Best German Actresses in History

The greatest German actress of all times. There is always a discussion about her nationality whether she was German or Austrian. Her nationality was German: She was born 1938 in Vienna which belonged at that time to the German Reich. She had the German citizenship. Her mother (Magda Schneider) was German, her father (Wolf Albach-Retty) Austrian. Both parents were also actors.

She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

Rebellious, gravel-voiced actress, chanteuse and author Hildegard Knef (1925-2002) was one of the most important film stars of post-war Germany. She also appeared in foreign films and on Broadway, billed as Hildegard(e) Neff.

She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

She started her career with silent films directed by Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau. She became one of the most famous Ufa-Stars in the 1930s-40s. Her films in the Nazi-Era were unpolitical. After WW2 she continued her film career e.g. in films directed by Maximilian Schell.

Awards:
State Actress award (1937), War Merits Cross (1944), Bundesfilmpreis (1962), Bambi (1964), Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1967)

Films (examples)
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920)
Der müde Tod (1921)
Phantom (1922)
Tartüff (1925)
Der Kongreß tanzt (1931)
Fridericus (1936)
Es leuchten die Sterne (1938)
Friedrich Schiller – Triumph eines Genies (1940)
Bismarck (1940)
Wien 1910 (1942)
Der Fußgänger (1973)

born in England; English mother and German father; her real name was Lilian Helen Muriel Pape; she spent most of her youth in Germany; was a famous actress in Germany and also a singer and dancer; she lost her German citizenship in 1943

Awards
Filmband in Gold (1965), Bambi (1967)

Films (examples)
Die Drei von der Tankstelle (1930)
Einbrecher (1930)
Der Kongreß tanzt (1931)
Ein blonder Traum (1932)
Ich und die Kaiserin (1933)
Glückskinder (1936)
Sieben Ohrfeigen (1937)
Capriccio (1938)

born in Batavia (Dutch East Indies); German mother, Dutch father; real name Ilse Charlotte Still; since 1931 living mainly in Germany and some years in Austria; Dutch citizenship by birth, German citizenship since 1955; became a famous Ufa-Star during the 1940s

She was also known for her special talent in whistling melodies. In some films you can see her whistling some songs.

Awards
Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse (1981)
Filmband in Gold (1986, 1991)

Films (examples)
Bel Ami (1939)
Wunschkonzert (1940)
U-Boote westwärts! (1941)
Die schwedische Nachtigall (1941)
Wir machen Musik (1942)
Hochzeit auf Bärenhof (1942)
Münchhausen (1943)
Große Freiheit Nr. 7 (1944)

born in Russia; parents are ethnic Germans; emigrated to Germany in 1921, German citizenship since 1930; real name: Olga von Knipper

Lilli Palmer (1914–1986) won the Volpi Cup, the Deutscher Filmpreis three times, and was nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award. She has also a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She was the first woman to win two Academy Awards, first actor to win multiple Academy Awards and the first person to win them consecutively. In 2014 she was the oldest (104 years) living Academy Award winner. She died on 30 December 2014.

She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

She and Karl Valentin were comedian partners, almost always performing together on stage and in films.

She is generally considered the most prominent German actress of the New German Cinema (late 1960s - 1980s).

She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

She was one of the most popular German filmstars in the 1950s-60s.

Awards:
Star on "Boulevard der Stars"
...and many more

One of the most famous German film stars in the 1950s.
She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

Margot Hielscher is a German singer and film actress. She appeared in over fifty films between 1939 and 1994 and was awarded the "Bundesverdienstkreuz" and the "Filmband in Gold" for her contributions to German cinema.

Gudrun Landgrebe (*1950) appeared in more than 100 films since 1977. I don't remember her movies, but whenever she appears on screen you feel that she's a special woman.

Käthe Haack (1897–1986) appeared in more than 200 films between 1915 and 1980. She was married to actor Heinrich Schroth, with whom she had a daughter, actress Hannelore Schroth in 1922.

Hannelore Schroth (1922–1987) was a film, stage and television actress whose career spanned over five decades. She appeared in more than 90 films between 1931 and 1987.

Magda Schneider (1909-1996) was Romy Schneider's mother. She appeared in 60 films between 1930 and 1969. She also appeared with her daughter - e.g. in the films of the Sissi trilogy.

Brigitte Horney (1911-1988) was a German stage and film actress. Best remembered was her role as Empress Katherine the Great in the 1943 UFA film version of Baron Münchhausen, directed by Josef von Báky, with Hans Albers in the title role.

Sonja Ziemann (1926) is a film and television actress, singer and dancer. Her roles in film operettas and Heimatfilms made her one of the first stars of Germany's post war cinema.

I would say she's also one of the most beautiful German actresses.

One of the most popular actresses in the GDR.
She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

One of the most popular actresses in the GDR in the 1970s.
She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

Showgirl, Dancer, Actress, Pin-Up Modell of the 1950s and early 1960s.

She is honored with a star on the "Boulevard der Stars" in Berlin.

She played in many important German movies of the 1920s.

Wieck made her debut in 1926 and appeared in several silent films. She became widely known through her leading role in the 1931 film 'Mädchen in Uniform' (Girls in Uniform). Wieck has appeared in around 50 films. After World War II, she appeared in films only in supporting roles and withdrew from films almost entirely in the early 1960s.

Camilla Horn (1903-1996) was a German dancer and film star. Her breakthrough role was Gretchen in the silent film classic Faust (1926). She also starred in some Hollywood films of the late 1920's and in a few British and Italian productions.

Grete Mosheim (1905—1986) was a German film, stage and television actress of Hungarian Jewish ancestry (on her father's side). In the late 1920s and early 1930s she was a star in German cinema.

Berta Drews (1901–1987), mother of actor Götz George and wife of actor Heinrich George, appeared in over 60 films between 1933 and 1983.

Forgotten diva Maly Delschaft (1898 – 1995) began her career in the theatre and then became a star in the German silent cinema. During the Nazi era, she appeared mainly in supporting roles. After the Second World War, she worked in East Germany for the state-controlled DEFA studio.

Blandine Ebinger (1899-1993) was an actress and chansonniere. She appeared in over 110 films between 1917 and 1988. She was known for 'Mädchen in Uniform' (1958), 'Mysterien eines Frisiersalons' (1923) and 'Der Lügner' (1961).

Karin Hardt (1910-1992) had an impressive career with many film (over 80), theatre and television appearances that lasted for six decades.

Winnie Markus (1921–2002) appeared in over 60 films between 1939 and 2001.

Maria Paudler (1903–1990) appeared in nearly 60 films between 1926 and 1985.

Grischa Huber (born 1944) is an actress and writer. She was a popular actress of the New German Cinema (1970s, 80s).