Wrote three autobiographies: "Mein Glashaus. Roman meines Lebens"
(1978), "Meine Droge ist das Leben" (1993) and "Umarmungen und
Enthüllungen. Collagen eines Lebens" (2002).
Made her stage debut at the Schauspielhaus Bochum (1936).
After her marriage to Hans Bertram had failed, she fled to East Germany,
which was quite unusual at that time, to avoid a battle over custody
for her daughter Barbara.