85th Birthday: Senta Berger

Senta Berger played her first small film role at the age of 15 – and for the past 70 years she has continued to surprise and inspire with a body of work defined by courage, intelligence, and artistic independence. The popular entertainment films of the 1960s, such as "Operation Caviar," turned her into an internationally sought-after young star. Yet Berger consistently followed her own artistic instincts, often in deliberate opposition to the mainstream. She worked with leading auteurs including Wim Wenders, Volker Schlöndorff, and Helmut Dietl – and, of course, repeatedly with Michael Verhoeven, her lifelong partner both privately and creatively. As early as 1965, Berger and Verhoeven founded their own production company, Sentana, which later went on to produce such significant films as Verhoeven's "The White Rose." Political engagement and a love of popular entertainment were never mutually exclusive for Berger; in cinema as in life, she combined both with remarkable ease. In social comedies like "Welcome to Germany," directed by her son Simon Verhoeven, she brought these elements together with effortless harmony. With captivating lightness, Berger has moved time and again between drama and comedy. Most recently, she delighted audiences as a charmingly eccentric grandmother in "Oh, This Void, This Dreadful Void." There is really no other way to put it: Senta Berger is what one calls an exceptional actress. On May 13, she turns 85 – hard to believe. Our warmest congratulations.