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Hildegard Knef - “Die Knef”

Singer | Actress | Author

Buy this CD and other
CDs by Hildegard Knef.

A Woman and a Half is a Knef tribute on CD.

Click on a title below to see the
German and English lyrics
for some Knef songs.

“Die Knef” - Introduction
Although she had some international success, Hildegard Knef was better known in Germany than in the U.S., where she began her singing career on Broadway. When she died in Berlin in 2002, she left behind the legacy of her long involvement with the arts—from movie actress to author, in both German and English.

Murderers DVD Hildegard Knef was also a film star.
DVD: Murderers Are Among Us (1946)
COMPARE PRICES for this DVD

Knef bio Knef got her start in German films right after World War II, appearing in her first leading role in the 1946 film “Murderers Are Among Us” (Die Mörder sind unter uns). In 1951 she created a stir with a nude scene in the German film Die Sünderin (“The Story of a Sinner”). From 1954 to 1956 she played the lead role of Ninotchka in the Broadway musical “Silk Stockings,” singing Cole Porter tunes in her trademark smoky voice in 675 performances. She reluctantly used the name Hildegard Neff in the U.S., but her Hollywood career was brief. Knef's best-known film from that period was “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. She returned to Germany in 1963 and began a new career as a chanteuse and song writer, although she also appeared in German film and TV productions from time to time.

“Die Knef”—as she was affectionately called—was born in Ulm in 1925, although she spent most of her life in Berlin. Her long career included over 50 films, many music albums, Broadway, and several books, including her autobiography The Gift Horse (Der geschenkte Gaul, 1970). She later wrote about her successful fight against breast cancer in Das Urteil (1975).

WEB > Biographie (DHM)
WEB > Fan Tribute (English)

Hildegard Knef Songs - In German and English

1. Aber schön war es doch

2. Eins und eins, das macht zwei - German & English lyrics

3. Ich brauch' Tapetenwechsel - German & English lyrics

4. Ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin - German & English lyrics

5. In dieser Stadt

6. Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife) - German & English lyrics

7. Seeräuber-Jenny (Pirate Jenny) - German & English lyrics