Brigitte Helm - Actress

Schooled between 1916-24 in the Johanna-Covent in Werftpfuhl (Mark Brandenburg), she acquired her first theater experience in school productions. After completing her schooling, she played the double role of young girl and machine woman Maria in Fritz Lang’s film "Metropolis" (1925/26). As a result, she got a ten year contract with Ufa.

In 1927 she performed leading roles like the miller’s daughter Magda in Karl Grune’s "Am Rande der Welt" (At the Edge of the World) and the blind woman in G. W. Pabsts "Die Liebe der Jeanne Ney" (The Love of Jeanne Ney). With the success of Henrik Galeen’s "Alraune" (A Daughter of Destiny) she is pigeonholed into playing the vamp, a poised, statue-like beauty. Helm files a suit against the Ufa in order to get other roles, and finally an agreement is reached.

In 1928/29 she plays the lead in the melodrama "Die wunderbare Lüge der Nina Petrowna" (The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna), in which her noble and loving character kills herself with poison. She successfully made the transition to sound movies in 1930, playing alongside famous tenor Jan Kiepura in "Die singende Stadt" (The Singing City). As Gilgi in the movie adaptation of Irmgard Keun"s "Eine von uns" (One of Us), she plays a contemporary female character, who has her own job, yet still dreams of perfect love.

She presented her last vamp role in 1932 as the desert queen Atinea in Pabst’s "Die Herrin von Atlantis" (The Queen of Atlantis), performing in all three language versions of the film, as she also worked on films both in France and England. In 1935, she made her last appearance on the screen in "Ein idealer Gatte" (An Ideal Husband). With the end of her Ufa-contract, Helm retired from filmmaking. She married the industrialist Hugo Kunheim and moved to Ascona, where she led a very secluded private life. In 1968, she was awarded the Golden Film Ribbon for her lifetime contribution to German cinema.

Brigitte Helm passed away in Ascona on June 11th 1996.