Jennifer Nitsch
an amazing young actress, with a great career ahead of her.
Born on Saturday, December 10, 1966 in Cologne, Germany
Died on Sunday, June 13, 2004 in Munich, Germany
JENNIFER NITSCH: "THE GERMAN SHARON STONE"
Awards:
Adolf-Grimme-Award
Bavarian Film Prize
Jennifer (Claudia, Barbara) Nitsch, who came to live in Munich by choice, had played herself, right from the start, into the vanguard of the junior actors scene. Whether as the fashion designer caught between two men in the five-part-series "Nur eine kleine Affäre" (Adolf-Grimme-Award in 1995), as women's libber in "Allein unter Frauen" (1991), as the engaged crime inspector Irene Starnov in the six-part-series "Die Straßen von Berlin" (1995), the fancy woman from Cologne inspired not only her fans.
To Dieter Wedel, director of "Bellheim", there is "something unique" about her - convincing him to engage her for his 1994 four-part-series "Der Schattenmann". She also starred in films directed by Michael Keusch ("Das hat ein Ende", 1995) and Milan Dor ("Internationale Zone"). 1994 was one of the light brown actress' best years, whose formula to success had been "Have the courage to say no"!
At the outset, "Jenny" wanted to become a costume designer, but soon realized that she liked to act in front of a camera. After completion of drama school, Jennifer Nitsch started with small roles in the series "Der Alte" and "Derrick". And luck would have it that Sabine Schroth, a casting agent in Munich, recognized the potential of the junior actress after having watched an audition video of hers, and she had her breakthrough with her role in Sönke Wortmanns "Allein unter Frauen". Since then, there was no lack of offers and she took on roles in the series "Freunde fürs Leben" (1992/93), in Hartmut Griesmayrs cine film "Ein Mann für meine Frau" (1992) and in Uwe Jansons made-for-TV eco thriller "Gefährliche Verbindung" (1993).
She sometimes looked back to the beginning of her career, which made her feel horrified: In the series "Jolly Joker" (1991), she stood there topless for a moment, and a paparazzo marketed the compromising photograph. "Those who circulate as bunny through the media won't find a respectable role anymore", she suspected. Fortunately, the image of a sugar baby was soon all water under the bridge, and her picture-book start proved the fact that quality matters. The disputatious actress liked to play self-confident and powerful female characters and didn't want to commit anything second-rate onto celluloid.
This is what made her even more committed and work harder; disregarding that it was straining her private life. She was driven by ambition, and in order to be recognized, she wouldn't need a mini-skirt anymore. Critiques started comparing her with the young Romy Schneider and the unloved label on her: THE GERMAN SHARON STONE. She convinced her audience as the "working girl" in Peter Wecks "Diebinnen" (1995). The following year, Jennifer Nitsch took on a role in Thomas Bergers somewhat exaggerated romantic comedy "Busenfreunde", where she played a young, attractive woman who moves with her four ex-lovers into a flat share. In Michael Junckers "Frauen lügen nicht" (1996), however, she played a tourist in Italy who falls in love with a surgeon, who happens to play her false.
Jennifer Nitsch took on her parade role in Ben Verbongs detective film "Schock - Eine Frau in Angst". Playing a witness to a murder scene, who can't remember anymore, she initially flees from the eye of the law. After that, she took her part in Erwin Keuschs successfully mastered crime drama "Die letzte Chance", with Michael Mendl playing the lawyer who helps her to her right. The same year was also scheduled for shootings in Africa: Along with Sebastian Koch, the actress stood in front of the camera in Diethard Klantes made-for-TV production "Schwarzes Blut", followed by Lamberto Bavas mini-series, the fairy tale of pirates "Die Piraten der Karibik". Moreover, it was very convincing how she played the tough superintendent's assistant in the thriller "Ein Mann wie eine Waffe", directed by Michael Rowitz.
Much confusion was caused by the rumor of a suspected female lover, which stood in the way of her relationship with Max Tidof in Uwe Wilhelms romantic comedy "Männer sind wie Schokolade". The thriller "Lieber böser Weihnachtsmann" (1999) is another highly acclaimed film directed by Ben Verbong, in which Jennifer Nitsch took the role as the both mother and wife of a family whose small idyll becomes disturbed by a murderer. Nitsch played one more role as the powerful woman in the TV-thriller "Am Ende die Wahrheit", in which she wants to detect the mysteries behind the death of her brother. Eventually, "Freundinnen für immer", directed by Konrad Sabrautzky, became her last commitment.
On June 13, 2004, she fell out of her roof-top apartment's window of the four storey historic building in the Munich district of Schwabing - dressed only lightly in t-shirt and tights. Strange detail: She held a pair of trousers made of denim in her hand when hitting the ground 15 meters below. Jennifer Nitsch was killed instantly. Many questions as to the cause of her death remain unanswered - thanks to prejudices and lousy detective work ... She was entombed at the Evangelical cemetery in Sankt Peter-Ording.
There are no words for what we lost. We only feel indefinite gracefulness for long-standing love, friendship, honesty and support. Forevermore unforgotten, she will endure in our hearts and minds and be with us for all the days to come. (Mike Jérôme)
More Films with Jennifer Nitsch: Gero Erhardts "Himmelsschlüssel" (1991), "Glückliche Reise" (1992, Series), "Wolffs Revier - Mord ist strafbar" (1992, Series-Part), Michael Keuschs Drama "Das ist dein Ende" (1994), "Die Straßen von Berlin - Alleingang", "Die Straßen von Berlin - Babuschka", "Die Straßen von Berlin - Dunkelrote Rosen", "Die Straßen von Berlin - Die letzte Fahrt der "Ashanti Star", "Die Straßen von Berlin - Die Akte Stalin", "Die Straßen von Berlin - Wiener Glut" (all 1995), Michael Keuschs TV-Thriller "Die Sexfalle", Sigi Rothemunds Thriller "Lebenslang ist nicht genug", the Thriller "Klassenziel Mord" by Michael Rowitz (all 1997), "Der weiße Elefant" by Gianfranco Albano (1998), Christoph Schrewes Love-Comedy "Sex oder Liebe?" (1999), as a blonde bombshell in the ZDF five part Series "Ein unmöglicher Mann", "Ich pfeif auf schöne Männer", Christoph Schrewes Comedy "Gibt es die wahre Liebe?" (all 2000), "Das Geheimnis der Mittsommernacht", "Terror im Orientexpress", "Dorian - Pakt mit dem Teufel" (all 2001), "Tatort - Bienzle und der Tag der Rache" (all 2002), "In der Höhle der Löwin", "Im Namen des Herrn" (both 2003), "Geerbtes Glück" (2004), the Series-Part "Der Alte: Das Testament des Doktor Z." and "Der Alte: Ein tödliches Drama" (both 2004) and also "Judith Kemp" (2004).
