Heidi Brühl

Heidi Brühl
Background information
Born	30 January 1942
Origin	Gräfelfing, Germany
Died	8 June 1991 (aged 49)
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer Actress

Heidi Rosemarie Brühl (30 January 1942,^[1] Gräfelfing, Upper Bavaria – 8 June 1991, Starnberg)^[2] was a German singer and actress who came to prominence as a young teenager and had a prolific career in film and television. She was also a successful recording artist, and is known for her participation in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest.

Early career

Brühl's first screen appearance was in the 1954 film Der letzte Sommer with Liselotte Pulver, but it was in the role of Dalli, in what became known as the "Immenhof films", that she became famous in Germany. Die Mädels vom Immenhof, adapted from a novel by children's writer Ursula Bruns, appeared in 1955 and was followed by two sequels, Hochzeit auf Immenhof and Ferien auf Immenhof, at yearly intervals. She returned to the role in Frühling auf Immenhof in 1974.

In 1959, Brühl obtained a record deal with the Philips label, and her first single "Chico Chico Charlie" reached #5. In 1960 her recording of "Wir wollen niemals auseinandergeh'n" or "(We Will Never Part) (Ring of Gold)" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[1]

Eurovision Song Contest

Brühl first took part in the German Eurovision selection in 1960 with the Michael Jary-composed "Wir wollen niemals auseinandergehen" ("We Never Want to Be Apart"), which finished in second place but went on to top the German singles chart for nine weeks.^[3] She participated again in 1963, and this time was successful when the song "Marcel" was chosen to go forward to the eighth Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 23 March in London.^[4] "Marcel" finished the evening in ninth place of 16 entries.^[5]

Later acting career

Brühl co-starred with Guy Williams in the 1963 film Captain Sindbad.^[6] She then met American actor Brett Halsey, and moved with him to Rome, where they married in December 1964. In 1970, she moved to the United States where she appeared in shows in Las Vegas and played in television series such as Columbo (The Most Dangerous Match, 1973). Brühl returned to Germany to play in two further Immenhof sequels in 1973/1974, Zwillinge vom Immenhof and Frühling auf Immenhof. She appeared in The Eiger Sanction^[7] in 1975 as Anna Montaigne, the seductive wife of a French climber.

Brühl and Halsey divorced in 1976, and she returned to live in Germany the following year. She did dubbing work on films such as The NeverEnding Story and Look Who's Talking Too, and her last roles were in television serials such as Ein Fall für zwei and Praxis Bülowbogen.^[8]

Death

Brühl died of breast cancer on 8 June 1991, aged 49.^[2]

References

1. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 122. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
2. "Heidi Brühl". Steffi-line.de. 2011-12-30. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
3. Archived October 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
4. Archived October 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
5. "Marcel - lyrics - Diggiloo Thrush". Diggiloo.net. 2010-03-21. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
6. Captain Sindbad at the Internet Movie Database
7. "Heidi Brühl". Nndb.com. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
8. Heidi Brühl at the Internet Movie Database