Soloist

Cornelia Froboess

Cornelia Froboess was born in Wriezen a. d. Oder, Germany, and grew up in Berlin. She became famous overnight as a 7-year-old with her father's song »Pack die Badehose ein«. This was followed by many disc recordings, films and tours of Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Scandinavia. 1962 saw the start of her teenage years, with Paul Anka songs such as »Diana«, »I Love You Baby« and more. She received awards such as the »Golden Disc«, the »Bravo-Otto« and the »Luxembourg Lion« for »Zwei kleine Italiener«.

After studying drama for three years, Cornelia Froboess was engaged by the Salzburg Landestheater in 1963. From 1972 to 1994, she was a member of the ensemble of the Münchner Kammerspiele. Her most famous roles there included the title roles in Lessingʼs »Minna von Barnhelm«, Wedekindʼs »Lulu«, Schillerʼs »Maria Stuart«, Ibsenʼs »Frau vom Meer«, plus Lotte-Kotte in »Groß und Klein« and Cäcilie in Goetheʼs »Stella«. During this time, she also appeared for ten years as Eliza Doolittle in »My Fair Lady«, directed by August Everding, at the Gärtnerplatztheater.

This was followed by countless television and film roles, including parts in »Le Caporal épinglé« (director: Jean Renoir), »Rheinsberg« (Kurt Hoffmann), »Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss« (Rainer Werner Fassbinder). Cornelia Froboess has received prizes and awards for her artistic achievements, including the »Berliner Kunstpreis« in 1966, the »Ernst Lubitsch Prize« in 1968, the »Goldene Kamera« in 1969, the »Goldener Bildschirm« in 1976, the »Gertrud Eysoldt Ring« in 1990, the »Bavarian Television Prize« in 1995 and the »Rencontres Européenne des Télevision« in Reims in 1997 for »Angst hat eine kalte Hand«.

In 2001, she followed Dieter Dorn to the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel, where she appeared on stage in parts such as the title roles in Brechtʼs »Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder« and Mehmedʼs »Die Anarchistin«, in Straussʼ »Die Eine und die Andere« and as Mary in OʼNeillʼs »Eines langen Tages Reise in die Nacht«.

Cornelia Froboess is a member of the Academy of the Arts in Berlin and Munich and holder of the Bundesverdienstkreuz [Federal Cross of Merit], of the Bayerischer Verdienstorden [Bavarian Order of Merit] and of the Bayerischer Maximiliansorden für Wissenschaft und Kunst [Bavarian Order of Maximilian for Science and Art]. In 2017, she was awarded the »Berliner Bär«, the art prize awarded by newspaper B.Z. She has been married to the director Hellmuth Matiasek, former Artistic Director of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and President of the August Everding Theatre Academy since 1967.

In 2018 she was honoured on the stage of the Gärtnerplatztheater with the title »Bayerische Kammerschauspielerin« after a performance of »My Fair Fair Lady« in which she played the role of Misses Higgins.