Rosel Zech

Rosalie Helga Lina Zech (7 July 1940 – 31 August 2011), known as Rosel Zech, was a German theater and film actress, she is most well known for her works associated with the "Autorenkino" (New German Cinema) movement, which began in the 1970s.

Career

Theater Rosel Zech was born in Berlin; her father was a citizen of Poland. Because of her birth out of wedlock, her mother, a dressmaker, married an inland waterway boatman soon after her daughter's birth, giving her his last name, She was raised in Hoya, Germany. Her performances led her, at the age of 20, to Lower Bavaria, where in 1962, her first theatrical engagement was in the South Bavarian City Theater (now the Lower Bavarian State Theatre) in Landshut.

This was followed by other roles at various other theaters, such as in 1964 at the Städtebundtheater in Biel and at the summer theater in Winterthur. Two years later, she played at the Schauspielhaus Wuppertal. From 1970 to 1972, she appeared on stage at the Staatstheater Stuttgart and then at the Schauspielhaus Bochum.

During the 1978-79 season, Rosel Zech was active in Hamburg at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus and then returned to her native city of Berlin, where she acted on the Volksbühne. In 1981 she was hired by the Bayerischen Staatsschauspiel in Munich. Four years later, she was seen again at the Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. In 2009 she worked with in the Luisenburg Festival in the play Mother Courage as Anna Fierlinger.

Film and television She made her 1970 television debut in The Pot. In 1973 she appeared in a small role in The Tenderness of Wolves with Kurt Raab and Margit Carstensen. On the set, she met Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who produced the film. She and Fassbinder began an extended collaboration. The same year, Peter Zadek cast the actress in his film version of Kleiner Mann – was nun? ("Little man - what now?" with Heinrich Giskes and Hannelore Hoger.

Other films and TV movies followed, including a film version of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, and Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. In the children's film from 1977, she played Mrs. Wolferman, the mother of one of the "crocodiles". She appeared in Peter Fleischmann's 1979 science fiction film The Hamburg Syndrome.

In 1981, she was cast by Rainer Werner Fassbinder in the film Lola (1981) in a supporting role as the wife of Mario Adorf. Fassbinder immediately chose her for his next project, Veronika Voss, and cast her as the lead. This second Fassbinder film was inspired by the life of the UFA actress Sybille Schmitz. Rosel Zech's convincing portrayal of the morphine-addicted actress turned Zech into a star overnight. The film was awarded in the 1982 Berlin International Film Festival with a Golden Bear. In the following years, Zech focused mainly on work in television and appeared in numerous television series and television films, as well as in regular theater productions in Berlin, where she lived during her last years. From 2002 until her death, she had a regular role as the mother superior in the German TV series Um Himmels Willen.

Death She died of bone cancer in Berlin on 31 August 2011, aged 71.

Awards 1968: Förderpreis des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen 1976: Schauspielerin des Jahres der Zeitschrift Theater heute for Hedda Gabler 1982: Goldener Bär der Berlinale for Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss 1983: Deutscher Darstellerpreis for Mascha 1990: Kainz-Medaille der Stadt Wien for Eines langen Tages Reise in die Nacht 1991: 1. Preis des World Film Festival in Montreal for Salmonberries 1992: Bayerischer Filmpreis (Beste Darstellerin) for Salmonberries 1999: Bayerischer Verdienstorden 2001: Merkur-Theaterpreis der Zeitung Münchner Merkur for Afterplay

Filmography

1970: Der Pott (TV movie, directed by Peter Zadek), as Susi 1973: The Tenderness of Wolves (directed by Ulli Lommel), as Dame an der Tür 1973: Little Man, What Now? (TV movie, directed by Peter Zadek), as Marlene Dietrich / Marie Kleinholtz / Bettlerkind / Frau Nothnagel / Claire Waldoff 1974: Mädchen in Uniform (TV movie), as Frau von Bernburg 1974: The Seagull (TV movie, directed by Peter Zadek), as Nina Michailowna Saretschnaja 1974: Ice Age (directed by Peter Zadek), as Wanda 1977: Die Geisel (TV movie, directed by Peter Zadek), as Mrs. Gilchrist 1977: (TV movie, directed by Wolfgang Becker), as Frau Wolfermann 1978: Hedda Gabler (TV movie, directed by Peter Zadek), as Hedda Gabler 1978: Verführungen (TV movie, directed by Michael Verhoeven), as Christine 1979: The Hamburg Syndrome (directed by Peter Fleischmann), as Dr. Hamm 1980: (directed by Tankred Dorst), as Adele 1980: The Misanthrope (TV movie, directed by Peter Zadek), as Célimène 1981: (TV movie, directed by Peter Keglevic), as Herlinde 1981: Der Nächste bitte (TV Movie) 1981: Lola (directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder), as Frau Schuckert 1981: Heute spielen wir den Boss / Wo geht's denn hier zum Film? (directed by Peer Raben), as Frau Kaiser 1981: Die Knapp-Familie (TV miniseries) as Elfriede Knapp 1982: Veronika Voss (directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder), as Veronika Voss 1983: Mascha (TV movie) 1983: (TV movie, directed by Egon Monk), as Lieselotte Oppermann 1983: Klawitter (TV movie, directed by Günter Gräwert), as Elli Hoff 1984: Julia (TV movie, directed by Wolfgang Glück), as Julia Lambert 1985: Tatort (Episode: "Der Mord danach"), as Jutta Reismüller 1985: Der Angriff der Gegenwart auf die übrige Zeit (directed by Alexander Kluge), as Ärztin 1986: (TV movie, directed by Peter Beauvais), as Sabine Halm 1986: The Old Fox (Episode: "Blutgoldspur") as Helma Köhler 1986: Betrogene Liebe (TV movie) as Agnes 1986: Vermischte Nachrichten (directed by Alexander Kluge), as Erfolgstyp 1987: Nebel im Fjord (TV movie), as Claudia Busch 1987: Herz mit Löffel 1987: Die Bombe (TV movie), as Helga Meyerdiercks 1987: The Old Fox (Episode: "Verwischte Spuren"), as Gabriele Lohmann 1987: The Old Fox (Episode: "Mord ist Mord"), as Ingrid Pohl 1988: Die Bertinis (TV miniseries, directed by Egon Monk), as Erika Schwarz 1988: Hemingway (TV miniseries, directed by Bernhard Sinkel), as Lilli Marleen 1989: (TV miniseries), as Felicitas Frey 1989: The Old Fox (Episode: "Ausgestiegen") as Jutta Sander 1990: as Frau Berger 1991: Salmonberries (directed by Percy Adlon), as Roswitha 1993: (directed by Sönke Wortmann), as Mrs. Neuhaus 1993: Derrick (Episode: "Nach acht langen Jahren") as Charlotte Heine 1993: Der rote Vogel (TV Mini-Series) as Ellen Vondrowski 1994: Polizeiruf 110 (Episode: "Gespenster") as Mutter Reiser 1994: Das Baby der schwangeren Toten (TV Movie) as Betti Ley 1995: Hades 1995: Schade um Papa (TV Series) as Lena Bandmann 1995: Dicke Freunde (TV Movie) as Marianne Strauß 1995: Outside Time (TV Movie) as Sophie's Mother 1996: : Die indische Ärztin (TV Series) as Dr. Karla Fasching-Spiehweg 1996: Die Geliebte (TV Series) 1997: Lea Katz – Die Kriminalpsychologin (Episode: "Das wilde Kind") as Gisela Straub 1997: Terror im Namen der Liebe (TV Movie) as Elke 1997: Die letzte Rettung (TV Movie) as Gudrun 1998: Der Schlüssel (Short) as Reinigungschefin 1998: Tatort (Episode: "Der zweite Mann") as Juwelierin 1998: Tatort (Episode: "Todesbote") as Silvia Blankenberg 1999: Aimée & Jaguar as Blonde Frau 1999: Siska (Episode: "Blackout") as Dr. Beate Paulus 1999: The Old Fox (Episode: "Im Angesicht des Todes") as Judith Bennesch 1999: Morgen gehört der Himmel dir (TV Movie, directed by Ute Wieland) as Frau Niering 1999: Ein Fall für zwei (Episode: "Abgebrüht") as Klara Schierer 2000: Oh, du Fröhliche (TV Movie), as Irmela Kapp 2001: Ein unmöglicher Mann (TV Mini-Series) as Frau Schmitt-Oedenthal 2001: Große Liebe wider Willen (TV Movie) as Claudia 2001: Das Schneeparadies (TV Movie) as Margot 2002: Im Visier der Zielfahnder (Episode: "Die Frau ohne Namen") as Britta Prahm 2002: (directed by Dani Levy), as Melanies Mutter 2002: Zwei Affären und eine Hochzeit (TV Movie) as Rosa Richter 2002–2011: Um Himmels Willen (TV Series, 130 episodes) as Oberin Elisabeth Reuter (final appearance) 2003: Anatomie 2 as Dr. Bamberg 2003: Tatort (Episode: "Veras Waffen") as Marion von Pahl 2003: Der Auftrag - Mordfall in der Heimat (TV Movie) as Karin Eisner 2003: Plötzlich wieder 16 (TV Movie) as Professorin 2003: Stubbe – Von Fall zu Fall (Episode: "Yesterday") as Dorothee Mewes 2004: Tatort (Episode: "Mörderspiele") as Monika Hanke-Helmhövel 2004: Kammerflimmern as Oma Crash 2004: The Old Fox (Episode: "Tod im Morgengrauen") as Gisela von Lindow 2005: Rosamunde Pilcher (Episode: "Segel der Liebe") as Winona Carter 2005: K3 – Kripo Hamburg (Episode: "Fieber") as Pauline Petersen 2005: In Liebe eine Eins (TV Movie) as Ursula Sandrock 2006: (TV Series) as Mutter Martha 2006: Mr. Nanny – Ein Mann für Mama (TV Movie) as Marlene Meister 2006: Agathe kann's nicht lassen (Episode: "Die Tote im Bootshaus"") as Katharina Meindl 2008: Das Traumschiff (Episode: "Kilimandscharo - Malediven - Indien") as Kathrin Kriegel 2008: Einsatz in Hamburg (Episode: "Ein sauberer Mord") as Doris Blank 2008–2009: Der Schwarzwaldhof (TV Series) as Dora Hofer 2009: (TV miniseries, directed by Ute Wieland) as Alma Sattler 2011: Schicksalsjahre (TV Series) as Martha Engler