{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} {{short description|German-Austrian actress (1945–2017)}} {{about|the actress|the Montana state senator|Christine Kaufmann (politician)}} {{Infobox person | name = Christine Kaufmann | image = DEG BRET 222.jpg | caption = Kaufmann in 2014 | birth_date = {{Birth date|1945|01|11|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Sankt Martin am Grimming|Lengdorf]], [[Reichsgau Steiermark]], [[Germany]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|03|28|1945|01|11|df=yes}} | death_place = [[Munich]], [[Bavaria]], Germany | occupation = Actress, author, businesswoman | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|[[Tony Curtis]]|1963|1968|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Achim Lenz|1974|1976|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Reno Eckstein|1979|1982|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Klaus Zey|1997|2011|end=divorced}} }} | children = 2, including [[Allegra Curtis]] | birth_name = Christine Maria Kaufmann | years_active = 1952–2017 }}
'''Christine Maria Kaufmann''' ({{IPA|de|kʁɪsˈtiːnə maˈʁiːa ˈkaʊfman|lang|De-Christine Kaufmann.ogg}}; 11 January 1945 – 28 March 2017) was a German-Austrian<ref>[http://www.t-online.de/unterhaltung/tv/id_63707124/christine-kaufmann-ueber-die-entfuehrung-ihrer-toechter.html „Christine Kaufmann über die Entführung ihrer Töchter] in T-online (Retrieved at 28. March 2017)</ref> actress, author, and businesswoman. The daughter of a German father and a French mother, she won the [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress]] for ''[[Town Without Pity]]'' in 1961, the first German to be so honoured.
==Life and career== Kaufmann was born in [[Sankt Martin am Grimming|Lengdorf]], [[Styria]], [[Austria]] (then part of [[Nazi Germany]]). Her mother, Geneviève Kaufmann (née Gavaert), was a French make-up artist; her father, Johannes Kaufmann, was a German [[Luftwaffe]] officer and engineer.<ref>{{cite news |date=2005 |title=Das Doppelleben der Christine Kaufmann |trans-title=The double life of Christine Kaufmann |url=http://www.rp-online.de/kultur/film/das-doppelleben-der-christine-kaufmann-aid-1.1610604 |language=de |newspaper=RP Online |location=Frankfurt am Main |access-date=11 July 2015 }}</ref> [[File:Christine Kaufmann 1960.png|thumb|left|Kaufmann in ''[[Toto, Fabrizi and the Young People Today]]'' (1960)]] Growing up in [[Munich]], Bavaria, Kaufmann became a [[ballerina]] at the [[Bavarian State Opera|Munich Opera]]. She began her film career at the age of seven in ''[[The White Horse Inn (1952 film)|The White Horse Inn]]'' (1952) and appeared as a lead actress in ''Der Schweigende Engel'' the same year, but gained big attention with ''[[Rose-Girl Resli]]'' in 1954. She achieved international recognition when she starred with [[Steve Reeves]] in ''[[The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film)|The Last Days of Pompeii]]'' (1959) and with [[Kirk Douglas]] in ''[[Town Without Pity]]'' (1961). The following year she appeared in ''[[Escape from East Berlin]]'' and with future husband [[Tony Curtis]] in ''[[Taras Bulba (1962 film)|Taras Bulba]]''.
After her divorce from Curtis, Kaufmann resumed her career which she had interrupted during her marriage. Notable roles included the [[Rainer Werner Fassbinder|Werner Fassbinder]] films ''[[Lili Marleen (film)|Lili Marleen]]'' and ''[[Lola (1981 film)|Lola]]''. She often worked with German director [[Helmut Dietl]], in the satirical television series ''[[Monaco Franze – Der ewige Stenz|Monaco Franze]]''. In 1987, she played a glamorous tattoo artist in the cult classic ''[[Bagdad Cafe]]'', an offbeat comedy set in a desolate truck stop café and motel in the Mojave Desert. Her last role was Aunt Polly in the American film ''[[Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn]]'' (2014), co-starring [[Jake T. Austin]] and [[Val Kilmer]].
In her later years, Kaufmann was also a successful businesswoman; she promoted her own line of cosmetics products that sold well in Germany. From her 40s until her death, the media often called Kaufmann the "most beautiful grandmother in Germany".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.christinekaufmann.eu/blog/wellness/der-sex-appeal-der-schonsten-grosmutter-deutschlands/ |title=Der Sex-Appeal der schönsten Großmutter Deutschlands |last1=Kaufmann |first1=Christine |date=2012 |website=ChristineKaufmann |access-date=11 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711190654/https://www.christinekaufmann.eu/blog/wellness/der-sex-appeal-der-schonsten-grosmutter-deutschlands/ |archive-date=11 July 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kraft |first=Katja |date=2015 |title=Christine Kaufmann – Deutschlands schönste Oma wird 70 |trans-title=Christine Kaufmann – Germany's most beautiful grandmother turns 70 |url=http://www.abendblatt.de/vermischtes/article136058843/Christine-Kaufmann-Deutschlands-schoenste-Oma-wird-70.html |language=de |newspaper=Hamburger Abendblatt |location=Hamburg |access-date=11 July 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=11 June 2006 |title=Deutschlands berühmte Großmütter |trans-title=Germany's famous grandmothers |url=https://www.welt.de/print-wams/article143403/Eitel-erfahren-gut-Deutschlands-beruehmte-Grossmuetter.html |language=de |newspaper=Die Welt |location=Berlin |access-date=11 July 2015 }}</ref> She wrote several books about beauty and health, as well as two autobiographies.
== Personal life == At age 18 in 1963, Kaufmann married her ''Taras Bulba'' co-star [[Tony Curtis]]. They had two daughters, [[Alexandra Theodora Dido Curtis]] (b. 19 July 1964) and [[Allegra Curtis]] (b. 11 July 1966). The couple divorced in 1968. Kaufmann married three more times: to television director Achim Lenz (1974–76), musician and actor Reno Eckstein (1979–1982) and illustrator Klaus Zey (1997–2011).<ref>{{cite web |title=Christine Kaufmann lost her battle with leukemia |url=http://www.cosmopolis.ch/english/film/christine_kaufmann_e020000.htm |website=www.cosmopolis.ch |language=en-EN |date=28 March 2017}}</ref> On German television, Kaufmann admitted to having an affair with [[Warren Beatty]].<ref>''Lafer! Lichter! Lecker!'' ZDF, 1 November 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=von Mutius |first=Franziska |date=2014 |title=Christine Kaufmann schreibt Hollywood-Affären |trans-title=Christine Kaufmann writes Hollywood affairs |url=http://www.bild.de/regional/muenchen/christine-kaufmann/die-sex-beichte-36717250.bild.html |language=de |newspaper=Bild |location=Berlin |access-date=11 July 2015 }}</ref>
Kaufmann enjoyed traveling. She moved from one place to another frequently. She spoke three languages: German, English, and French.
Kaufmann died of [[leukemia]] in Munich at age 72 on 28 March 2017, only a few days after she had been diagnosed with the disease.<ref>{{cite web |title=Christine Kaufmann, Golden Globe-winning actress who was married to Tony Curtis, dies at 72 |url=http://latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-christine-kaufmann-20170328-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=28 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Krebs-Drama um Schauspiel-Legende Christine Kaufmann |url=https://www.tz.de/stars/muenchnerin-soll-um-ihr-leben-ringen-leukaemie-drama-um-schauspiel-legende-christine-kaufmann-8008685.html |website=www.tz.de |language=de |date=24 March 2017 |access-date=26 February 2018 |archive-date=16 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616103537/https://www.tz.de/stars/muenchnerin-soll-um-ihr-leben-ringen-leukaemie-drama-um-schauspiel-legende-christine-kaufmann-8008685.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Filmography == [[File:2015-03-02 Christine Kaufmann 6555 (cropped).JPG|thumb|Kaufmann in 2015]]
=== Film === {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1952 | ''Im Weißen Rössl'' | | Uncredited |- |rowspan=3|1953 | ''[[Prosecutor Corda]]'' | Berta Neidhart | |- | ''[[Salto Mortale (1953 film)|Salto Mortale]]'' | Dascha | |- | ''{{sortname|The|Monastery's Hunter|The Monastery's Hunter (1953 film)}}'' | Vronerl | |- |rowspan=2|1954 | ''[[Rose-Girl Resli]]'' | Resli | |- | ''[[The Silent Angel]]'' | Angelika Helmer | |- | 1955 | ''[[When the Alpine Roses Bloom]]'' | Christine | |- |rowspan=2|1956 | ''Ein Herz schlägt für Erika'' | Erika Kayser | |- | ''{{ill|Die Stimme der Sehnsucht|de}}'' | Eva | |- |rowspan=2|1957 | ''{{sortname|The|Winemaker of Langenlois}}'' | Christl | |- | ''[[Widower with Five Daughters]]'' | Ulla Scherzer | |- |rowspan=3|1958 | ''[[Mädchen in Uniform (1958 film)|Mädchen in Uniform]]'' | Mia | |- | ''{{ill|Die singenden Engel von Tirol|de}}'' | Evi Kramer | |- | ''Embezzled Heaven'' | Doris | |- |rowspan=4|1959 | ''[[First Love (1959 film)|First Love]]'' | Silvia | |- | ''[[Everybody Loves Peter]]'' | Kitty Steiner | |- | ''[[Winter Holidays]]'' | Florence | |- | ''{{sortname|The|Last Days of Pompeii|The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film)}}'' | Elena / Ione | |- |rowspan=4|1960 | ''{{sortname|The|Fabulous Fraud|nolink=1}}'' | Christine Wilkens | |- | ''[[Toto, Fabrizi and the Young People Today]]'' | Gabriella Cocozza | |- | ''Red Lips'' | Baby | |- | ''{{sortname|The|Last Pedestrian}}'' | Christine Cornelius | |- |rowspan=5|1961 | ''[[Constantine and the Cross]]'' | Livia | |- | ''[[Town Without Pity]]'' | Karin Steinhof | |- | ''[[Via Mala (1961 film)|Via Mala]]'' | Sylvia Lauretz | |- | ''{{sortname|A|Man Named Rocca}}'' | Geneviève Adé | |- | ''{{sortname|The|Phony American}}'' | Inge | |- |rowspan=4|1962 | ''[[Swordsman of Siena]]'' | Serenella Arconti | |- | ''[[Escape from East Berlin]]'' | Erika Jurgens | |- | ''[[Terror After Midnight]]'' | Julie Elgin | |- | ''[[Taras Bulba (1962 film)|Taras Bulba]]'' | Natalia Dubrov | |- | 1964 | ''[[Wild and Wonderful]]'' | Giselle Ponchon | |- | 1969 | ''[[Love Birds (1969 film)|Love Birds]]'' | La Contessa | |- | 1971 | ''[[Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971 film)|Murders in the Rue Morgue]]'' | Madeleine Charron | |- | 1972 | ''{{ill|The Death of Maria Malibran|fr|La Mort de Maria Malibran}}'' | | |- | 1973 | ''{{ill|Willow Springs (1973 film)|fr|3=Willow Springs (film)|lt=Willow Springs}}'' | Christine | |- | 1974 | ''Goodbye with Mums'' | | |- | 1975 | ''By Hook or by Crook'' | | |- |rowspan=2|1976 | ''[[As of Tomorrow]]'' | Vicky | |- | ''{{ill|Goldflocken|fr|Flocons d'or}}'' | | |- | 1978 | ''[[Red Rings of Fear]]'' | Christina | |- | 1979 | ''[[It Can Only Get Worse]]'' |Violetta Schimpf | |- | 1980 | ''[[Egon Schiele – Exzess und Bestrafung|Egon Schiele: Excess and Punishment]]'' | Edith Harms | |- |rowspan=3|1981 | ''[[Lili Marleen (film)|Lili Marleen]]'' | Miriam | |- | ''[[Lola (1981 film)|Lola]]'' | Susi | |- | ''[[Day of the Idiots]]'' | Ruth | |- |rowspan=5|1983 | ''Das Gold der Liebe'' | Patricias Mutter | Uncredited |- | ''{{sortname|The|Roaring Fifties}}'' | Natascha | |- | ''Ziemlich weit weg'' | | |- | ''[[The Swing (1983 film)|The Swing]]'' | Mme. Lautenschlag | |- | ''Pankow '95'' | Laura Zart | |- | 1987 | ''[[Bagdad Cafe]]'' | Debby | |- |rowspan=2|1989 | ''{{sortname|The|Story Teller|nolink=1}}'' | Clara Lilienthal | |- | ''[[Hard to Be a God (1989 film)|Hard to Be a God]]'' | Okana | |- | 1994 | ''{{sortname|The|Knickerbocker Gang: The Talking Grave|nolink=1}}'' | Annie Kramer | |- |rowspan=2|1998 | ''Caipiranha'' | Karin Wolters | |- | ''The Sleeper'' | Stationsleiterin | |- | 2002 | ''Haider lebt – 1. April 2021'' | Newssprecherin | |- | 2011 | ''Fahr zur Hölle'' | Lilith | |- | 2014 | ''[[Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn]]'' | Aunt Polly | (final film role) |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1970 | ''Bend Sinister'' | Mariette | TV film |- | 1970 | ''{{ill|Wie ein Blitz|de}}'' | Diana Valesco | TV miniseries |- | 1971 | ''Gestrickte Spuren'' | [[Fanny Elßler]] | TV film |- | 1972 | ''[[Der Kommissar (TV series)|Der Kommissar]]'' | Eva Raßner | "Traum eines Wahnsinnigen" |- | 1973 | ''Immobilien'' | Jasmin Strothmann | TV film |- | 1974 | ''Die Fälle des Herrn Konstantin'' | Gisela Pahl | "Der gußeiserne Buddha", "Bankdirektor Alba" |- | 1975 | ''{{ill|Burning Daylight (miniseries)|de|3=Lockruf des Goldes (1975)|lt=Burning Daylight}}'' | Margret 'Labiskwee' | "Vierauge" |- | 1977 | ''[[Derrick (TV series)|Derrick]]'' | Marion Kless | "Hals in der Schlinge" |- | 1978 | ''The Singers'' | Nina Huf | TV film |- | 1979 | ''Le comte de Monte-Cristo'' | Mme. Danglars | TV miniseries |- | 1979 | ''Joséphine ou la comédie des ambitions'' | Mme. Hosten-Lamothe | TV miniseries |- | 1979 | ''[[Der ganz normale Wahnsinn]]'' | Violetta Schimpf | "Drittes Kapitel", "Zweites Kapitel", "Sechstes Kapitel" |- | 1982 | ''[[Wonderful, Wonderful Times]]'' | Frau von Pachthofen | TV film |- | 1983 | ''[[Monaco Franze – Der ewige Stenz|Monaco Franze]]'' | Olga Behrens | Main role |- | 1983 | ''Inflation im Paradies'' | Laverne Schuhmann | TV film |- | 1987 | ''Die Insel'' | Margit | TV film |- | 1988 | ''Julius Caesar'' | Portia | TV film |- | 1990–1991 | ''[[Wenn das die Nachbarn wüßten]]'' | Kaufhausdirektorin | TV series |- | 1993 | ''Glückliche Reise'' | Felicitas von Feilitz | "Ibiza" |- | 1993 | ''Missione d'amore'' | Valery | TV miniseries |- | 1993 | ''Das Double'' | Jutta Eck | TV film |- | 1994 | ''Verliebt, verlobt, verheiratet'' | Maja Kunert | TV series |- | 1994 | ''Birkenhof & Lerchenau'' | Theres | TV film |- | 1995 | ''[[Stubbe – Von Fall zu Fall]]'' | Frau Jensen | "Stubbe sieht rot" |- | 1995 | ''Weihnachten mit Willy Wuff II – Eine Mama für Lieschen'' | Gräfin | TV film |- | 1996 | ''[[Balko]]'' | Frederike Kogel | "Ein Toter zuwenig" |- | 1997 | ''[[Parkhotel Stern]]'' | Oksana Olejewa | "Entscheidungen" |- | 1998 | ''{{Ill|A.S. (TV series)|de|3=A.S. – Gefahr ist sein Geschäft|lt=A.S.}}'' | Nadja Seewald | "Das Tier" |- | 1998 | ''{{ill|Höllische Nachbarn (film)|de|3=Höllische Nachbarn (Film)|lt=Höllische Nachbarn}}'' | Ingelore Merk | TV film |- | 1998 | ''[[Für alle Fälle Stefanie]]'' | Frau von Drossel | "Goldene Regeln" |- | 1999 | ''Einsatz Hamburg Süd'' | Frau Duenser | "Trau keinem!" |- | 2000 | ''[[SOKO München]]'' | Margit Finneisen | "Das Rendezvous" |- | 2003 | ''Club der Träume – Türkei, Marmaris'' | Adlaya | TV film |- | 2007 | ''[[Die ProSieben Märchenstunde]]'' | Tante Hortensie | "Aschenputtel – Für eine Handvoll Tauben" |- | 2008 | ''[[Im Namen des Gesetzes]]'' | Frau Meyer-Arndt | "Dunkle Ahnung" |- | 2008 | ''Love Trip Home'' | Marianne Forster | TV film |- | 2012 | ''Heiter bis tödlich – Fuchs und Gans'' | Diana Bootz | "Eierdiebe" |- | 2013 | ''{{ill|Stille (film)|de|Stille (2013)|lt=Stille}}'' | Adele Vio | TV film |- | 2013 | ''[[Tiere bis unters Dach]]'' | Frau von Werther | "Die Millionenkatze" |}
== References == {{reflist|2}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{web archive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181325/http://www.christinekaufmann.eu/|title=Official Website}} * {{Find a Grave|177839480|Christine Kaufmann}} * {{IMDb name|442304}}
{{Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year Actress}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufmann, Christine}} [[Category:1945 births]] [[Category:2017 deaths]] [[Category:Deaths from leukemia in Germany]] [[Category:German ballerinas]] [[Category:20th-century German businesspeople]] [[Category:20th-century German businesswomen]] [[Category:German child actresses]] [[Category:German film actresses]] [[Category:German people of French descent]] [[Category:German television actresses]] [[Category:20th-century German actresses]] [[Category:21st-century German actresses]] [[Category:New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners]] [[Category:Actresses from Styria]] [[Category:Actresses from Munich]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Munich]] [[Category:Curtis family (show business)]] [[Category:Austrian businesspeople in the cosmetics industry]]