Senta Berger
 |
Senta Berger | |
|---|---|
 Berger in 2017 | |
| Born | 13 May 1941 |
| Other names | Senta Verhoeven |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, producer |
| Years active | 1955–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingSimon Verhoeven |
| Relatives |
|
Senta Verhoeven[1](néeBerger;Austrian German:[ˈzɛntaˈbɛʁɡɐ],German:[ˈzɛntaˈbɛʁɡɐ];born 13 May 1941) is an Austrian-German[2]actress. She received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film and television; her awards include threeBambi Awards,twoRomys,anAdolf Grimme Award,both aDeutscherand aBayerischer Fernsehpreis,and aGoldene Kamera.
Early life[edit]
Berger was born inHietzing,Viennato musicianJosef Berger(1902–1983) and teacher Therese Jany.[3]She first appeared on stage at the age of four, when her father accompanied her singing on the piano. At the age of five she started ballet lessons.
Berger also took private acting lessons. In 1957, she won her first small role inThe Unexcused Hour,one of the final films directed by AustrianauteurWilli Forst.She applied for theMax ReinhardtSeminar, a famous acting school in Vienna, and was accepted, but she left shortly afterwards after accepting a film role without permission. In 1958, she became the youngest member of theJosefstadt Theatrein Vienna and appeared in productions ofL'Œuf,Charley's Aunt,Much Ado About NothingandCat on a Hot Tin Roof.[4]
Career[edit]
In 1960,Bernhard WickiandArtur Braunerproduced the comedy filmThe Good Soldier Schweikwith Berger and the German actorHeinz Rühmann.Brauner used Berger in several films, but she soon tired of musicals. In 1962, she went toHollywoodand worked with stars such asCharlton Heston,Dean Martin,Frank Sinatra,Richard Widmark,John Wayne,Kirk Douglas,andYul Brynner.She returned to Germany to accept an offer for a role in a series, which would have included an obligation of several years. Early publicity material compared her toBrigitte BardotandSophia Loren.[5]
In 1963, Berger metMichael Verhoeven,son of the German film directorPaul Verhoeven(not to be confused with the NetherlandsPaul Verhoeven). In November 1964, she guest starred in an episode of the U.S. television showThe Man from U.N.C.L.E,entitled "The Double Affair". It was later expanded and released in cinemas as the feature filmThe Spy with My Face(1965). Also in 1965, she starred inThe Glory Guys,a dramatic representation of Custer's Little Big Horn disaster, based on the novelThe Dice of Godby Hoffman Birney. Filmed by Levy-Gardner-Laven and released by United Artists, it stars Tom Tryon, Harve Presnell, Senta Berger, James Caan, and Michael Anderson Jr. Berger and Verhoeven started their own film production company in 1965, and married in 1966. Berger continued to develop her European career in France and Italy.
In 1966, Berger co-starred with Kirk Douglas in the filmCast a Giant Shadow.Berger played the role of Magda, a soldier in the Israeli army during the1948 Arab–Israeli War.Also in 1966, the British filmOur Man in Marrakesh,calledBang, Bang, You're Deadin the U.S., was released, starring Senta Berger oppositeTony Randall.InThe Quiller Memorandum,a third film of hers released in 1966, she played oppositeMax von SydowandGeorge Segalin the role of a German schoolteacher involved inneo-Naziactivity. In 1967, Berger acted in the pilot film for theRobert Wagnertelevision seriesIt Takes a Thief,which aired on the U.S. television networkABCon 9 January 1968. She reprised her role in the series in October 1969, in an episode in which her character was killed.
In 1970, Berger starred for the first time in a film produced by her own company and directed by her husband. Other internationally successful films made by their joint production company included,Die weiße Rose(1982),The Nasty Girl(1990) andMy Mother's Courage(1995). In 1971, Berger participated in the media campaign "We've had abortions!"launched by German feministAlice Schwarzerwith a cover story in theSternpolitical magazine. In 1972, she also campaigned forWilly Brandt'sSocial Democratic Party.
Following the birth of her first son, Berger soon returned to theatre work. She played at theBurgtheaterin Vienna, at theThalia Theaterin Hamburg and at theSchiller Theaterin Berlin. Between 1974 and 1982, she played the "Buhlschaft" in the playJedermannat theSalzburg FestivalwithCurd JürgensandMaximilian Schell.She also acted alongside Schell andJames Coburnin a supporting role in the acclaimed war filmCross of Iron(1977). In 1977, she was head of the jury at the27th Berlin International Film Festival.[6]Twenty-one years later, she was part of the jury at the48th Berlin International Film Festival.[7]
In 1985–86, Berger started a comeback in front of German-speaking audiences in the TV serialKir Royal.(In the 1980s, Berger discovered she was admired by Scottish drifter Arthur Richard Jackson who had attempted to murder American actressTheresa Saldanain 1982.) Further serial hits followed, likeDie schnelle Gerdi( "The fast Gerdi", 1989–2002), where she played a taxi driver. In the same year, she also started a career as a singer ofchansons.From 2003 to 2010, Berger was president of theGerman Film Academy,which seeks to support the careers of actors and actresses in Germany and across Europe.[citation needed]Since 2005, the academy assigns the annualGerman Film Awards,orLolas.
2005 saw her in the film,Einmal so wie ich will( "Once according to my will" ), as a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage who finds love on holiday, but turns her back on the relationship. In 2016, she played one of the leading roles in the filmWelcome to Germany,written and directed by her sonSimon Verhoeven.The film grossed more than US$20 million, making it the most successful German picture of the year.[8]It also won numerous awards, among them theDeutscher Filmpreis,the peace award Friedenspreis des deutschen Films, and was nominated for aEuropean Film Awardfor Best Comedy.
She played the role of doctor Eva Maria Prohacek in the popular German crime television seriesUnter Verdacht( "Under Suspicion" ) from 2002 till March 2020, when she retired from the role.[9]
In June 2023, her romantic dramedyRemember Me(Weißt du noch;screenplay by Martin Rauhaus, directed byRainer Kaufmann) premiered at the 40thFilmfest München.
Memoirs[edit]
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notincludeanyreferences or sources.(September 2023) |
In the spring of 2006, Berger's autobiography was published in Germany:Ich habe ja gewußt, daß ich fliegen kann( "I Knew That I Could Fly" ). Among her memories of Hollywood are a less-than-subtle attempt byDarryl Zanuckto get her on hiscasting couch,and of all the shallow people she met in Hollywood.
Personal life[edit]
Berger was married to German film directorMichael Verhoevenfrom 1966 until his death in 2024; their sons are actor-directorSimon Verhoeven(born 1972) and actor/producer Luca Verhoeven (born 1979). She lives in Germany. She is Jewish.[10]
Selected filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color:The Waltz King | Henriette Treffz | |
| 1964 | The Man From U.N.C.L.E.:The Double Affair | Serena | (TV series, 1 episode) |
| See How They Run | Orlando Miller | ||
| 1968 | The Name of the Game | Mariette Bern | 1x04 Collectors' Edition |
| It Takes a Thief:A Thief Is a Thief | Claire Vickers | (TV series, 1 episode) | |
| Istanbul Express | Mila Darvos | ||
| Babeck | Susanne Stefan | (TV miniseries, 3 episodes) | |
| 1969 | It Takes a Thief:Flowers from Alexander | Claire Vickers/Laurie James | (TV series, 1 episode) |
| 1976 | Perry Como's Christmas in Austria | Guest star as Herself | (TV Holiday special show) |
| 1986 | Kir Royal | Mona | (TV series, 6 episodes) |
| 1989 | Die schnelle Gerdi | Gerdi | (TV series, 6 episodes) |
| 1990 | La belle Anglaise | (TV series, 1 episode) | |
| 1992 | Sie und Er | Charlotte | |
| Lilli Lottofee | Lilli | (TV series, 6 episodes) | |
| 1994 | Captive Love | Anneliese | |
| 1994–1996 | Ärzte:Dr. Schwarz und Dr. Martin | Dr. Margarethe Martin | (TV series, 8 episodes) |
| 1995 | Die Nacht der Nächte | Teresa | |
| Kommissar Rex | Karla Wilke | (TV series, 1 episode) | |
| 1996 | Mein Sohn ist kein Mörder! | Sarah Renzi | |
| 1997 | Kap der Rache | Lilian | |
| Lamorte | Susa | ||
| Bella Ciao | Teresa | ||
| 1998 | Mammamia | Clara | |
| 1999 | Liebe und weitere Katastrophen | Franziska Ackermann | (TV miniseries, 4 episodes) |
| Nancherrow | Alex Gower | ||
| At Fifty Men Kiss Differently | Marie Mechlenburg | ||
| 2000 | Zimmer mit Frühstück | Elisabeth | |
| Trennungsfieber | Dr. Carla Severin-Bauer | ||
| Scharf aufs Leben | Solveigh Kronberg | ||
| Probieren Sie's mit einem Jüngeren | Anna | ||
| 2002–2019 | Unter Verdacht | Dr. Eva-Maria Prohacek | (TV series, 30 episodes) |
| 2002 | Bis dass dein Tod uns scheidet | Edith Mosbach | |
| 2004 | Die schnelle Gerdi und die Hauptstadt | Gerdi | (TV series, 6 episodes) |
| Die Konferenz | Cornelia Cordes | ||
| 2005 | Einmal so wie ich will | Emma Bauer | |
| Emilia – Die zweite Chance | Dr. Emilia Seiler | ||
| Emilia – Familienbande | Dr. Emilia Seiler | ||
| 2006 | Nette Nachbarn küsst man nicht | Helga Forstmann | |
| 2008 | Rosamunde Pilcher: Four Seasons | Julia Combe | (TV miniseries, 4 episodes) |
| 2009 | Sleepless | Carla Sagmeister | |
| Frau Böhm sagt Nein | Rita Böhm | ||
| Mama kommt! | Luise Fischer | ||
| 2010 | Liebe am Fjord: Das Ende der Eiszeit | Pernille | (TV series, 1 episode) |
| 2011 | In the Prime of Life | Erika Welves | |
| 2012 | Operation Sugar | Dorothee Lessing | (TV thriller) |
| Hochzeiten | Klara | ||
| 2013 | Und alle haben geschwiegen | Luisa Hamilton | (TV drama) |
| Welcome to the Countryside! | Rita | (TV drama) | |
| 2014 | Autumn Tingles: Speed Dating for Silver Hairs | Maria Koppel | (TV film) |
| 2020 | Tommy und Martha | Martha | (TV drama) |
| 2021 | An seiner Seite | Charlotte Kler | (TV Drama) |
Honors and awards[edit]
|
- Bambi Prize(1968)
- Bravo Ottoin Bronze (1969)
- Film Award in Silver (production) forDie Weiße Roseon behalf of the film company Sentana (1983)
- German Actor Award (Chaplin-shoe) for her role inKir Royal(1987)
- Bambi Prize,Special Bambi "Unknockable Stars" (1990)
- Golden Gong (1996)
- Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art,1st class (1999)[11]
- Karl Valentin Order(1998)
- GoldenRomyas the most popular actress (1998)
- Bambi Prizein the category for the ARD miniseriesLove and Other Catastrophes(1999)
- Federal Cross of Merit(1999)
- Bavarian Order of Merit(2002)
- German Hörbuchpreis(2003)
- Medal Munich shines (for outstanding service to Munich) (2003)
- Hessian TV award as an ensemble member of the filmThe Conference(2005)
- Golden Ox – Honorary Award of the Film Arts Festival Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to the Sentana Film Production Senta Berger and Michael Verhoeven (2005)
- Billy Wilder Award (2006)
- PlatinumRomyfor lifetime achievement (2007)
- Special Prize of the German TV crime Award for her starring role in the WDR productionSchlaflos( "Sleepless" ) (2009)
- Herbert-Strate Prize of the NRW Film Foundation and the Association HDF Kino Cinema (2009)
- German Television Awardfor Best Actress for her leading role inSchlaflos(2009)
- Special Prize at the Television Film Festival inBaden-Badenfor outstanding dramatic performance inFrau Böhm sagt Nein(2009)
- Golden Camera Award in the category Best Actress in GermanFrau Böhm sagt NeinandSchlaflos(2010)
- Adolf Grimme Awardfor her performance inFrau Böhm sagt Nein(2010)
- Bavarian Television Awardfor best actress says in the "TV Movie" for her role in the filmFrau Böhm sagt Nein(2010)
- GrandDiagonaledrama prize for lifetime achievement (2010)
- Star on the Boulevard of Stars inBerlin(2010)
- Hans Abich Award for outstanding services in television and film (Television Film Festival, Baden-Baden, 2010)
- Cultural Award of theCity of Munich(2011)
- Bear (B.Z. culture prize) (2012)
References[edit]
- ^Duhm, Lisa (25 March 2020)."Senta Berger heißt eigentlich anders"(in German).Der Spiegel.Retrieved20 August2021.
- ^"Senta Berger – Deutschland, deine Künstler – ARD | Das Erste".daserste.de(in German).Retrieved20 August2021.
- ^Berger, Senta: Porträt.mdr.de. 2 February 2004 (in German)
- ^"Senta Berger".Continental Film Review.Eurap Publishing. September 1966.
- ^"Senta Berger".Continental Film Review.Eurap Publishing. September 1966.
- ^"Berlinale 1977: Juries".berlinale.de(in German).Retrieved19 July2010.
- ^"Berlinale: 1998 Juries".berlinale.de(in German).Retrieved14 January2012.
- ^"Refugee comedy is German box office sensation".TheGuardian.28 November 2016.
- ^"Senta Berger: 'Mein Rauswurf von der Schauspielschule war der erste Schritt'"(in German).
- ^https:// haaretz /israel-news/culture/2009-07-15/ty-article/reconciling-with-the-past/0000017f-da7b-dc0c-afff-db7b0c620000
- ^"Reply to a Parliamentary question"(PDF).parlament.gv.at(in German). p. 1290.Retrieved22 October2012.
External links[edit]
- Senta BergeratIMDb
- Senta Berger-links(Yahoo group)
- Interview in the FAZ newspaper on her autobiography(in German)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1941 births
- Living people
- Actresses from Vienna
- Austrian stage actresses
- Austrian film actresses
- Austrian television actresses
- 20th-century Austrian actresses
- 21st-century Austrian actresses
- Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
- Writers from Vienna
- Jewish Austrian actresses
- People from Hietzing