Monica Bleibtreu

Monica Bleibtreu (born May 4, 1944, in Vienna; died May 13, 2009, in Hamburg) was an Austrian actress, acting instructor, and screenwriter.

Bleibtreu hailed from a family with a long-standing theatrical tradition. Her father, Renato Attilio Bleibtreu, directed the *Wiener Zimmerbühne* in Mödling, and her great-aunt was the renowned actress Hedwig Bleibtreu. Following the financial failure of the theater, Monica Bleibtreu was compelled to contribute to her family's livelihood while still a teenager.

At the age of sixteen, she moved to Hamburg, where she took acting lessons. She later studied at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna. Her career began on the stage, where she performed at venues including the *Schillertheater* in Berlin, the *Freie Volksbühne Berlin*, the *Münchner Kammerspiele*, and the *Burgtheater*.