Susanne Kellermann
Her 50th birthday is overshadowed by sadness
The actor Fritz Wepper and the filmmaker Susanne Kellermann met in 2009.
© ddp
Her husband Fritz Wepper was buried a few days ago. On April 19th, camerawoman and director Susanne Kellermann turns 50.
A birthday overshadowed by sadness: Just a few days ago, Susanne Kellermann (50) had to say goodbye to her husband Fritz Wepper (1941-2024), and today, April 19th, the filmmaker turns 50 years old. The funeral service for Wepper took place in Munich on April 10th; the TV and film legend died in a hospice in Upper Bavaria at the age of 82. As the “Bild” newspaper reported, the actor’s voice could be heard on tape at the memorial service: “In the perfect present, in the fullness of the here and now, the moment can become eternity. You are born, grow, grow old and must die. This is where the concept of time comes from, but from the cosmic point of view, the past and the future are in the here and now.”
Fritz Wepper’s words come from the shared legacy of him and Susanne Kellermann. The director, camerawoman and author produced the film portrait “My Fritz – A personal look at Fritz Wepper” in 2020. Bayerischer Rundfunk premiered the film on Wepper’s 80th birthday in 2021. Kellermann accompanied Wepper’s everyday life as well as his work on the filming of the last episodes of “For Heaven’s Sake” with the camera. It is one of many works by the now 50-year-old.
Susanne Kellermann started her career after graduating from high school
The award-winning filmmaker, who was born in Landshut, started her career after graduating from high school. She initially worked as a camera assistant on numerous films and stood behind the camera herself for short films. She later worked as a camerawoman for films such as “The Rosenheim Cops” and “Forsthaus Falkenau”.
At the age of 28, Kellermann went to Vienna, where she completed acting training. Roles in films and on TV followed. “Ultimately, the craft of filmmaking and acting combined with my deep desire to tell stories the way I wanted. I felt like I finally had the tools to do it. That’s why I became a director,” she explains on her website. As a filmmaker, producer and camerawoman, she made several short films. Some of them were screened at international film festivals and broadcast on television. Her works “Puppet Play” and “The Time Between” were awarded the rating “particularly valuable”.
Happy ending on the second attempt
The fact that, despite her career, many people know the name Susanne Kellermann, especially in connection with Fritz Wepper, is certainly also due to the couple’s unusual love story. Wepper was married to his first wife Angela von Morgen (1942-2019) from 1979, and with her he had daughter Sophie in 1981. In 2009, Wepper and Kellermann are said to have met at a Liza Minnelli (78) concert and fallen in love. Two years later their daughter Filippa was born. Wepper nevertheless returned to his wife Angela and lived with her until her death in 2019.
Wepper and Kellermann finally met again as lovers. The two gave their relationship a second chance and got married. She accompanied him through his health problems; the actor was suffering from cancer, needed heart surgery and suffered severe sepsis. In the weeks before his death, Kellermann informed Wepper’s fans about his condition in interviews right up to the end. At the funeral service for Wepper, “Bunte” was read out loud a friend then a moving speech from the widow. It said, among other things: “Then I’ll move on now, with you in my heart and Filippa by the hand. Please give me a little more of your courage, your bravery and your happiness with me on the way. We love you.”