Distinguished German character actress of great range and intensity. Began her career as a fifteen year-old chorus girl in operetta. On stage from 1919, in Vienna from 1927. Joined the ensemble of the Volkstheater (1936-39), subsequently with the Burgtheater. As a tragedienne, acted in most of the classic plays, often portraying capricious or powerful women (queens, courtesans, even murderesses). Gained much notoriety from two separate incidents, publicly slapping theatre critics Wolfgang Harich (1946) and Hans Weigel (1956).
