Heidi Brühl

Heidi Rosemarie Brühl was a German singer and actress who came to prominence as a young teenager and had a prolific career in film and television. She was also a successful recording artist, and is known for her participation in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest.

Early career

Brühl's first screen appearance was in the 1954 film Der letzte Sommer with Liselotte Pulver, but in the role of Dalli, in what became known as the "Immenhof films", she became famous in Germany. The Immenhof Girls, adapted from a novel by children's writer Ursula Bruns, appeared in 1955 and was followed by two sequels, ' and ', at yearly intervals. She returned to the role in two more films in 1973 and 1974.
In 1959, Brühl obtained a record deal with the Philips label and her first single "Chico Chico Charlie" reached number five. In 1960, her recording of "Wir wollen niemals auseinandergehn" or "We Will Never Part " sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.

Eurovision Song Contest

Brühl first took part in the German Eurovision selection in 1960 with Michael Jary's "Wir wollen niemals auseinandergehn", which finished in second place but went on to top the German singles chart for nine weeks. She participated again in 1963, and this time was successful when "Marcel" was chosen to go forward to the eighth Eurovision [Song Contest 1963|Eurovision Song Contest] which took place on 23 March in London. "Marcel" finished the evening in ninth place of 16 entries.

Later acting career

Brühl co-starred with Guy Williams in the 1963 film Captain Sindbad. She met American actor Brett Halsey and moved with him to Rome, where they married in December 1964. In 1970, she moved to the United States where she appeared in Las Vegas and in episodes of such television series as Columbo "The Most Dangerous Match". She returned to Germany to play in two further Immenhof sequels in 1973–1974, The Twins from Immenhof and Spring in Immenhof. She appeared in The [Eiger Sanction (film)|The Eiger Sanction] in 1975 as Anna Montaigne, the seductive wife of a French climber, with Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy.
Brühl and Halsey divorced in 1976 and she returned to live in Germany the following year. She did dubbing work on films such as The NeverEnding Story and Look Who's Talking Too. Her last roles were in television serials such as Ein Fall für zwei and Praxis Bülowbogen.

Death

Brühl died of breast cancer on 8 June 1991 in Starnberg, aged 49.

Selected filmography

The Country Schoolmaster, as Sternchen
The Last Summer, as Jessika's sister
The Immenhof Girls, as Dalli Voss
', as Dalli Voss
Confessions of [Felix Krull (film)|Confessions of Felix Krull], as Eleanor
Precocious Youth, as Inge
', as Dalli Voss
Ooh... diese Ferien, as Monika Petermann
Crime After School, as Ulla Anders
The Shepherd from Trutzberg, as Hilda von Puechstein
Two Times Adam, One Time Eve, as Kaarina
Freddy and the Melody of the Night, as Inge
The Hero of My Dreams, as Marianne Kleinschmidt
I Will [Always Be Yours], as Marianne Seibold
', as Gaby Fabian
The [Gypsy Baron (1962 film)|The Gypsy Baron], as Arsena Zsupan
Captain Sindbad, as Princess Jana
Columbo: The Most Dangerous Match, as Linda Robinson
The Twins from Immenhof, as Dalli Voss
How to Seduce a Woman, as Doctor Winifred Sisters
Spring in Immenhof, as Dalli Voss
The Eiger Sanction, as Anna Montaigne
', as Anne Coronado