Cornelia Froboess (; born 28 October 1943) is a German actress and a

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers themselves. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia Ea ...

of the 1950s and early 1960s. During that time, Froboess appeared in many

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

and Austrian

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

s, especially after the

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

wave had hit Germany. In those

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

s, she would often portray the typical ' (brat from estBerlin) who craves independence from her strict parents.

Career

As Die Kleine Cornelia she had her first

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

in 1951, aged eight, with a song written by her father. "" ("Pack your bathing trunks") is a cheery tune about a group of children going swimming on a hot summer's day at

Wannsee Wannsee () is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger '' Großer Wannsee'' (Greater Wannsee) and the '' Kleiner Wannse ...

. The title of the song has become a

set phrase A phraseme, also called a set phrase, fixed expression, multiword expression (in computational linguistics), or idiom, is a multi-word or multi-morphemic utterance whose components include at least one that is selectionally constrained or restrict ...

and

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

for going swimming easily recognized even by speakers of German who have never heard of the song. As she grew up, she continued recording as Conny, then Conny Froboess. In 1962, Froboess finished in sixth place at the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

, where she sang "" (Two little Italians) for Germany. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. Froboess also recorded a Dutch (''Twee Kleine Italianen'') and Italian (''Un Bacio Al'Italiana'') version of the song. The same year she appeared as herself in

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...

'' The Elusive Corporal''. Later, Froboess became a theatre and movie actress. In 1982, she appeared in

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 ...

's film ''

Veronika Voss ''Veronika Voss'' (, "The Longing of Veronika Voss") is a 1982 West German black-and-white drama film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and starring Rosel Zech, Hilmar Thate, and Cornelia Froboess. Loosely based on the career of actress ...

''. In 1988 she played Marthe Schwerdtlein in

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

's ''

Faust I ''Faust: A Tragedy'' (, , or aust. The tragedy's first part is the first part of the Tragedy, tragic Play (theatre), play ''Goethe's Faust, Faust'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and is considered by many as the greatest work of German liter ...

'', a performance that was also released as a film: '' Faust – Vom Himmel durch die Welt zur Hölle''. In 1997 Froboess played the mother of the protagonist Martin Brest (

Til Schweiger Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor and filmmaker. He became known in the 1990s for films such as '' Manta, Manta'', '' Der bewegte Mann'' and '' Knockin' on Heaven's Door''. He went on to star in international ...

) in the film ''

Knockin' on Heaven's Door "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, ...

''. On stage, she appeared in

Lessing Lessing is a German surname of Slavic origin. The original Sorbian form, ''Lěsnik'', means either "forest dweller" or "woodman", ''lěs'' meaning "wood forest". People with the surname Lessing include a German family of writers, artists, musicians ...

's '' Minna von Barnhelm'' in 1976, staged by Dieter Dorn, and played Ellida in

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's ''

The Lady from the Sea ''The Lady from the Sea'' () is a Play (theatre), play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad ''Agnete og Havmanden''. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed in Ibsen's late ...

'' in 1990. At the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

2004, she played Mary Tyrone in

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

's ''

Long Day's Journey into Night ''Long Day's Journey into Night'' is a play in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939–1941 and first published posthumously in 1956. It is widely regarded as his magnum opus and one of the great American plays of the ...

''.The 2004 Salzburg Festival
at ''The New York Theatre Wire'' The same year she played the title role in

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's play ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' () is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical productions were produced in Switzerland and ...

''.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Sinful Border ''The Sinful Border'' () is a 1951 West German crime film directed by Robert A. Stemmle and starring Dieter Borsche, Inge Egger and Peter Mosbacher. Jan Hendriks won the German Film Award as Best Newcomer. It focuses on the smuggling of coffee ...

'' (1951) * ''

Ideal Woman Sought ''Ideal Woman Sought'' (German: ''Ideale Frau gesucht'') is a 1952 Austrian comedy film directed by Franz Antel and starring Inge Egger, Jeanette Schultze and Waltraut Haas.Dassanowsky p.151 It was made at the Schönbrunn Studios in Vienna. Th ...

'' (1952) * '' Three Days of Fear'' (1952) * '' Ten on Every Finger'' (1954) * ''

The Big Star Parade ''The Big Star Parade'' (German: ''Die große Starparade'') is a 1954 West German musical comedy film directed by Paul Martin and starring Adrian Hoven, Renate Holm and Gunther Philipp. The film's sets were designed by the art director Hans Jü ...

'' (1954) * ''

Let the Sun Shine Again ''Let the Sun Shine Again'' (German: ''Lass die Sonne wieder scheinen'') is a 1955 Austrian-West German musical comedy film directed by Hubert Marischka and starring Hans Holt, Hertha Feiler and Cornelia Froboess.Wagnleitner p.281 Shooting took ...

'' (1955) * ''

Hula-Hopp, Conny ''Hula-Hopp, Conny'' is a 1959 West German musical comedy film directed by Heinz Paul and starring Cornelia Froboess, Rudolf Vogel and Susi Nicoletti.Bock & Berfelder p.137 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's sets were design ...

'' (1959) * ''

Conny and Peter Make Music ''Conny and Peter Make Music'' () is a 1960 West German musical comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Cornelia Froboess, Peter Kraus and Gustav Knuth. It is set in a hotel in Lake Lugano, which is a glacial lake situated on the bo ...

'' (1960) * '' Mariandl'' (1961) * '' My Husband, the Economic Miracle'' (1961) * '' The Bird Seller'' (1962) * '' The Model Boy'' (1963) * '' Is Geraldine an Angel?'' (1963) * ''

Rheinsberg Rheinsberg () is a town and a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany. It is located on lake and the river Rhin, approximately north-east of Neuruppin and north-west of Berlin. History Freder ...

'' (1967) * '' Crazy - Completely Mad'' (1973) * ''

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 ...

'' – Season 4, episode 8: "Via Bangkok" (1977) * ''Derrick'' – Season 5, episode 12: "Ute und Manuela" (1978) * ''Derrick'' – Season 9, episode 2: "Eine Falle für Derrick" (1982) * ''

'' (1982) * ' (1986) * ' (1988) * ' (1994, TV film) * ''

Windstorm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm) ...

'' (2013) * ' (2015) * ' (2017) * ' (2019) * ' (2021)

Awards

*1962: Goldene Schallplatte *1968: *1985: Member of the

Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...

*1990: Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring *1994: Bavarian Film Award

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Froboess, Cornelia 1943 births Living people People from Wriezen Musicians from the Province of Brandenburg Actors from the Province of Brandenburg German film actresses German television actresses German stage actresses 20th-century German actresses 21st-century German actresses German women singers German schlager musicians Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Actresses from Brandenburg Dutch-language singers of Germany Italian-language singers of Germany Eurovision Song Contest entrants