Romy Schneider Autograph

Profession:
(1938-1982) German-French actress. She began her career in the German Heimatfilm genre in the early 1950s when she was 15. From 1955 to 1957, she played the central character of Empress Elisabeth of Austria in the Austrian Sissi trilogy.

Year of Birth: 1938

Romy Schneider was a German-Austrian actress born in Vienna on 23 September 1938. She is best known for her roles in films such as The Trial (1962), Luchino Visconti's The Damned (1969) and Ludwig (1973). She was one of the most popular actresses of the 1960s and 70s and enjoyed a successful international career until her death in 1982.

Romy Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach-Retty to a family of actors. Her father, Wolf Albach-Retty, was an Austrian film and stage actor while her mother, Magda Schneider, was a successful German stage actress. Romy was discovered at the age of 14 by famous film director Max Ophüls, who cast her in the 1954 film Lola Montès alongside Peter Ustinov. This was the start of her successful career in film.

Romy Schneider went on to star in many successful films, including The Trial (1962), The Cardinal (1963) and What's New Pussycat? (1965). She also worked with renowned directors such as Visconti, Jacques Deray, Orson Welles and Claude Chabrol. She starred in the award-winning film The Damned (1969) and was nominated for a César Award for her role in Ludwig (1973).

In 1975, she moved to France, where she lived until her death in 1982. During this time, she appeared in several films, including La Passante du Sans-Souci (1982), a French adaptation of Stefan Zweig's novel Beware of Pity. She was also the lead in two television series, The Story of a Crime (1981) and The Sea Rose (1982).

Romy Schneider was a critically acclaimed actress and won several awards, including the Bambi Prize, the Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actress, and the German Film Award for Best Actress. She was also the recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award. Her legacy lives on through her popular films and her influence on generations of actors.

Romy Schneider died on 29 May 1982 in Paris. She was 43 years old. Her death was ruled a suicide, although the exact circumstances remain unclear. Her death shocked the world and she was mourned by her fans around the world. She is remembered as one of the greatest actresses of her time.