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Who Is Agnes Kraus?
Agnes Kraus, born Irmgard Friederike Agnes Krause on February 16, 1911, in Friedenau, Germany, was a renowned German actress.
Her favourite role was that of Widow Queck in Bertolt Brecht’s play “Der Brotladen,” which depicted working-class life in Berlin in the 1920s.
Irmgard Krause was Kraus’ stage name when she first made her film debut in the 1930s. She returned to the film business after the war and took on a variety of roles in DEFA films, displaying her flexibility and quickly becoming a well-known name in GDR filmmaking.
Due to her upbeat TV roles in episodes like “Dolle’s Family Album” and “Florentiner 73,” in which she played Aunt Minna and the mother Klucke, respectively, Kraus attained enormous popularity in the late 1960s.
She developed a strong sense of humour and a flourishing comic career, being notably well-known for her lovable depiction of the Berlin landlady.
Over the course of her career, Kraus portrayed strong, eccentric characters with compassion and wisdom in countless GDR television films. She also made memorable radio appearances, frequently playing poignant and sad characters.
Kraus mostly stopped working in 1986 as a result of an allergy condition. In 1993/1994, she made her last engagement at the Berliner Ensemble. On May 2, 1995, Agnes Kraus passed away in Berlin-Lichtenberg.
Together with her parents and sister, she is interred in the Kleinmachnow Forest Cemetery. Agnes Kraus’ performance was praised for being unique and for her skill in incorporating Bertolt Brecht’s alienation effect.
She was able to succeed in both tragic and humorous roles thanks to her distinctive voice and adaptability, gaining her the reputation of a well-liked actor and a Berlin original.
Here is a table summarizing Agnes Kraus’ films, theatre performances, and radio plays:
| Year | Film/Project |
|---|---|
| 1936 | Escapade |
| 1952 | Fates of Women |
| 1953 | The Invincibles |
| 1954 | Pole Poppenspäler |
| 1954 | No Husung |
| 1955 | A Hen Party |
| 1956 | Thomas Müntzer – A Film of German History |
| 1957 | Don’t Forget My Traudel |
| 1958 | The Mother (Theatrical Recording) |
| 1958 | Sunseeker |
| 1958 | Emilia Galotti |
| 1959 | Model Boys |
| 1960 | Fernsehpitaval: The Haarmann Case (TV Series) |
| 1960 | No Trouble with Cleopatra |
| 1961 | Stone Age Ballad |
| 1961 | Professor Mamlock |
| 1961 | A Fistful of Notes |
| 1962 | Joseph and All His Brothers (TV Movie) |
| 1962 | Acquitted for Lack of Evidence |
| 1962 | Come with Me to Montevideo |
| 1962 | Midnight Revue |
| 1962 | The Bewitched Fishing Village |
| 1962 | Monologue for a Taxi Driver (TV Movie) |
| 1963 | Carbide and Sorrel |
| 1963 | When You Think the Moon Is Setting (TV) |
| 1963 | In Love and with a Criminal Record |
| 1963 | Dead Don’t Talk (TV Two-Parter) |
| 1964 | If You Think You’ve Got It! (Television) |
| 1964 | The Divided Heaven |
| 1964 | Pension Boulanka |
| 1964 | The Marriage of Länneken |
| 1965 | Angels in Purgatory |
| 1965 | The Criminal Wedding Night |
| 1965 | Chronicle of a Murder |
| 1965 | …Nothing but Sin |
| 1965 | Spring Takes Time |
| 1966 | The Lost Angel |
| 1966 | The Days of the Commune (Theatrical Recording) |
| 1966 | Hands Up or I’ll Shoot |
| 1967 | Wedding Night in the Rain |
| 1967 | The Girl on the Board |
| 1967 | Blue Lights – Night Patrol (TV Series) |
| 1969 | Dolle’s Family Album (TV Series) |
| 1969 | There’s a Fair in Heaven |
| 1969 | Maid, I Like You |
| 1970 | Close Wind |
| 1970 | In the Field of Tension |
| 1971 | Sleeping Beauty |
| 1971 | Do You Know Urban? |
| 1971 | Hussars in Berlin |
| 1972 | Florentines 73 (TV) |
| 1972 | The Man Who Came After Grandma |
| 1972 | Our Daily Beer (TV) |
| 1972 | The Dear Fellow Human Beings (TV) |
| 1973 | Stülpner Legend (TV) |
| 1973 | Under the Pear Tree |
| 1974 | News from the Florentine 73 (TV) |
| 1974 | Hot Tracks (TV) |
| 1975 | Sister Agnes (TV) |
| 1975 | An Hour Stay (TV) |
| 1976 | An Old Model (TV) |
| 1977 | Critters (TV) |
| 1978 | Oh, That Aunt (TV) |
| 1979 | No Evidence of Murder |
| 1980 | The Construction Lion |
| 1980 | Alma Can Do It All (TV) |
| 1980 | But Doctor (TV) |
| 1981 | The Guests of Mathilde Lautenschläger |
| 1981 | Martin XIII (Television) |
| 1982 | Rechlin Family (TV Two-Parter) |
| 1982 | Benno Makes Stories (TV) |
| 1983 | Excuse Me, Are You Watching Football? |
| 1984 | Man, Grandma! (TV, 4 episodes) |
| 1986 | Neumann’s Tales (TV) |
| Year | Theater |
|---|---|
| 1956 | The Hero of the Western World (Widow Quin) |
| 1957 | The Good Person of Sezuan (Widow Shin) |
| 1959 | Life of Galileo |
| 1960 | The Threepenny Opera (Vixen) |
| 1962 | The Days of the Commune (Frau der Rue Pigalle) |
| 1966 | Purpurstaub |
| 1967 | The Bread Shop – Brecht Evening No. 4 (Niobe Queck) |
| 1967 | Man Equals Man (Frau des Galy Gays) |
| 1967 | Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Begpick) |
| 1974 | The Mother (Poor Woman) |
| Year | Radio Plays |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Report Number 1 |
| 1962 | 25 November. New York |
| 1967 | Traces in the Sand |
| 1968 | Brennpunkt Autowolf |
| 1969 | Men’s Work |
| 1970 | Napoleon and the Tax Collector |
| 1971 | The Days of the Commune (Frau der Rue Pigalle/Delegate) |
| 1973 | Life of Galileo |
| 1974 | Not Just Thousand-Year-Old Oaks |
| 1976 | I Don’t Want to Die Quietly |
| 1976 | Maintaining a Dialogue |
| 1977 | Splinters of Glass |
| 1978 | Kassensturz |
| 1979 | The Dog from Rackerswill |
| 1980 | Danton’s Death |
| 1986 | Woyzeck |
Who Are Agnes Kraus’ Parents?
Agnes Kraus’s parents were Albert Krause, a bank clerk, and Anna Krause, who had an artistic inclination.
Who Are Agnes Kraus’ Siblings?
Agnes Kraus had an older sister named Rohtraut Schlicht. Agnes Kraus’s older sister Rohtraut Schlicht worked as the Berlin Metropoltheater’s chief props assistant.
After their parents passed away, she was instrumental in maintaining their household and advancing her sister’s profession.
Agnes Kraus’ Cause of Death
On May 2, 1995, Agnes Kraus passed away in Berlin-Lichtenberg, Germany. Her death’s precise cause has not been made public.
Agnes Kraus was a highly talented German actress who made significant contributions to both theatre and film and is remembered for her roles in the following films and television shows including Thomas Müntzer (1956), Eskapade (1936) and Hochzeitsnacht im Regen (1967).
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