Biography of Monica Bleibtreu

Monica Bleibtreu (born 4 May 1944 in Vienna; died 13 May 2009 in Hamburg) was an Austrian-German actress, screenwriter and professor of acting. She worked in theatre, television and film. Her roles included Katia Mann in Die Manns - Ein Jahrhundertroman, Maria Stadler in Marias letzte Reise and Traude Krüger in Four Minutes.

Background and training

Bleibtreu came from a theatre family. Her father Renato Attilio Bleibtreu was a writer and theatre director, and her family was connected with several actresses. As a teenager she moved to Hamburg and took acting lessons there. She later studied at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna. The combination of Viennese theatre tradition and Hamburg working years shaped her path early on.

Theatre and teaching

In her first professional years, Bleibtreu worked mainly on stage. She appeared at theatres including the Schillertheater and Freie Volksbühne in Berlin, the Münchner Kammerspiele and the Burgtheater in Vienna. From 1993 to 1998 she was professor of acting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. Her work therefore remained closely linked with training, ensemble practice and language.

Television and film

From the 1970s onward, Bleibtreu also worked for the camera. Her television work ranged from crime formats to literary and historical material. In Heinrich Breloer's Die Manns - Ein Jahrhundertroman she played Katia Mann. In Marias letzte Reise she gave an old farmer a strict, restrained and dignified presence. Such roles showed her feeling for characters who hold much back while revealing much.

Four Minutes

In Chris Kraus' film Four Minutes, Bleibtreu played the piano teacher Traude Krüger, who teaches in a women's prison. The role required discipline, hardness, memory and a clear physical form. On 4 May 2007 she received the German Film Award for Best Actress for that performance. The film was also awarded Best Feature Film.

Later years

Bleibtreu remained present in cinema in 2009. Her final works included Tannöd and Fatih Akın's Soul Kitchen, both released posthumously. Monica Bleibtreu died on 13 May 2009 in Hamburg. She was 65 years old and was buried at Ohlsdorf Cemetery.