Irm Hermann

Irm Hermann
Irm Hermann in 2008
Born(1942-10-04)4 October 1942
Munich, German Reich
Died26 May 2020(2020-05-26) (aged 77)
Berlin, Germany
Occupations
Years active1966–2018
AwardsDeutscher Filmpreis

Irmgard Hermann (4 October 1942 – 26 May 2020) was a German actress. She worked in film, television, and the stage, appearing in over 160 film and television productions. She was discovered, without formal training, by Rainer Werner Fassbinder who cast her in many of his films. She was awarded the Deutscher Filmpreis for playing Irmgard Epp in Fassbinder's The Merchant of Four Seasons, and again for appearing as Else Gebel, a woman in prison with Sophie Scholl, in Percy Adlon's Fünf letzte Tage.

Life

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Born in Munich, Hermann became a publishing clerk after finishing school and worked as a secretary for ADAC.[1] She met Rainer Werner Fassbinder in 1966, who convinced her to quit her job to work with him although she lacked formal training as an actress. The same year, Hermann made her debut in Fassbinder's short film The City Tramp (Der Stadtstreicher [de]),[1] and then went on to play in 19 of Fassbinder's films, including Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, 1972). She was usually cast as a frustrated, stuffy (spießig) woman. Her one leading role in his films, Irmgard Epp in the 1971 Händler der vier Jahreszeiten (The Merchant of Four Seasons), won her the Deutscher Filmpreis award.[1] She was a member of Fassbinder's complicated professional and personal entourage, and became one of his confidantes, but the relationship also involved abusive behaviour by Fassbinder towards her;[2] after his death, she said he had been physically abusive.[3]

In the mid-1970s, Hermann broke with Fassbinder and moved to Berlin, where her career developed.[2] She played in numerous film and television productions with directors such as Tankred Dorst,[4] Werner Herzog, Hans W. Geißendörfer and Christoph Schlingensief. Her performance as Else Gebel, a woman in prison with the resistance fighter Sophie Scholl, in Percy Adlon's 1982 Fünf letzte Tage (Last Five Days) was again honoured with a Deutscher Filmpreis in 1983.[1] She liked to play in comedies such as Loriot's 1991 Pappa Ante Portas, Hape Kerkeling's 1996 Willi und die Windzors (as a fictionalized version of Queen Elizabeth II) and Rudolf Thome's 1999 Paradiso: Seven Days with Seven Women [de].[2] Paradiso won a Silver Bear at the 2000 Berlinale for artistic achievement (künstlerische Leistung).[4] She also appeared in Rosa von Praunheim's film Fassbinder's Women (2000).

Overall, she appeared in over 160 film and television productions until 2018. She played on stage at the Berlin Volksbühne and with the Berliner Ensemble.[4]

Hermann was married to Dietmar Roberg, an author of children's books. Together, they had two sons (Franz Tizian and Fridolin).[3] She died on 26 May 2020 in Berlin.[4] She was 77, and had been suffering from a “short, serious illness”, according to her agent.[3]

Filmography (selection)

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Hermann's film appearances included:[1]

Fassbinder

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Geißendörfer

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Werner Herzog

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Percy Adlon

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Ulrike Ottinger

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Schlingensief

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Rudolf Thome

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Other directors

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Irm Hermann". Filmportal (in German). Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Kothenschulte, Daniel (29 May 2020). "Zum Tod von Irm Hermann: Die anarchische Königin". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Shoard, Catherine (28 May 2020). "Irm Hermann, star of 20 Fassbinder films, dies aged 77". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "Film- und Theater-Schauspielerin Irm Hermann im Alter von 77 Jahren gestorben". rbb24.de (in German). 28 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
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