Memorial Page for Angelika Domröse

Angelica Domröse (born 4 April 1941 in Berlin; died 15 May 2026 in Berlin) was a German actress. She became known through film, television and theatre in East Germany and continued her work after moving to West Germany. Her name is closely linked with The Legend of Paul and Paula; Slatan Dudow's Love's Confusion, the Berliner Ensemble, the Volksbühne, West German stages, television roles and her work as a director and teacher are also part of that life.

Berlin, first film role and training

Domröse grew up in Berlin. At 16 she applied to the Academy for Film and Television in Potsdam-Babelsberg, was initially rejected because of her age, and still held on to her wish to become an actress. In 1958 Slatan Dudow selected her from many applicants for Love's Confusion. While working on the film she was admitted to the academy; she completed her training in 1961.

DEFA, Berliner Ensemble and Volksbühne

After her early film success, further roles in cinema and television followed, including Effi Briest, Julia lebt and The Lord of Alexanderplatz. At the same time Domröse worked in theatre. In 1961 she joined the Berliner Ensemble at Helene Weigel's invitation. Later she moved to the Volksbühne in Berlin, where she appeared in productions by Bruno Besson, Manfred Karge and Matthias Langhoff.

Paula and East German cinema

In 1973 Domröse played Paula in Heiner Carow's The Legend of Paul and Paula. The role of a single mother asserting love, everyday life and her own wishes against narrow social rules became her best-known film work. The film brought her to a broad audience, while her career remained wider than that role. During the 1970s she continued to work in film, television and theatre and remained a member of the Volksbühne ensemble until 1979.

Protest, departure and work in the West

In 1976 Domröse supported the protest against the forced expatriation of singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann from East Germany. After that, her work became more difficult; productions were obstructed or postponed. In 1980 she left East Germany with her husband, the actor Hilmar Thate. In West Germany she appeared on stages in Hamburg, West Berlin, Bochum and Vienna. She worked with directors including Peter Zadek, George Tabori and Michael Haneke and later appeared on television as Vera Bilewski in Police Call 110.

Later years and recognition

After German reunification, Domröse remained present on stage, on television and in film. Her final cinema project was Bis zum Horizont, dann links! in 2012. She directed theatre, taught at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts and at the Berlin University of the Arts, and published her book Ich fang mich selber ein in 2003. In 2008 she received the DEFA Foundation's lifetime achievement award; in 2010 she was given a star on Berlin's Boulevard der Stars.

Farewell

Angelica Domröse died in Berlin on 15 May 2026. She was 85 years old. She left roles in which women make their own decisions against narrow expectations, and a career that remained visible in both German states.