[Deathwatch] Hildegard Knef, German actress, 76

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Monday February 4 9:36 PM ET 

German actress Hildegard Knef dies at 76

BERLIN (Reuters) - German actress Hildegard Knef, a gravel-voiced
blonde who began her half-century career as a teen-ager in Nazi
propaganda films before starring in Hollywood and on Broadway, has died
in Berlin at the age of 76.

Hospital staff said Knef, who suffered from emphysema, had died of a
lung infection Friday after being rushed to the hospital the day
before.

A cool blonde leading lady sometimes acclaimed as the ''thinking man's
Marlene Dietrich,'' Knef remained somewhat in the shadow of her fellow
German diva throughout a long career on screen and stage and as a
cabaret singer.

During the war Knef, a commanding presence with a deep, smoky voice,
followed her lover to the eastern front disguised as a man.

Known in Hollywood as Hildegard Neff, her most famous film was the 1946
``Die Moerder sind unter uns'' (Murderers Among Us), a critical German
self-examination of how Nazis kept themselves in positions of power
despite Hitler's defeat. It was the first German film made after the
war.

In 1951 she sparked a national scandal by appearing nude for a few
seconds in the film ``Die Suenderin'' (The Sinner), in which she played
a prostitute.

``Knef is one of the greatest international cinema stars to come out of
Germany,'' said Dieter Kosslick, director of the Berlin Film Festival.
Kosslick said the festival, which opens on Wednesday, would change its
program to pay tribute to her.

``She was versatile, provocative and unforgettable,'' he added.
``Everyone knows her voice. She's a genuine star.''

``Hildegard Knef has earned her place in the history of film and
stage,'' said Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in a tribute to her family.

Knef was born in the southern city of Ulm on Dec. 28, 1925, and fell in
love with a top propaganda official at the UFA film studios near Berlin
toward the end of World War II.

When he was sent to the eastern front she went with him, disguised as a
man. The Soviets captured them but Knef escaped. She never saw him
again.

After resuming her career in Berlin, Knef was lured to Hollywood by
David O. Selznick in 1947 but rejected the producer's suggestion that
she change her name and say she was an Austrian to cover up her links
to the Nazis.

Due to co-star with Montgomery Clift in ``The Big Lift,'' she had to
step aside in 1949 after reports of her past surfaced. She went back to
Germany but returned to Hollywood to make ``The Snows of Kilimanjaro''
with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner in 1952.

She went on to star in British, French, Italian and German films and
also appeared in musicals, including 675 lead performances on Broadway
in ``Silk Stockings.''

Knef launched a second career as a cabaret singer in the 1960s and also
became a successful writer, publishing a best-selling autobiography
``Der geschenkte Gaul'' (The Gift Horse) in 1971 and later recounting
her battles with cancer.

``Berlin has lost one of its greatest artistic stars,'' said Berlin
Mayor Klaus Wowereit.

The Berlin Film Festival, which bows Wednesday, announced it will
insert a special section with films starring the actress and run the
recent documentary ``That's a Woman and a Half -- Hildegard Knef,''
which premiered at last year's Berlinale.

Reuters/Variety REUTERS