Acting
Corinna Harfouch
DE, EN, SV cinema · 113 credits
Born
16 October 1954 (age 72)
Birthplace
Suhl, Germany
Corinna Harfouch (born 16 October 1954) is a German actress. Widely regarded as one of the most important performers in German film and theatre, she is known for her portrayals of complex, often emotionally layered characters across more than four decades on stage and screen. Among her most beloved and unexpected performances is her turn as Rabia in Bibi Blocksberg, in which her scene-stealing energy has since been embraced by audiences as camp and iconic, earning her a cult following and status as an unlikely queer icon. For this performance, she received the German Film Award (Lola) for Best Supporting Actress in 2003. Trained at the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst “Ernst Busch” in Berlin, Harfouch began her career in theatre before transitioning to film and television, where she has appeared in over 80 productions. Her early breakthrough came with Die Schauspielerin (1988), followed by roles in films such as Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997), Der Untergang (2004), Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders (2006), Finsterworld (2013), and Lara (2019). She has also been part of the long-running crime series Tatort since 2023. Among her numerous accolades, Harfouch has received the Bavarian Film Award, the Adolf Grimme Award, the German Television Award, and the German Film Award. She won Best Actress at the Shanghai International Film Festival for Frei nach Plan (2007) and received the German Film Award for Best Actress in 2024 for Sterben. In addition to her screen work, Harfouch is an acclaimed stage actress, performing at major theatres including the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the Berliner Ensemble, and the Volksbühne. In 1997, she was named Actress of the Year by Theater heute and awarded the Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring for her performance in Des Teufels General. Born in Suhl, East Germany, Harfouch initially trained as a nurse before studying acting. She has three children, including actor Robert Gwisdek.
Known for
Filmography
Brennende Themen
as Ms. Platek
In My Mother's Mirror
as Ursula Scheuer
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
as Marianne
23 000 Lives
as Mrs. Gans
Dying
as Lissy Lunies
The Boyfriend
as Henriette
Mostly Minimalistic
as Marlen
Zwischen uns
as Child psychologist
Bloodsuckers
as Tante Erkentrud
Schlingensief – A Voice That Shook the Silence
as Self (archive footage)
Persona
as Schwester Alma
Lara
as Lara
Right Here Right Now
as Innensenatorin
Cloud Whispers
as Charlotte
Ingmar Bergman - Herr der Dämonen
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Too Close
as Caro
Suck Me Shakespeer 3
as Kerstin BIZ
Emma nach Mitternacht - Frau Hölle
as Katharina Holl
The Missing Woman
as Karen
Jack
as Susanne Sönnmann
Der Fall Bruckner
as Katharina Bruckner
Finsterworld
as Inga Sandberg
Puppe
as Geena
Home for the Weekend
as Gitte Heidtmann
Move
as Mutter
Schmidt & Schwarz
as Carolin Schwarz
Moon Man
as Conquistadora (voice)
Looking for Simon
as Valerie
Faust Sonnengesang
as (voice)
Tod einer Schülerin
as Susanne Berger
Whiskey with Vodka
as Bettina Moll
Julia's Disappearance
as Giulia
This Is Love
as Maggie
Hand in Hand
2009
Hand in Hand
as Heike Laurens
Berlin Calling
as Prof. Dr. Petra Paul
A Year Ago in Winter
as Eliane Richter
An die Grenze
as Frau Dobbs
Free to Leave
as Hanni Hudetz
The Elementary Particles
as Dr. Schäfer
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
as Madame Arnulfi
Silberhochzeit
as Alexandra
Helen, Fred und Ted
as Biggie Schwarz
Rage
as Christa Laub
My Father The Turk
as Sprecherin
Rose
as Rose Steher
Through This Night
as Bozena Nemcová
Downfall
as Magda Goebbels
C(r)ook
as Maria
Bibi Blocksberg and the Secret of Blue Owls
as Rabia von Katzenstein
Die fremde Frau
as Helen Berg
Hamlet_X
as Gertrude
Bibi Blocksberg
as Rabia
Verrückt nach Paris
as Frau Hermann
Gebürtig
as Else Sachs
The Bunny Guards vs. the Forces of Evil
as Frau Schmächtig
Das Monstrum
as Helene
Now or Never
as Flora
Stunde des Wolfs
2000
Stunde des Wolfs
as Gisela Grosche
The Devil and Ms. D
as Cora Dulz
The Green Desert
as Krankenschwester
Solo for Clarinet
as Anna Weller
The Big Mambo
as Maria
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
as Ward B Nurse
Geisterstunde - Fahrstuhl ins Jenseits
as Lisa Mosdi
Des Teufels General
1997
Des Teufels General
as Fliegergeneral Harras
Irren ist männlich
as Bettina
Gefährliche Freundin
as Bibi Bratseth
Sexy Sadie
as Lucy / Sadie
Gates of Fire
as Stromberg
5 Stunden Angst – Geiselnahme im Kindergarten
1996
5 Stunden Angst – Geiselnahme im Kindergarten
as Viviane Sperling
The Promise
as Sophie II
Charlie & Louise - Das doppelte Lottchen
as Sabine Kröger
Stockholm Marathon
as Monica Lundin
Farewell to Agnes
as Agnes
Goldstaub
1993
Goldstaub
as Kerstin
Die Spur des Bernsteinzimmers
as Lisa Mohrbrink
Thea und Nat
as Thea Friedberg
The Tango Player
as Elke
Zwischen Pankow und Zehlendorf
as Isolde Wünsche
Hüpf, Häschen, hüpf
1991
Hüpf, Häschen, hüpf
as Ms. Daniels
Pestalozzi's Mountain
as Juliette Benoit
Reunion in Travers
as Therese Forster
The Actress
as Maria Rheine
Yasemin
as Frau Rathjens
Fallada: The Last Chapter
as Else-Marie Bukonje
Wengler & Sons
as Jenny Weinhold
Der kleine Staatsanwalt
as Frau Meffert
The House on the River
as Emmi Voß
Verzeihung, sehen Sie Fußball?
as Michaela
Die lange Ankunft des Alois Fingerlein
1981
Die lange Ankunft des Alois Fingerlein
Actor
Verlobung in Hullerbusch
as Schwester Erika