Irm Hermann: Movies & Box Office

Irm Hermann, born Irmgard Hermann on 4 October 1942 in Munich, German Reich, began her professional life far from the spotlight, working as a publishing clerk and later as a secretary for the ADAC. A chance encounter in 1966 with the maverick filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder changed everything, as he persuaded her to abandon her office job despite her lack of formal training. She debuted in his short film Der Stadtstreicher the same year and quickly became a fixture in his prolific output, appearing in nineteen of his productions. Often cast as a frustrated, spießig woman, Hermann delivered a breakthrough performance as Irmgard Epp in The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971), earning her the Deutscher Filmpreis. Her close yet turbulent relationship with Fassbinder, marked by personal abuse, ended in the mid‑1970s when she moved to Berlin to expand her horizons.\n\nIn Berlin Hermann’s career flourished across film, television, and stage, collaborating with directors such as Werner Herzog, Tankred Dorst, and Percy Adlon. Her portrayal of Else Gebel in Fünf letzte Tage (1982) secured a second Deutscher Filmpreis in 1983. She also embraced comedic roles, appearing in Loriot’s Pappa Ante Portas (1991) and Hape Kerkeling’s Willi und die Windzors (1996), where she humorously embodied a fictionalized Queen Elizabeth II. Over more than five decades she amassed over 160 screen credits, while also performing at the Berlin Volksbühne, the Berliner Ensemble, and the Hamburger Schauspielhaus. Married to author Dietmar Roberg, she was mother to two sons, Franz Tizian and Fridolin. Hermann passed away on 26 May 2020 in Berlin after a brief serious illness, leaving a legacy as one of Germany’s most versatile and resilient performers.