Brigitte Mira (, 20 April 1910 – 8 March 2005) was a German actress. She worked in both theater and film, and on many occasions, with

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

. Believed to have been born in Hamburg, she moved when young to Berlin. Mira's mother was German, and her father was Russian Jewish. During the Nazi era, Mira took part in the propaganda series ''Liese und Miese''. She played Miese (germ. ''bad one''): the bad role model, according to Nazi ideology, who listened to enemy radio stations and stockpiled rationed food. However, her acting skills turned the "bad" character she portrayed into a likeable one. The series was cancelled for being counterproductive. The propaganda directors did not know that Mira was half-Jewish because she had false papers. Although she insisted on her naivete as a young woman and that she had to conceal her origins, she was criticized later by some for taking part in these ads at all. Notable performances include Emmi Kurowski in '' Ali: Fear Eats the Soul'' (1974), a role for which she won a

German Film Award The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the Cinema of Germany, German film industry. Besides being ...

. In the 1980s, Mira achieved another big success with the television series ''

Drei Damen vom Grill ''Drei Damen vom Grill'' was a German television series that aired from 1978 to 1992 on Germany's public television station, ARD. The series revolved around the Färber family (Margarete, Magda and Margot Färber) who ran a snack bar in West Be ...

''. She appeared in the 1991 stage production of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

's ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies ...

'' in Berlin.

Partial filmography

* '' The Berliner'' (1948) as Dirne * ' (1958) as Frau Mertens * '' Münchhausen in Afrika'' (1958, voice) as Karla Mai * '' When She Starts, Look Out'' (1958) as Frau Knax * ''

The Star of Santa Clara ''The Star of Santa Clara'' () is a 1958 West German musical comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Vico Torriani, Gerlinde Locker and Ruth Stephan.Koepnick p. 66 It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were desi ...

'' (1958) as Tante Theresa * ''

So ein Millionär hat's schwer ''So ein Millionär hat's schwer'' is a 1958 Austrian film directed by Géza von Cziffra. Cast *Peter Alexander (Austrian performer), Peter Alexander as Edward Collin *Germaine Damar as Ninette *Heinz Erhardt as Alfons Rappert *Loni Heuser as ...

'' (1958) as Madame Pillard * ''Schlag auf Schlag'' (1959) as Sophie Hinze * ''Melodie und Rhythmus'' (1959) as Pensionsleiterin * ''Du bist wunderbar'' (1959) as Madame Dupont * ''Im Namen einer Mutter'' (1960) as Mutter Reitner, Strafgefangene * ''Geschminkte Jugend'' (1960) * ''Ich kann nicht länger schweigen'' (1962) as Frau Ohl * ''So toll wie anno dazumal'' (1962) as Frau Sommer * ''

Jack and Jenny ''Jack and Jenny'' () is a 1963 West German comedy film directed by Victor Vicas and starring Brett Halsey, Senta Berger and Michael Hinz.Bock & Bergfelder p.38 The film's sets were designed by the art director Ernst H. Albrecht. Location filmin ...

'' (1963) as Thea * ' (1968) as Frau Bütow * ''

Hotel by the Hour ''Hotel by the Hour'' (German title: ') is a 1970 West German crime film directed by Rolf Olsen and starring Curd Jürgens, Andrea Rau, and Corny Collins. It is set in the red-light district of St. Pauli in Hamburg. A ''Stundenhotel'' is a hot ...

'' (1970) as Rose Schuh * ''

Twenty Girls and the Teachers ''Twenty Girls and the Teachers'' () is a 1971 West German comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Mascha Gonska, Heidi Kabel, Rudolf Schündler and Fritz Tillmann.Mahler & Wittmaack p.260 Cast * Mascha Gonska as Trixie * Heidi Kabe ...

'' (1971) as Wirtin * ''Wir hau'n den Hauswirt in die Pfanne'' (1971) as Mutti Bauer * ''

Eight Hours Don't Make a Day ''Eight Hours Don't Make a Day'' () (also translated as ''(Eight Hours Are Not a Day)'' is a West German television miniseries written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Commissioned by Westdeutscher Rundfunk, it was broadcast in five e ...

'' (1973, TV series, directed by

) as Marions Mutter, Frau Andreas * '' The Tenderness of Wolves'' (1973, directed by

Ulli Lommel Ulli Lommel (21 December 1944 – 2 December 2017) was a German Film actor, actor and Film director, director, noted for his many collaborations with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his association with the New German Cinema movement. Lommel spent ...

) as Louise Engel * ''1 Berlin-Harlem'' (1974) * '' Ali: Fear Eats the Soul'' (1974, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder) as Emmi * ''

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser ''The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser'' (; lit. ''Every Man for Himself and God Against All'') is a 1974 West German drama film written and directed by Werner Herzog and starring Bruno S. and Walter Ladengast. The film closely follows the real story o ...

'' (1974, directed by

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusu ...

) as Kathe, Servant * ''

Fox and His Friends ''Fox and His Friends'' (; also known as ''Fist-Right of Freedom'') is a 1975 West German drama film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Fassbinder, Peter Chatel and Karlheinz Böhm. The plot follows the misadventures of ...

'' (1975, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder) as Shopkeeper #2 * ''

Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestatio ...

'' (1975, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder) as Emma Küsters * ' (1975, TV film, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder) as Mutter * ''

The Secret Carrier ''The Secret Carrier'' (German: ''Der Geheimnisträger'') is a 1975 West German comedy film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Willy Millowitsch, Brigitte Mira and Sybil Danning.Bock & Bergfelder p.291 Location shooting took place in ...

'' (1975) * ''

Everyone Dies Alone ''Everyone Dies Alone'' / '' Alone in Berlin'' (Original title: ''Jeder stirbt für sich allein'') is a 1976 West German drama film adapted from the Hans Fallada novel '' Every Man Dies Alone''. The book was based on the story of two ordinary Ge ...

'' (1976) as Frau Häberle * ' (1976) as Oma Wuttke * ''

Satan's Brew ''Satan's Brew'' () is a 1976 German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Plot The poet Walter Kranz and his wife Luise live with Walter's mentally disabled brother Ernst. They have money problems, as the formerly successful "poet of the ...

'' (1976, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder) as Mutter Kranz * ''

Chinese Roulette '' Chinese Roulette '' () is a 1976 West German film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It stars Margit Carstensen, Ulli Lommel, and Anna Karina. The film, a bleak psychological drama, climaxes with a truth-guessing game, which gi ...

'' (1976, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder) as Kast * ''Adolf & Marlene'' (1977) * ''Liebe das Leben, lebe das Lieben'' (1977) as Hauswartfrau * ''

'' (1977–1992, TV series, 140 episodes) as Margarete Färber * ' (1978) as Simons Mutter * ''

Iron Gustav ''Iron Gustav: A Berlin Family Chronicle'' () is a 1938 novel by the German writer Hans Fallada. It is about the Berlin coachman Gustav Hackendahl, nicknamed Iron Gustav, who struggles with his failing family life, career and country during World ...

'' (1979, TV miniseries) as Frau Pauli * ''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...

'' (1979, Season 6, Episode 12: "Ein Todesengel") as Frau Tobbe * ''Primel macht ihr Haus verrückt'' (1980) as Frau Kulicke * '' Fabian'' (1980) as Frau Hohlfeld * ''

Berlin Alexanderplatz ''Berlin Alexanderplatz'' () is a 1929 novel by Alfred Döblin. It is considered one of the most important and innovative works of the Weimar culture, Weimar Republic. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers, the book was named among the top 100 bo ...

'' (1980, TV miniseries) as Frau Bast / Wirtin Bast * ''

Lili Marleen "Lili Marleen" (also spelled "Lili Marlen'", "Lilli Marlene", "Lily Marlene", "Lili Marlène" among others; ) is a German love song that became popular during World War II throughout Europe and the Mediterranean among both Axis powers, Axis and ...

'' (1981, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder) as Nachbarin * ' (1981) as Denunziantin * '' Kamikaze 1989'' (1982) as Personaldirektorin * ''

The Roaring Fifties ''The Roaring Fifties'' ( ) is a 1983 West German comedy film directed by Peter Zadek and starring Juraj Kukura, Boy Gobert and Peter Kern. It is based on the novel ''Hurra, wir leben noch'' by Johannes Mario Simmel. It is set around the German W ...

'' (1983) as Frau Willmsen * ' (1984) as Frau Niendorf * ' (1985) as Toilettenfrau * ''Schwarzer Lohn und weiße Weste'' (1985) as Gemüsefrau * '' Spreepiraten'' (1989–1990, TV series, 21 episodes) as Gundula Brachvogel * ''

Fassbinder's Women '' Fassbinder's Women'' (German: ''Für mich gab's nur noch Fassbinder'') is a 2000 German documentary film directed by Rosa von Praunheim. The film was shown at the Locarno Festival in 2000 and at the Outfest in Los Angeles in 2001. Plot The ...

'' (2000, documentary by

Rosa von Praunheim Holger Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky (born Holger Radtke; 25 November 1942), known professionally as Rosa von Praunheim, is a German film director, author, producer, professor of directing and one of the most influential and famous LGBT social move ...

) as Herself

Dubbing roles

*Widow Tweed - Disney's ''

The Fox and the Hound ''The Fox and the Hound'' is a 1981 American animated buddy drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. It tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a r ...

'' (1981)

References

External links

*
Brigitte Mira: Character actor who epitomised the spirit of old Berlin
– The Guardian, 2005-03-25. Retrieved on 2010-04-21. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mira, Brigitte 1910 births 2005 deaths Actresses from Berlin Best Actress German Film Award winners Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin German stage actresses German people of Russian-Jewish descent German film actresses German television actresses 20th-century German actresses Actresses from Hamburg German women comedians Comedians from Hamburg