Christine Kaufman
The glamorous life of the actress
Christine Kaufmann died on March 28, 2017 at the age of 72.
© imago images/Eventpress
Exactly five years ago, a German acting icon died: Christine Kaufmann. To this day, the Munich native remains unforgotten.
She was a successful actress and led an extraordinarily dazzling life: exactly five years ago, on March 28, 2017, Christine Kaufmann died at the age of 72 as a result of leukemia. Born in Munich, she not only celebrated successes in Germany. The actress also made a name for herself in Hollywood. Her love life was even more turbulent than Kaufmann’s career.
A child star was born
Christine Kaufmann was born on January 11, 1945 to a French make-up artist and a German Air Force officer in Lengdorf, Austria. However, the actress grew up in Munich, where she took ballet lessons as a young girl. When director Harald Reinl (1908-1986) came to the then eight-year-old’s door, her interest in acting was finally awakened. In 1954, Kaufmann took on the leading role in the film “Rosen-Resli”, the first major cinema success after the Second World War. The up-and-coming talent became a star overnight, followed by other successful productions.
Off to Hollywood
Kaufmann made the leap onto the international stage in 1959 when she appeared in front of the camera in Italy alongside Steve Reeves (1926-2000) in “The Last Days of Pompeii”. The international breakthrough followed just two years later with “Pityless City” alongside Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas (1916-2020). She was awarded the Golden Globe for “Best Young Actress” for her acting performance.
Her turbulent love life
In 1961, while filming the adventure film “Taras Bulba” in Argentina, she had a fateful encounter. Kaufmann met US film star Tony Curtis (1925-2010), who shortly afterwards separated from his wife Janet Leigh (1927-2004). Two years later, the then 18-year-old married the 20-year-old Hollywood star. The two had daughters Alexandra (57) and Allegra (55). At this time, Kaufmann withdrew more into private life and took on fewer roles. Nevertheless, love broke up, in 1968 the former dream couple divorced.
“At 22 I realized that I didn’t love him, that the man I was married to is definitely not the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with,” the actress explained in 2013 in an interview with “Welt”. Kaufmann and Curtis then fought a lengthy custody battle over the two children.
But the woman from Munich continued to believe in love afterwards – she walked down the aisle three more times. She was married to the television director Achim Lenz from 1974 to 1976, to the actor Reno Eckstein from 1979 to 1982 and most recently to the artist Klaus Zey from 1997 to 2011. Later she said in an interview with the magazine “Frau im Spiegel”: “The Men I’ve been married to have been the least important in my life.”
A German returns
Professionally, Christine Kaufmann returned home after her marriage to Curtis. After a long dry spell, she celebrated great success in 1970 with the three-part crime film “Wie ein Blitz”. The two films “Lili Marleen” and “Lola” were made in 1981 in collaboration with director Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945-1982).
But one role in particular remains unforgotten: As Annette von Soettingen’s (Ruth Maria Kubitschek, 90) assistant Olga, she was seen in Helmut Dietl’s (1944-2015) cult series “Monaco Franze – The Eternal Stenz”. From 2014 Kaufmann was mainly on theater stages, her last film role was in 2013 in the film drama “Silence” alongside Jan Fedder (1955-2019) and Iris Berben (71). She has also published numerous books on the subjects of love, health, wellness and lifestyle. The book “Love Stories – Anecdotes from the 20th Century” was published posthumously in May 2017, in which the actress describes her wild life and love affairs.
The love of beauty
Christine Kaufmann didn’t just cause a stir with her love life. In both 1974 and 1999, the Munich native undressed for the men’s magazine “Playboy”. From 1999 to 2012, the actress proved that she attached great importance to her appearance. During this time, she presented her own cosmetics and wellness product range on a teleshopping channel. Kaufmann had a clear opinion on certain beauty procedures: “When I look at Botox faces, I only see emptiness”, she explained in an interview with the “Abendzeitung” in 2012. “Botox is the devil’s stuff – like computer games for small children.”
Christine Kaufmann’s unexpected death
On March 25, 2017 it was announced that Christine Kaufmann was seriously ill. Just three days later, the death message followed. “Deeply shaken and full of sadness, we have to say goodbye to our beloved Christine Kaufmann, our friend and professional partner,” it said in a statement at the time. A few days earlier, the 72-year-old fell into a coma and was treated in a Munich clinic. She died as a result of leukemia. On March 30, the funeral service took place in the closest family circle. In June, the urn was buried in the family grave in a cemetery near Paris.