Gisela May
Gisela May | |
|---|---|
.jpg) May in 1979 | |
| Born | 31 May 1924 Wetzlar, Rhine Province, Germany |
| Died | 2 December 2016 (aged 92) Berlin, Germany |
| Alma mater | Academy of Arts, Berlin |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1951–2007 |
| Awards | Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2004) |
| Signature | |
 | |
Gisela May (31 May 1924 – 2 December 2016) was a German actress and singer.[1]
Early life
[edit]May was born in Wetzlar, Germany. Both her mother, Kate May, and her father, Ferdinand May, were writers. She studied at the drama school in Leipzig from 1942 to 1944.[1] She was employed for nine years at various theatres, including the State Theatre of Schwerin and the State Theatre in Halle. Starting in 1951, she performed at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, where she played a variety of roles.[1]
Career
[edit]
In 1962, May moved to Bertolt Brecht's theatre group, the Berliner Ensemble, and stayed for 30 years. While there she played a variety of roles, including Madame Cabet in The Days of the Commune, Mrs Peachum in The Threepenny Opera, Mrs Kopecka in Schweik in the Second World War, and Mother Courage in Mother Courage and Her Children.[1]
From 1963 she was a member of the presidium of the German-Italian Society of the GDR under the president Professor Gerhard Reintanz, from 1972 a member of the Academy of Arts (East) and from 1993 of the new Academy of Arts (Berlin).[2]
May was known as a diverse performer. In the 1970s she performed the lead role in the musical Hello, Dolly! in Berlin, and later she starred in the television series Addelheid and her Murderers.[3] She also performed solo concerto concerts internationally, including at New York's Carnegie Hall and the Milan Scala.[4]
From 1983 to 1989 she hosted her own entertainment show "Pfundgrube" on GDR television.[5] From 1992, she freelanced, often working at Berlin's Renaissance Theatre.[citation needed]
Awards
[edit]- 1959: Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic[6]
- 1960: Distinguished Service Medal of the National People's Army in Silber for Schritt für Schritt[7]
- 1962 Clara-Zetkin-Medaille[8]
- 1963 National Prize of the German Democratic Republic for Art and Literature, III Class
- 1991 Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Award) Film Award in Gold for outstanding individual achievement: Category actress for: Die Hallo-Sisters (1990)[9]
- 2004 Bundesverdienstkreuz (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany)[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Berliner Ensemble: Gisela May ist tot". Die Zeit. 2 December 2016. ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ DDR-Information gefragt. Fünf Jahre Deutsch-Italienische Gesellschaft. In Zeitung: Neue Zeit, January 11, 1968, p. 1.
- ^ tagesschau.de. "Schauspielerin Gisela May gestorben". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ Germany, SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg (2 December 2016). ""Königin des Brecht-Theaters": Gisela May ist gestorben". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Internet Movie Database
- ^ Kunstpreis der DDR verliehen, In: Berliner Zeitung, 23. April 1959, p. 3.
- ^ (Verdienstmedaille ...) In: Berliner Zeitung of 16. October 1960, p. 12.
- ^ Akademie der Künste: Gisela May – Auszeichnungen und Preise
- ^ Awards, IMDb. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ "Muddi Courage". Retrieved 3 December 2016.
External links
[edit]
- May's personal webpage copy from the internet archive
- Gisela May at IMDb
- 1924 births
- 2016 deaths
- People from Wetzlar
- Musicians from the Rhine Province
- Actors from the Rhine Province
- German stage actresses
- German women singers
- Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit
- Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany
- Best Actress German Film Award winners
- Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin
- Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
- Actresses from Hesse