Ruth Maria Kubitschek: “My life only began when I was 60”

Ruth Maria Kubitschek fled with her parents from Northern Bohemia

Ruth Maria Kubitschek was born on August 2, 1931 in Komotau (North Bohemia/Czechoslovakia). She fled with her parents to Saxony-Anhalt (GDR), which had a lasting impact on her. “I can empathize with refugees all over the world because my family and I had the same experience. We came to Germany with nothing. At that time there were millions of them, from the Czech Republic, Poland, East Prussia… Germany coped with all of that,” she said in an interview with spot on news.

In 1953, Kubitschek married the Naumburg opera director Götz Friedrich (1930-2000). Their son Alexander was born in 1957. The couple divorced in 1962. Kubitschek left the former GDR with her son.

Alexander “would prefer to live anonymously,” she said in an interview with the news agency about her book “Declaration of Love to Nature” (2014), recalling small episodes like this: “For example, when I cleaned the windows in his first apartment, other residents asked him: ‘Why is Kubitschek cleaning your windows?’ Something similar happened to us at his professional appointments as a musician. When I wanted to go to a premiere at the theater in Konstanz, I was only given a ticket at the very back so that I wouldn’t be associated with him. He simply prefers to live anonymously,” said the film star.

From 1976 until his death in 2016, the actress was in a relationship with the legendary television producer Wolfgang Rademann (1934-2016, “The Black Forest Clinic,” “The Dream Ship”). The death of her partner had hit her hard. “When Wolfgang died in January 2016, I was swimming aimlessly through life and for a long time I didn’t know where I would end up… He was much more present and bigger in my life than I wanted to admit in our almost 40 years together. I dreamed about him for an incredibly long time.” This mourning process is now over, she told the magazine “Bunte” in 2018, “I’m fine again.”

Her last film “Frau Ella” (2013)

In addition to “Monaco Franze”, Kubitschek’s filmography also includes the two successful series “Kir Royal” (1986) and “Das Erbe der Guldenburgs” (1987-1990). She has received numerous awards for her acting work over the course of her long career, including the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class.

And she had actually just said goodbye to acting when she got the offer to play “Frau Ella” (2013) alongside Matthias Schweighöfer, 43. Kubitschek said yes again. It was “a very stressful time,” she recalled in an interview with spot on news. “I had terrible pain in my foot because I had dislocated the joint. But the pain also made me look so wonderfully old, I really was in the shape of an old woman. And Matthias Schweighöfer was wonderful. He has a lot of humor and is a great guy,” she enthused.

On the occasion of her 90th birthday, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, 68, was enthusiastic when he congratulated the “great actress” in 2021. “Over the years, you have thrilled your audience – diversely and convincingly – and earned respect and recognition through your life’s work,” Steinmeier wrote to her in a letter with personal words. The actress’ roles as “Spatzl” in Helmut Dietl’s (1944-2015) series “Monaco Franze” and as a publisher in “Kir Royal” are unforgettable. “We viewers can only thank you sincerely again and again for the magic of your acting, for melancholy and amusing hours,” explained the Federal President.

Flourishing in the adopted home of Switzerland

At the time of the highly official letter of thanks, Ruth Maria Kubitschek had long been living in her adopted home of Switzerland. On the occasion of the publication of her book “Growing Older Gracefully” ten years ago, she spoke of the major upheaval in her life and the move to the Alpine republic at the age of 60:

“My life actually only began when I was 60. I had so much baggage on my shoulders up until then – both externally and mentally. Every pain, every injury kept coming back. So I let go of everything I had accumulated up until I was 60. I gave up my apartment in Munich, gave away all my furniture and moved to Switzerland. That was a great experience. From then on I became really creative. I painted a lot and wrote my books. The Chernobyl disaster also affected me. [1986] woke me up. I wrote fairy tales and focused on the preciousness of every flower and every tree. At 65, I finally created the garden together with a friend as a thank you to the earth.” Her “two Italian lemon trees” are probably still there today, named after two “great actresses: Sophia Loren is a little taller, Gina Lollobrigida a little more robust.”

In this conversation, Kubitschek also spoke about her spiritual attitude to death and what she believes comes afterward. “I think that we have to stay on earth until we have become perfect. That we have to deal with everything we cause now in the next life. […] I believe you only get what you can handle in life.”

SpotOnNews