Renate Krößner: who was the German actress as Google Doodle celebrates her life and career

Today, Wednesday 17 May, the iconic Google logo has been redesigned to celebrate German actress Renate Krößner. The Doodle features an illustration of Krößner with a reel of film behind her. The dates that Google Doodles appear always hold significance to the subject in question, and today’s Doodle is no different - today would have been Krößner’s 78th birthday.

This is everything you need to know about the life and career of Renate Krößner. 

Who was Renate Krößner - what films and TV shows was she in?

Krößner was a German actress who was known around the world for her roles in film and television. She was born on 17 May 1945 in Osterode am Harz in Germany and grew up in Berlin, appearing in school theatre productions. 

She studied at the Staatliche Schauspielschule and, after graduating at 19, she went on to work in theatres in East Germany. 

Krößner made a few appearances on TV shows in small roles in the mid 1960s, but it was in 1965 that she landed her first film role - Tiefe Furchen directed by Lutz Köhlert. She then enjoyed a larger role in Ralf Kirsten’s film Eine Pyramide für mich, but it was her performance in the 1979 film Bis daß der Tod euch scheidet, directed by Heiner Carow, that brought Krößner to national and international audiences. 

In 1980 Krößner appeared as the lead in the film Solo Sunny, directed by Konrad Wolf. The story follows Ingrid “Sunny” Sommer, played by Krößner, a factory worker and singer in a band who wishes to become a solo artist. Krößner won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival for Solo Sunny. 

Over the course of her career, Krößner also appeared in productions like Vergiss dein Ende, Bruder Esel, Der Lehrer, Die Stadt und die Macht, Tatort, Stubbe – Von Fall zu Fall, Einmal Bulle, immer Bulle, Liebling Kreuzberg and Vera Wesskamp, to name a few. In 1993, Krößner bagged a Deutscher Filmpreis award for Best Actress for her role in the film Nordkurve.  

Other awards Krößner had under her belt include Best Actress at the Torino Film Festival for Vergiss dein Ende and a Grimme Award and RTL Golden Lion Award for Bruder Esel. 

Just over a decade after winning her own award at the Berlin International Film Festival, Krößner served as a member of the jury at the 41st festival in 1991. 

Was she married?

Krößner was married to fellow German actor Bernd Stegemann. The pair were together for around 30 years before they officially tied the knot in 2005. 

Stegemann is known for her roles in films and TV shows like SOKO Potsdam, Merz gegen Merz, Suck Me Shakespeer, Die Kumpel, In the Face of Crime, The Baader Meinhof Complex and Stasikomödie.

Krößner and Stegemann left East Germany in 1985 after they were given permission, moving instead to West Berlin. 

The two remained married until Krößner’s death in 2020. 

When did she die?

Krößner died shortly after her birthday on 25 May 2020 at the age of 75 following a short illness.