Karin Ugowski (née Komischke; born 11 July 1943) is a German actress, narrator, film producer and furtherer of art and culture in Germany with various stations of work in UK, France, Italy, Israel, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Spain, US and Germany.[1]

Karin Ugowski
Born
Karin Komischke

11 July 1943 (1943-07-11) (age 81)
Berlin, Germany
Occupations
  • Actress
  • narrator
  • producer
Years active1962–present
Known forDas unsichtbare Visier, Polizeiruf 110, König Drosselbart
MovementNeues Forum
Websitekarin-ugowski.com

Early life

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Karin Ugowski was born in Berlin Johannisthal, Germany during the last stage of The Battle of Berlin in the middle of the Berlin bombings, 2 years before the end of Second World War. She grew up in postwar Germany behind the Iron Curtain and her parents were both wartime traumatized. After finishing Gymnasiale Oberstufe (comparable to Highschool in US) she was intended to study medicine. Against the will of her parents she attended to the Film University Babelsberg in 1962 and received her B.A. in drama from the Film University Babelsberg, Germany in 1965.[2] She has a younger brother.

Career

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During her acting studies she already gained notice and received widespread recognition for her enchanting but self-confident impersonations of the princess roles in German classic theatrical motion pictures in the early 1960s based on historical fairy tales,[3][4] like Mother Holly (1963), The Golden Goose (1964) and King Thrushbeard (1965) co-starring German cult actor Manfred Krug.[5] Her first cinema appearances were heavily related to an ideal of female youth and beauty in the 1960s of postwar Germany. In this time she already became an up-and-coming film star building a fan base, which still remains until today for these old film classics, which are still airing in German TV frequently.[6]

In early science fiction motion pictures like Signale – Ein Weltraumabenteuer (1970) (English: "Signals") and in historical feature films like the spy thriller The Invisible Visor (1973) which has already achieved cult status, co-starring the young Armin Mueller-Stahl, or as the malicious white farmers daughter in the German film version of the American Indian legend story Osceola (1971) or even in first episodes of the German TV classic crime series Police call 110, where she appears as one of the first officiating female police detectives and inspectors besides the actress Sigrid Göhler in German TV, she has so much the more astounded and irritated her fan base knowing her from the princess roles by showing completely different faces in the 1970s and exposing as character actress of complex parts. More than once she has surprised with her versatility, as shown again in the more recent years, like in the cinema short film Open (2005) of the director Charlotte Siebenrock, when she turned from an old frustrated canteen kitchen porter into an attractive buoyant and beautiful looking women within minutes, leading to the presentation of the short film at various short film festivals[7] or in the motion picture In All Colours of the Rainbow (2007) in a role of an older woman falling in love with a much younger man fighting the social resentment, directed by her son, Sebastian Ugovsky.

Already during her first film work she fell in love with theater, especially the experimental and political theatre, which was able to change something in the time of upheaval in Germany. As a permanent company member of the Volksbuehne Berlin theatre,[8] she worked early with great personalities such as Benno Besson, Heiner Müller and later Frank Castorf, Johann Kresnik, Leander Haußmann, Christoph Schlingensief and other Berlin theater-greats with guest performances all over the world.[9] This is how she became a member of the political movement Neues Forum in the late 1980s, supporting the political rally in November 1989 at the Berlin Alexanderplatz, which was part of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the lifting of the Iron Curtain leading to the end of the Cold War.

The actress, who has frequently campaigned for art and culture support and development in Germany in the last decades and has carried a yearly exhibition festival with her husband to support artists in this area, became a talking point recently again by participating in a supporting role as mother of the lead in Samuel Maoz's latest international motion picture Foxtrot (Israel, 2017), a sequel of his award-winning motion picture Lebanon (2009), which will likely screen in Cannes and won the Silver lion (Grand Prix de Jury) at the Biennale 2017/18.[1][2]

In all, the actress was involved in over 80 theater productions and over 150 film and television productions. Politically, Karin Ugowski can be considered as critical of any system, reasoned by her own history and which is mirrored in her commitment for political theater and various interpretive readings up to today. Since 2006, Karin Ugowski is an active member of the German Film Academy and member of the jury for the German film award (LOLA).[10]

Personal life

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During her acting studies in the time when she came to be known for her first motion picture appearances in the 1960s, she met her first husband Eberhart Ugowski and married very quickly.[11] In this time her first son was born. Even if the marriage only lasted for a few years, her last name by which she is known (Ugowski) remains from this marriage. Since then she kept the name even after the divorce in 1967 because of the name recognition.

In the 1970s, she was in a long-term relationship with the actor and well-known theater director Helmut Straßburger she met when working with him on theater stagings, bringing her second son into the world: the author, play wright, independent Stage Director and film maker, composer and Music Producer Sebastian Ugovsky[12] (sometimes credited as Gilmano for musical works[13]), the founder of the music record label REQQORD (formerly Slo' Jam) in Berlin, Germany,[14] who has contributed music titles to film scores of motion pictures like The Equalizer (2014, Denzel Washington).[15]

Ugowski has cultivated a long-term friendship with the author and play wright Peter Brasch, brother of also well-known author, poet and play write Thomas Brasch and the actor Klaus Brasch. The parents of the Brasch brothers were Jewish immigrants to the UK in the late 1930s during the pogrom in Germany and moved back to Germany after the end of Second World War, which made both authors, Thomas and Peter, being strongly driven by the dream for eternal peace and freedom of thought in their work, a common ground between the Braschs and Karin Ugowski. Peter Brasch had a crash on Karin Ugowski and has dedicated a book of poetry to her (inscription) and wrote another radio play called The Golden Goose – an audio drama adaptation in 1989[16] inspired by her role of princess Roswitha in the classic movie.[17] He died in 2001.[18] He was one of the first having insights in the first writings of Karin Ugowski's son Sebastian Ugovsky.[19]

Since 1993, she has been married to painter and scenographer Günter Horn, the last living advisee of the famous painter Otto Nagel.[20]

Filmography

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A selection of Cinema and TV motion pictures.[17][21]

Original Title Year English Title Director
Foxtrot 2017 Foxtrot Samuel Maoz
Auf dem Weg ins Leben 2014 On the way Sebastian Ugovsky
Die Farben des Regenbogen 2007 In all Colours of the Rainbow Sebastian Ugovsky
Tornado – Der Zorn des Himmels 2006 F4: Vortex [de] Andreas Linke [de]
Open 2005 Open Charlotte Siebenrock
Der Mörder meines Vaters 2005 The Killer of my Father Urs Egger
Soko Leipzig 2005 Leipzig Homicide Michel Bielawa
Sehnsucht 2004 Desire Ciro Cappellari
Polizeiruf 110 2001 Police call 110 Marco Serafini
Polizeiruf 110 1999 Police call 110 Marijan David Vajda
Die Männer vom K3 1993 K3 Sigi Rothemund
Ein kleiner Knall am Nachmittag 1991 A Little Bang on PM Christine Krüger
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1990 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Manfred Mosblech
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1990 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Gunter Friedrich
Ein brauchbarer Mann 1989 A Useful Man Hans-Werner Honert
Polizeiruf 110 1989 Police call 110 Thomas Jacob
Die Beteiligten 1989 Those Involved Horst E. Brandt
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1987 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Thomas Jacob
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1986 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Georgi Kissimov
Der Doppelgänger 1985 Doubles Werner W. Wallroth
Polizeiruf 110 1984 Police call 110 Klaus Grabowsky
Ach du meine Liebe 1984 Oh Dear! Georgi Kissimov
Das Puppenheim in Pinnow 1984 The Doll's House in Pinnow Christian Steinke
Meine hoffnungsvollen Kinder 1983 Offsprings of Hope Georgi Kissimov
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1983 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Hans Knötzsch
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1983 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Hans Werner
Im Spiegel 1983 In the Mirror Helmut Krätzig
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1981 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Achim Hübner
Ernste Spiele 1980 Serious Games Tamás Fejér
Das Ding im Schloß 1979 The Thing in the Castle Gottfried Kolditz
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1978 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Hans-Werner Honert
Ehe man Ehefrau bleibt 1977 Ere Remain Being his Wife Jens-Peter Proll
Das unsichtbare Visier – Afrikaanse Broederbond 3 1977 The Invisible Visor Peter Hagen
Das unsichtbare Visier – Afrikaanse Broederbond 2 1977 The Invisible Visor Peter Hagen
Das unsichtbare Visier – Afrikaanse Broederbond 1 1977 The Invisible Visor Peter Hagen
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1976 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Horst Zaeske
Polizeiruf 110 1973 Police call 110 Jerzy Bednarczyk, Jan Laskowski
Die Nacht der Barrikaden 1973 The Nights of the Barricades Hubert Kreuz
Polizeiruf 110 1972 Police call 110 Bernhard Stephan
Osceola 1971 Osceola Konrad Petzold, James Winburn
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1971 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Horst Zaeske
Caesar & Cleopatra 1970 Caesar & Cleopatra Ottofritz Gaillard
Signale – Ein Weltraumabenteuer 1970 Signals Gottfried Kolditz
Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort 1969 The Prosecutor holds the Floor Ursula Reinhold
Tolle Tage 1969 Happy Days Wolfgang Luderer
Geheime Spuren (1–3) 1969 Undercover Trails Helmut Krätzig
Geheimkommando Spree (1 & 2) 1968 Secret Operation Unit „Spree" Helmut Krätzig
Der erste Sommer 1968 The first Summer Ursula Schmenger
Die Erben des Manifests: Unterm Wind der Jahre (1–3) 1967 Heirs of the Manifesto: Wind of Change Peter Hagen
Zielansprache 1967 The Target Speech Ursula Reinhold
Hat Adam Riese sich verrechnet? 1966 Has Adam Riese been wrong? Hans Joachim Preil
Columbus 64 1966 Columbus 64 Ulrich Thein
Trick 17b 1966 Trick 17b – The Ploy Hans-Erich Korbschmitt
Der Nachfolger 1965 The Successor Ingrid Sander
König Drosselbart 1965 King Thrushbeard Walter Beck
Julika 1965 Julika Martin Eckermann
Ehering in der Westentasche 1965 The Wedding Ring in the Vest Pocket Hubert Hoelzke
Die goldene Gans 1964 The Golden Goose Siegfried Hartmann
Frau Holle 1963 Mother Holly Gottfried Kolditz

Theatrography

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A selection.[22][23]

German title English title Written by Year Pos Role Director
Königsberg Andrei Nekrasov 2002 SR Mother of Vlad Andrei Nekrasov
Baal Baal Berthold Brecht 2001 SR 4th Lady, and Luise, and Neger John Thomas Bischoff
Paul + Paula. Die Legende vom Glück ohne Ende The Legend of Paul and Paula Ulrich Plenzdorf 2000 LR Pauls wife, Ines Leander Haußmann
Engel der Tankstelle Edward Thomas 2000 LR Mati (Mother) Lydia Bunk
Traumspiel A Dream Play August Strindberg 2000 ELR Sebastian Hartmann
Heinrich IV., 1 – Die Lohnarbeiter Henry IV, Part 1 William Skakespeare 1999 SR Queen Gabriele Gysi
Richard III. – Der Fortschritt Richard III William Shakespeare 1999 SR Queen Elisabeth Johann Kresnik
Die Toten Seelen Dead Souls Nikolaj W. Gogol 1998 LR Lady of the manor Andrej Woron
Zement Heiner Müller (based on Gladkow) 1996 SR Andreas Kriegenburg
Golden Fliesst der Stahl – Wolokolamsker Chaussee Karl Grünberg, Heiner Müller 1996 SR Mother Schreivögel Frank Castorf
Hinkemann Ernst Toller 1995 SR Andreas Kriegenburg
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde based on Robert Louis Stevenson 1995 SR Michael Simon
Angeklagt. Prozess gegen eine Videokamera Michael Zeyfang 1994 LR Michael Zeyfang
100 Jahre CDU – Spiel ohne Grenzen Christoph Schlingensief 1993 LR One of the Swinten Sisters Christoph Schlingensief
Die Rausfallenden alten Weiber The falling old girls Daniil Charms 1993 ER One of the old girls Herbert Fritsch
Stadt der Gerechtigkeit City of justice Lew Lunz 1992 SR Andreas Kriegenburg
Die Komödie der Irrungen The Comedy of Errors William Shakespeare 1991 LR Adriana Werner Tietze
Wann Haben Sie Zuletzt ... Ihre Hosen Gesehn? Ray Galton, John Antrobus 1991 SR B. K. Tragelehn
Woyzek Woyzeck Georg Büchner 1991 SR Neighbour Andreas Kriegenburg
Clavigo Clavigo based on Johann Wolfgang Goethe 1990 LR Clavigo Henry Hübchen
Räuber von Schiller The Robbers Friedrich Schiller (edited by Frank Castorf) 1990 SR One of the Trudes Frank Castorf
Hundeherz Heart of a Dog Alexander Tscherwinski (based on Michail Bulgakow) 1989 SR Horst Hawemann
Der Letzte der Feurigen Liebhaber Last of the Red Hot Lovers Neil Simon 1988 LR Elaine Klaus Mertens
Kaspar der Mensch Adolf Glasbrenner 1987 LR Harald Warmbrunn
Garage Emil Braginskij, Edgar Rjasanow 1985 LR Mrs. Kuschakowa Harald Warmbrunn
Die kleine Hexe, die nicht böse sein konnte Maria Clara Machado 1985 SR One of the 3 antagonists Werner Tietze
Mein Dicker Mantel & Prinzessin Zartfuss und die 7 Elefanten Albert Wendt 1984 LR Princess Zartfuß Werner Tietze
Das Sogenannte Privatleben (Aus den Notizen Lopatins) Konstantin Simonov 1982 LR Werner Tietze
Der Geizige The Miser Jean Baptiste Molière 1981 LR Elise Werner Tietze
Die Verbrecher Ferdinand Bruckner 1981 LR Ernestine Puschek Werner Tietze
Vor aller Augen Rudi Strahl 1980 LR Weibl Hauptrolle Helmut Straßburger
Heimat Hermann Sudermann 1980 LR Magda Werner Tietze
Ende Gut, Alles Gut All's Well That Ends Well William Shakespeare 1979 SR Diana Helmut Straßburger
Das Gewissen based on the novel of Jòzef Lenart 1979 LR Wife of male Leading role Werner Tietze
Aufzeichnungen Eines Toten (Theaterroman) Theatrical Novel Michail Bulgakow (edited by Armin Stolper) 1977 SR diverse Helmut Straßburger
Handbetrieb Paul Gratzik 1976 SR One of the girlfriends Helmut Straßburger
Die Deutschen Kleinstädter August von Kotzebue 1976 ER Helmut Straßburger
Das schöne grüne Vögelchen Carlo Gozzi (edited by Birgit Meißel, Ezio Toffolutti & company) 1975 SR Queen in the dungeon Helmut Straßburger
Familie TÓT István Örkeny 1974 SR Kati (the daughter) Lutz Günzel, Helmut Straßburger, Thomas Vallentin und Klaus Waack
Rameaus Neffe Rameau's Nephew Denis Diderot 1973 SR One of the Chansonettes Helmut Straßburger
Pfeile des Eros. Ein Sittenbild der Antike Günther Cwojdrak 1971 LR One of the 3 women Fritz Decho
Der Arzt Wider Willen The doctor in spite of himself Jean Baptiste Molière (edited by Benno Besson, Heiner Müller) 1970 LR Youthful lover Benno Besson
O, Hamlet, welch ein Aufstieg! Notes of Hermann Kant 1968 LR The female Leading role Fritz Decho
V wie Vietnam V like Vietnam Armand Gatti 1968 SR TV correspondent Hans-Joachim Martens, Wolfgang Pintzka
Kabale und Liebe Intrigue and Love Friedrich Schiller 1967 SR Servant Hans-Joachim Martens
Siebentens: Stiehl Ein Bischen Weniger Dario Fo 1967 SR Dancing Prostitute Wolfgang Pintzka
Jeanne Oder Die Lerche The Lark Jean Anouilh 1966 SR The little Queen Hans-Joachim Martens
Der züchtige Klapperstorch. Ein Abend mit Chansons und Gedichten. Kurt Tucholsky, Erich Kästner 1964 LR

References

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  1. ^ "Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek". portal.dnb.de (in German). Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Leben". karin-ugowski.com (in German). Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  3. ^ "Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek". portal.dnb.de (in German). Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  4. ^ Shen, Qinna (15 June 2015). The Politics of Magic: DEFA Fairy-Tale Films. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3904-6.
  5. ^ "Fairytale princesses – back then and today". mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Karin Ugowski again on all TV channels". Nordkurier (in German). 23 December 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Buch | Regie – Charlotte Siebenrock". Charlotte Siebenrock (in German). Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  8. ^ Mann, Dieter (18 April 2016). Schöne Vorstellung: Eine Autobiographie in Gesprächen mit Hans-Dieter Schütt (in German). Aufbau Digital. ISBN 978-3-8412-1066-1.
  9. ^ "Biography". karin-ugowski.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  10. ^ "Members of the Film academy". deutsche-filmakademie.de (in German). Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Karin Ugowski". filmeule.de (in German). Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  12. ^ "Helmut Straßburger". steffi-line.de (archive, theater) (in German). Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  13. ^ "Gilmano (Artist info on Discogs)". discogs.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  14. ^ "Slo'Jam (Music record label info on Discogs)". discogs.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  15. ^ The Equalizer (2014), retrieved 19 July 2017
  16. ^ "Peter Brasch (Henscher Verlag)". henschel-schauspiel.de. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  17. ^ a b "Biography on IMDb (Karin Ugowski)". imdb.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  18. ^ "Peter Brasch gestorben". Die Zeit (in German). 5 July 2001. ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  19. ^ "Biography on IMDb (Sebastian Ugovsky)". imdb.com. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  20. ^ "Can a fairytale princess retire?". Berliner Kurier (in German). Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Filmografie (Kino & TV Filme, eine Auswahl) | Karin Ugowski". www.karin-ugowski.com. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  22. ^ "Theatrography | Karin Ugowski". www.karin-ugowski.com. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  23. ^ Berlin, Volksbühne. "Spielzeitchronik 1980 bis 1990". www.volksbuehne-berlin.de (in German). Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
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