Ruth Stephan

Ruth Stephan (27 October 1925 – 8 August 1975) was a German film and stage actress. She appeared with Heinz Erhardt in the 'Willi' series of films.
Biography
Ruth Stephan was born to retail merchant Kurt Stephan and his wife, Kriemhilde. After graduating from school, she first worked as a certified bank teller before taking acting lessons.
During her early acting career, she worked mostly on the stage in Germany, including theaters in Hamburg and Berlin. She appeared in her first movie in 1951, and subsequently became a popular figure in German comedy movies.
Most notably she appeared in numerous movies alongside Heinz Erhardt, often playing his wife or secretary. She also became popular for portraying an English and biology teacher in the late 1960s high school movie series Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank (English translation: The buggers from the first bench).
In the early 1970s Stephan went back to the stage. She died of lung cancer in August 1975. A street in the district of Berlin-Spandau is named after her.
Selected filmography
Die Frauen des Herrn S. (1951) - Das Persönchen
Homesick for You (1952)
I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg (1952) - Dietlinde, Studentin
You Only Live Once (1952) - Frl. Rosa
The Uncle from America (1953) - Rosa, Dienstmädchen
Not Afraid of Big Animals (1953) - Partnerin des Zauberkünstlers
Lady's Choice (1953)
The Empress of China (1953)
Hit Parade (1953)
The Private Secretary (1953) - Lissy
The Abduction of the Sabine Women (1954) - Dienstmädchen Rosa
The Telephone Operator (1954) - Lenchen Miesbach
Clivia (1954)
Don't Worry About Your Mother-in-Law (1954)
Ten on Every Finger (1954) - Hans Albers' Sketchpartnerin
An jedem Finger zehn (1954) - Singer
The Spanish Fly (1955) - Jutta
I Know What I'm Living For (1955) - Anna, Wirtschafterin bei Maria
How Do I Become a Film Star? (1955)
A Heart Full of Music (1955) - Fleurette
Three Days Confined to Barracks (1955) - Auguste, die Köchin
Love, Dance and a Thousand Songs (1955) - Wicky Winkler
Music in the Blood (1955) - Irma Pehlke
Charley's Aunt (1956) - Mona
Die wilde Auguste (1956) - Auguste Schrull
The Stolen Trousers (1956) - Grete Giesemann
Ein tolles Hotel (1956) - Luise, seine Frau
Das Liebesleben des schönen Franz (1956) - Emmi, Nichte des Portiers
Du bist Musik (1956) - Sophie Klemke
Musikparade (1956) - Trudchen
Manöverball (1956) - Emma
Saison in Oberbayern (1956) - Wanda Buzigl
Die liebe Familie (1957) - Fräulein Briesnitz
August der Halbstarke (1957) - Gitta Tamara, Chansonette
Die Unschuld vom Lande (1957) - Else Meise
Two Bavarians in the Jungle (1957) - Lilo Knopke
Das Glück liegt auf der Straße (1957) - Studentin
The Simple Girl (1957) - Milli
The Daring Swimmer (1957) - Karin Biedermann
The Legs of Dolores (1957) - Auguste Link, Chefin des "Pigalle"
Greetings and Kisses from Tegernsee (1957) - Dorothea
...und abends in die Scala (1958) - Trudchen Putzke
When She Starts, Look Out (1958) - Christa Knax
The Star of Santa Clara (1958) - Mitzi
A Song Goes Round the World (1958) - Malvine
Here I Am, Here I Stay (1959) - Lucie
Schlag auf Schlag (1959) - Gisela Sanders
Peter Shoots Down the Bird (1959) - Mathilde Hütchen
La Paloma (1959) - Fräulein Förster
Of Course, the Motorists (1959) - Jutta Schmalbach
Kauf dir einen bunten Luftballon (1961) - Mia
Ach Egon! (1961) - Anna
Bei Pichler stimmt die Kasse nicht (1961) - Isabella
You Must Be Blonde on Capri (1961) - Lotte Jeschke
Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel (1961) - Helga Held 11
Isola Bella (1961) - Fräulein Finkenbusch
Ramona (1961) - Ellinor
Max the Pickpocket (1962) - Desiree
The Turkish Cucumbers (1962) - Ruthlinde, beider Tochter
The Sold Grandfather (1962) - Frl. Schülke, Sekretärin
The Bird Seller (1962) - Kammerzofe Melanie
Wild Water (1962) - Johanna
Our Crazy Nieces (1963) - Felicitas
Breakfast in Bed (1963) - Cilly
Hochzeit am Neusiedler See (1963) - Isolde Tristan, Wanderbühnentalent
Our Crazy Aunts in the South Seas (1964) - Felicitas
The World Revolves Around You (1964) - Henriette Andreesen, Lilians Tante
Come to the Blue Adriatic (1966) - Frl. Habicht
The Sinful Village (1966) - Barbara Veit
Spukschloß im Salzkammergut (1966)
Rheinsberg (1967) - Anna
Zur Hölle mit den Paukern (1968, part 1) - Dr. Pollhagen
Pepe, der Paukerschreck (1969, part 3) - Studienrätin Dr. Pollhagen
Helgalein (1969) - Frau Creutz
Klein Erna auf dem Jungfernstieg (1969) - Frau Nohr
Hurra, die Schule brennt! (1969, part 4) - Studienrätin Dr. Pollhagen
We'll Take Care of the Teachers (1970, part 5) - Studienrätin Dr. Pollhagen
What Is the Matter with Willi? (1970) - Annie Engel
That Can't Shake Our Willi! (1970) - Sieglinde Hirsekorn
(1971) - Marie
Our Willi Is the Best (1971) - Heidelinde Hansen
Kompanie der Knallköppe (1971) - Freifrau Agnes von Bülau
(1972) - Josefa
References
External links
1925 births
1975 deaths
German film actresses
German stage actresses
Actresses from Hamburg
20th-century German actresses
Deaths from lung cancer in Germany
Burials at the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf