Last night, the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation sent word that Swiss actress Annemarie Düringer passed away on November 26, her 89th birthday. “It was while playing the lead role in the short film Bourbon Street Blues [1979] directed by Douglas Sirk with students at the University of Television and Film Munich in 1977 that Düringer met Rainer Werner Fassbinder. She later played Cilly in Fassbinder’s Berlin Alexanderplatz [1980] and Dr. Marianne Katz in Veronika Voss [1982].”
Düringer was primarily known for her work with the Burgtheater in Vienna, having joined the ensemble in 1949 and taking on more than 70 roles under the direction of the likes of Peter Zadek, Hans Neuenfels and Claus Peyman. But more than 50 IMDb credits attest to her work in film and television as well. German audiences will most likely remember her for her performances in Robert Siodmak’s The Devil Came at Night (1957) and Ladislao Vajda’s The Liar (1961), in which she appeared alongside Heinz Rühmann, or more recent local hits such as Bettina Oberli’s Late Bloomers (2006) and Lovely Louise (2013).
International cinephiles will appreciate her recent work in Raúl Ruiz‘s Klimt (2006)—she’s the mother of the artist played by John Malkovich—and as the Abbess Tengwich in Margarethe von Trotta‘s Vision (2009).
For news and tips throughout the day every day, follow @KeyframeDaily. Get Keyframe Daily in your inbox by signing in at fandor.com/daily.
