Singer and actress Eva-Maria Hagen is dead. Hagen died on Tuesday at the age of 87, the management of her daughter Nina Hagen told the AFP news agency on Friday. Hagen became known in the GDR as a theater and film actress before she was banned from working because of her protest against the expatriation of singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann and went to the West.
In a statement from the family, which quotes the image, it says: “On August 16, 2022, our beloved Eva-Maria Hagen left this earthly world and preceded us to eternal home. We mourn with longing, love and gratitude.”
Eva-Maria Hagen made her theater debut in 1953 with the famous Berliner Ensemble, directed by Bertolt Brecht in the play Katzgraben. She gained wide popularity in 1957 with the title role in the DEFA film comedy “Don’t forget my Traudel”. In the years that followed, she became one of the most successful actresses in the GDR and, in addition to her stage engagements, played roles in around 50 television films.’
Because of her relationship with the singer-songwriter Biermann, her job opportunities were curtailed by the GDR regime. Hagen was publicly discriminated against, threatened by state security and accused of state defamation.
When she publicly protested against Biermann’s expatriation in 1976, she was dismissed without notice from the German television broadcaster (DFF) in the GDR and banned from working.
