Magda Schneider, a renowned singer, stage, and film actress, was born on May 17, 1909, in Augsburg, Germany. Following her graduation from a monastery school, she pursued higher education by studying stenography and office management at a business school. Concurrently, she attended ballet lessons and art courses at the Augsburg School of Music, honing her skills in various artistic disciplines.
Six months later, Magda made her stage debut as a soprano at the Gärtnerplatz- Theater in Munich, catching the attention of Ernst Marischka, who offered her a role at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Her film debut, Boykott (1930),marked the beginning of her successful cinematic career, which was characterized by her portrayal of the "simple girl" in movies such as Zwei in einem Auto (1932) and Ein Mädel wirbelt durch die Welt (1934).
In 1933, Magda met Wolf Albach-Retty, whom she married four years later. Their children, Rosemarie (aka Romy Schneider) and Wolf-Dieter, were born in 1938 and 1941, respectively. However, the couple divorced in 1945. After World War II, Magda returned to the stage and screen, but she is perhaps best known for her role as an ambitious mother, who played a significant part in nurturing the career of her daughter Romy.
In the 1950s, Magda appeared in several films, including Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht (1953) and Sissi (1955),often playing the role of her mother or aunt. Tragedy struck in the last years of her life, as she was forced to cope with the loss of her grandson David in 1981 and her daughter Romy in 1982. Magda Schneider passed away on July 30, 1996, in Berchtesgaden, Germany.
