Maria Schell

Austrian actress from a noted theatrical family; an intense, soulful leading lady of international films. She made her screen debut at the age of 16 under the name of Gritli Schell, playing with her mom in "Steinbruch," 1942. She reached the peak of her career in the '50s, when she won the 1954 Cannes Festival award as Best Actress for her performance of "The Last Bridge." In 1956, she won in the Venice Festival, a prize for her touching performance in "Gervaise."

Her career declined sharply in the '60s, as the weepy, suffering heroine roles decreased and she retired to family life. Returning in 1968, she gradually retreated into character roles, with one of her U.S. films, "Superman," released in 1978. Schell was credited with over 49 international films.

The daughter of a Swiss poet-playwright and an Austrian actress, Maria is the older sister of the noted actor-director, Maximilian Schell. The other two siblings, Karl and Edith, were actors as well and they were raised mainly in Switzerland to where they fled after the Anschluss in 1938.

Her niece Michelle Schell worked several years at Astrodienst.