Angelica Domröse at 85

In retrospect, it seems almost absurd that Angelica Domröse was initially rejected by the Potsdam film school in the 1950s—only to make such a striking impression shortly afterward in her screen debut, "Love's Confusion" (1959), directed by Slatan Dudow, that she was suddenly admitted even during the current academic year. Major stage successes followed, and the young, self-assured theatre actress also appeared in numerous cinema and television productions. In the 1970s, one film in particular made her a true audience favorite: "The Legend of Paul and Paula," the story of a romance between a single mother and a married civil servant (played by Winfried Glatzeder), gleefully overturned social conventions and remains a German cult classic to this day. Yet, theatre always remained Domröse's true home—even after she left East Germany with her husband, the actor Hilmar Thate, in response to the repressive conditions of the GDR. In the West, both were able to continue their careers, and Domröse enjoyed further stage triumphs, including collaborations with directors such as Peter Zadek. In 1992, she reunited with "Paul and Paula"-director Heiner Carow for the sweeping, tragic love story "The Mistake". One of her most memorable late-career roles came in 2012 with "Fly Away," about a group of seniors who escape their retirement home in a vintage airplane. On April 4, the great Angelica Domröse turns 85. Our warmest congratulations!