based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway.

In 1955, Hildegard Knef got a starring role on Broadway in the musical Silk Stockings. This musical was based on the 1939 film Ninotchka. Hildegard played Ninotchka, a serious Soviet official. A famous theater critic from The New York Times called her performance "immensely skillful."

Singing Career

In the 1960s, Hildegard Knef took a break from acting. She started writing song lyrics and began a career as a concert singer and recording artist. People were surprised by her deep, smoky voice and the songs she wrote herself.

She is best remembered for her song "Für mich soll's rote Rosen regnen," which means "Red roses are to rain for me." She also sang popular versions of "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" ("I still have a suitcase in Berlin") and "Mackie Messer" ("Mack the Knife"). She sold more than three million records in total.

Hildegard released 23 original albums with 320 different songs. She wrote the lyrics for 130 of these songs herself.

Personal Life

Hildegard Knef was married three times. Her first marriage was in 1947 to Kurt Hirsch, an American officer. They divorced in 1952. Her second marriage was to actor and record producer David Anthony Palastanga in 1962. They had a daughter named Christina Antonia.

When Hildegard was 47, she wrote a letter to her five-year-old daughter. In the letter, she shared what she had learned about beauty, love, and truth. She also wrote that people's main purpose in life is to help others.

Hildegard Knef passed away in Berlin at the age of 76 due to a lung infection. She had moved back to Berlin after Germany was reunified.

Selected Films

See also

In Spanish: Hildegard Knef para niños