Christine Kaufmann
Biography
Christine Kaufmann first appeared on stage at the tender age of seven. By the time she was nine, she had already won the hearts of millions of German-speaking movie goers with her portrayal of Rosen-Reslie (Rose-Girl Resli) in the film bearing the same name. Today, she is perhaps better known as an accomplished author and entrepreneur, as well as "Germany`s most beautiful grandmother".
After her early success as a child star, 13-year-old Christine made her international debut in the monumental The Last Days of Pompeii (1959), directed by Mario Bonnard and Sergio Leone. She went on to win a Golden Globe in the category of most promising female newcomer for her performance in Gottfried Reinhardt`s Town Without Pity (1961), starring Kirk Douglas. Later, on the set of Taras Bulba, she met her prince charming in the person of Hollywood star Tony Curtis. The two were soon wed and established their home in Hollywood during one of the movie capital`s most exciting eras.
Christine made her adult stage debut in 1972, in the Hamburg Schauspielhaus production of Emilia Galotti, directed by Schroeter. Soon afterwards she assumed the lead role in Salome during Peter Zadek`s reign as theatrical director in Bochum. In 1977 she acted the part of Walther Reyer`s daughter in the Franz Grillparzer adaption of The Jewess of Toledo, a play directed by Klaus Maria Brandauer for the "Burgfestspielen" theater festival at Forchtenstein Castle (in Burgenland, Austria). And, in late 2001, Christine appeared at Vienna`s Burgtheater, successfully mastering the double role of abbess and prostitute in Christopher Marlowe`s The Jew of Malta, under the direction of Zadek.
Christine Kaufmann was born on January 11, 1945, in the town of Gröbming, Styria (Austria). A child of World War II, her mother was French and her father a German Luftwaffe pilot, while a spartan barn had to make do as her birthplace. She was later raised in Munich, where she also resides and works today. Her most recent book, "Verführung zur Lebenslust, published by Kösel Verlag, spent several weeks on Spiegel magazine`s best-seller list.