Ingrid van Bergen

Ingrid van Bergen (German: [ˈɪŋ.ɡʁiːt fan ˈbɛʁɡn̩] ; 15 June 1931 – 28 November 2025) was a German film actress. She appeared in 100 films between 1954 and 2025.

Career

From 1954 on, Van Bergen appeared in more than 170 film and television productions. She was a star of German cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, including successful films like the comedy Roses for the Prosecutor (1959). During the early 1960s, the blond-haired actress also appeared as a supporting role in a few international productions, playing a prostitute in Town Without Pity (1961) with Kirk Douglas and appearing in the war film The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) starring William Holden. She also worked as a singer and made some records.

Van Bergen later turned to character roles and is also known for her role in the film Richy Guitar (1985), in which the German band Die Ärzte played an important role. In 2009, at the age of 77, she was the winner of Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!, the German edition of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. In 2017, Van Bergen had her final film role with a cameo appearance in Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, the fifth film of the Sharknado film series.

Personal life and death

On the night of 2–3 February 1977, she shot her lover, the money broker Klaus Knaths, killing him. She was charged with murder, but was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. She was released after five years, because of good behaviour, and was able to continue her acting career.

Van Bergen died on 28 November 2025, at the age of 94 in her house in Eyendorf.