Karin Lesch (born 18 May 1935) is a Swiss-German stage, cinema, and
television actress, of Swiss-Austrian extraction; who hails from a
multi-generational family of accomplished German-speaking performers
of theatre and cinema.Lesch was born in Zürich, the daughter of Swiss
director, dramatist, and author Walter Lesch (1892â€"1958), and the
Austrian actress Mathilde Danegger (1903â€"1988). In addition to both
of her parents having professional careers in the German-speaking
dramatic arts, Lesch comes from a family of Austrian entertainers of
music, stage, and cinema. On her maternal side, her grandfather was
the Austrian character-actor and director Josef Danegger [de], Snr
(1866-1933), and her maternal grandmother Bertha Müller (1866-1938)
was an Austrian actress of both stage and silent-film. Her uncle Josef
Danneger [de], Jnr, (1889â€"1948) was an Austrian actor of stage and
cinema, whilst her uncle Theodor Danegger (1891â€"1959) was both an
opera singer and recording artist in addition to being an actor of
stage and cinema, having performed in both musicals and operettas, as
well as in purely dramatic rôles.Due to Swiss neutrality, Lesh grew
up unscathed by the effects of World War II, and the havoc wreaked on
her mother's native Austria after its annexation by the Third Reich.
After the War, however, Lesch's life changed radically with the
breakdown of her parents marriage. Her mother took Lesch from her
father and her native Switzerland, when she was only twelve years old,
to live first in West Germany in 1947, and then, because of her
mother's political convictions, to the newly formed (1949) communist
East Germany in 1951, when Lesch was just sixteen.
television actress, of Swiss-Austrian extraction; who hails from a
multi-generational family of accomplished German-speaking performers
of theatre and cinema.Lesch was born in Zürich, the daughter of Swiss
director, dramatist, and author Walter Lesch (1892â€"1958), and the
Austrian actress Mathilde Danegger (1903â€"1988). In addition to both
of her parents having professional careers in the German-speaking
dramatic arts, Lesch comes from a family of Austrian entertainers of
music, stage, and cinema. On her maternal side, her grandfather was
the Austrian character-actor and director Josef Danegger [de], Snr
(1866-1933), and her maternal grandmother Bertha Müller (1866-1938)
was an Austrian actress of both stage and silent-film. Her uncle Josef
Danneger [de], Jnr, (1889â€"1948) was an Austrian actor of stage and
cinema, whilst her uncle Theodor Danegger (1891â€"1959) was both an
opera singer and recording artist in addition to being an actor of
stage and cinema, having performed in both musicals and operettas, as
well as in purely dramatic rôles.Due to Swiss neutrality, Lesh grew
up unscathed by the effects of World War II, and the havoc wreaked on
her mother's native Austria after its annexation by the Third Reich.
After the War, however, Lesch's life changed radically with the
breakdown of her parents marriage. Her mother took Lesch from her
father and her native Switzerland, when she was only twelve years old,
to live first in West Germany in 1947, and then, because of her
mother's political convictions, to the newly formed (1949) communist
East Germany in 1951, when Lesch was just sixteen.
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