Therese Giehse
The great actress of Brecht and Dürrenmatt fought the Nazis in exile with Erika Mann’s cabaret – and was her partner.
Therese Giehse was born Therese Gift in Munich, the daughter of a Jewish textile merchant. She trained as an actress and from 1926 belonged to the ensemble of the Munich Kammerspiele, where she became one of the most celebrated character actresses in Germany.
In 1933 she founded the political cabaret “Die Pfeffermühle” with Erika Mann and Klaus Mann. Giehse and Erika Mann were partners. When the Nazis came to power, the cabaret went into exile in Switzerland and toured Europe with anti-fascist programmes. To obtain British citizenship and protection, Giehse married the English writer John Hampson-Simpson in 1936 – a marriage of convenience arranged through W. H. Auden.
From 1937 she acted at the Schauspielhaus in Zurich, one of the few free German-language theatres. There she played the title role in the world premiere of Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children” (1941) and, in 1956, the vengeful billionairess Claire Zachanassian in the premiere of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s “The Visit”, which was written for her.
After the war she worked in Munich, Zurich and with Brecht’s Berliner Ensemble. She died in Munich in 1975, aged 76.