Maria Schell

Born Jan 15, 1926 in Vienna, Austria

Veteran Austrian actress Maria Margarethe Anna Schell was an icon of the German-speaking film world who achieved international fame before withdrawing into retirement, only to return in dozens of memorable character roles. Best known internationally for her role as the enigmatic Grushenka in Richard Brooks's 1958 movie The Brothers Karamazov, Ms. Schell starred in dozens of popular German-language films in the 1950s. She later made hundreds of television appearances, becoming an idol to the postwar generation in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.