Corinna Harfouch
Corinna Harfouch (born 16 October 1954) is a German actress. Widely regarded as one of the most important performers in German film and theatre, she is known for her portrayals of complex, often emotionally layered characters across more than four decades on stage and screen. Among her most beloved and unexpected performances is her turn as Rabia in Bibi Blocksberg, in which her scene-stealing energy has since been embraced by audiences as camp and iconic, earning her a cult following and status as an unlikely queer icon. For this performance, she received the German Film Award (Lola) for Best Supporting Actress in 2003. Trained at the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst “Ernst Busch” in Berlin, Harfouch began her career in theatre before transitioning to film and television, where she has appeared in over 80 productions. Her early breakthrough came with Die Schauspielerin (1988), followed by roles in films such as Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997), Der Untergang (2004), Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders (2006), Finsterworld (2013), and Lara (2019). She has also been part of the long-running crime series Tatort since 2023. Among her numerous accolades, Harfouch has received the Bavarian Film Award, the Adolf Grimme Award, the German Television Award, and the German Film Award. She won Best Actress at the Shanghai International Film Festival for Frei nach Plan (2007) and received the German Film Award for Best Actress in 2024 for Sterben. In addition to her screen work, Harfouch is an acclaimed stage actress, performing at major theatres including the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the Berliner Ensemble, and the Volksbühne. In 1997, she was named Actress of the Year by Theater heute and awarded the Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring for her performance in Des Teufels General. Born in Suhl, East Germany, Harfouch initially trained as a nurse before studying acting. She has three children, including actor Robert Gwisdek.
Filmography · 113
Scene of the Crime
1970 · Dr. Lore Ewers
Polizeiruf 110
1971 · Sonja
Wetten, dass..?
1981 · Self
23 000 Lives
2026 · Mrs. Gans
Kulturzeit
1995 · self
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
2006 · Madame Arnulfi
Downfall
2004 · Magda Goebbels
Bella Block
1993 · Bianca Kling
Der letzte Zeuge
1998 · Malia Reh
Ärzte
1994 · Vera Haeusler
Unser Lehrer Doktor Specht
1992 · Dr. Lilo von Barnim
Blochin – Die Lebenden und die Toten
2015 · Tilda
Bibi Blocksberg
2002 · Rabia
Move
2012 · Mutter
Berlin - Schicksalsjahre einer Stadt
2018 · Sprecherin
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
1997 · Ward B Nurse
Dying
2024 · Lissy Lunies
Suck Me Shakespeer 3
2017 · Kerstin BIZ
Holiday Secrets
2019
Bloodsuckers
2022 · Tante Erkentrud
Brennende Themen
— · Ms. Platek
Zwischen uns
2022 · Child psychologist
The Elementary Particles
2006 · Dr. Schäfer
The Green Desert
1999 · Krankenschwester
2 Minuten
2020 · Dr. Vogel
Gefährliche Freundin
1996 · Bibi Bratseth
In My Mother's Mirror
2026 · Ursula Scheuer
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
2026 · Marianne
Cracks in the Shell
2012 · Nina
Teufelsbraten
2008 · Wachtel
Berlin Calling
2008 · Prof. Dr. Petra Paul
Vera Brühne
2001 · Vera Brühne
Jack
2015 · Susanne Sönnmann
Helen, Fred und Ted
2006 · Biggie Schwarz
Moon Man
2012 · Conquistadora (voice)
Kundschafter des Friedens 2
2025 · Helene
Yasemin
1988 · Frau Rathjens
This Is Love
2009 · Maggie
Rage
2006 · Christa Laub
Looking for Simon
2011 · Valerie
Helen, Fred und Ted
2006 · Biggie Schwarz
Free to Leave
2007 · Hanni Hudetz
Gebürtig
2002 · Else Sachs
C(r)ook
2004 · Maria
Right Here Right Now
2018 · Innensenatorin
Faust Sonnengesang
2011 · (voice)
The Devil and Ms. D
1999 · Cora Dulz
Lara
2019 · Lara
Now or Never
2000 · Flora
The Missing Woman
2016 · Karen
Persona
2019 · Schwester Alma
Bibi Blocksberg and the Secret of Blue Owls
2004 · Rabia von Katzenstein
Stockholm Marathon
1994 · Monica Lundin
A Year Ago in Winter
2008 · Eliane Richter
Kein Sex ist auch keine Lösung
2011 · Theresa
Sexy Sadie
1996 · Lucy / Sadie
Verdammt, er liebt mich
1996 · Paula
Charlie & Louise - Das doppelte Lottchen
1994 · Sabine Kröger
Mostly Minimalistic
2022 · Marlen
Verzeihung, sehen Sie Fußball?
1983 · Michaela
Finsterworld
2013 · Inga Sandberg
Thea und Nat
1992 · Thea Friedberg
What You Can See from Here
2022 · Selma
Die Spur des Bernsteinzimmers
1992 · Lisa Mohrbrink
Tod einer Schülerin
2010 · Susanne Berger
Home for the Weekend
2012 · Gitte Heidtmann
Wengler & Sons
1987 · Jenny Weinhold
Verrückt nach Paris
2002 · Frau Hermann
Whiskey with Vodka
2009 · Bettina Moll
Julia's Disappearance
2009 · Giulia
The Promise
1995 · Sophie II
The Actress
1988 · Maria Rheine
The Girl With the Golden Hands
2022 · Gudrun
Immer der Nase nach
2021 · Imke
An die Grenze
2007 · Frau Dobbs
Inge, April und Mai
1993
Irren ist männlich
1996 · Bettina
Fandango - Members Only
2000 · Duke
Schlingensief – A Voice That Shook the Silence
2020 · Self (archive footage)
Emma nach Mitternacht - Frau Hölle
2016 · Katharina Holl
Fallada: The Last Chapter
1988 · Else-Marie Bukonje
The Tango Player
1991 · Elke
Die Ironie des Lebens
2024 · Eva
Gates of Fire
1996 · Stromberg
Der Fall Bruckner
2014 · Katharina Bruckner
The House on the River
1986 · Emmi Voß
Ruhe! Hier stirbt Lothar
2021 · Rosa
Schmidt & Schwarz
2012 · Carolin Schwarz
Cloud Whispers
2018 · Charlotte
Rose
2005 · Rose Steher
The Bunny Guards vs. the Forces of Evil
2002 · Frau Schmächtig
The Big Mambo
1998 · Maria
Zwischen Pankow und Zehlendorf
1991 · Isolde Wünsche
Silberhochzeit
2006 · Alexandra
Hamlet_X
2003 · Gertrude
Through This Night
2005 · Bozena Nemcová
Der kleine Staatsanwalt
1987 · Frau Meffert
According to Plan
2007 · Iris
Pestalozzi's Mountain
1989 · Juliette Benoit
Verlobung in Hullerbusch
1979 · Schwester Erika
Geisterstunde - Fahrstuhl ins Jenseits
1997 · Lisa Mosdi
Too Close
2017 · Caro
Solo for Clarinet
1998 · Anna Weller
Farewell to Agnes
1994 · Agnes
Die fremde Frau
2004 · Helen Berg
Kranke Geschäfte
2019
The Boyfriend
2023 · Henriette
Meine Mutter, mein Bruder und ich!
2008 · Susanne
Puppe
2013 · Geena
Reunion in Travers
1989 · Therese Forster
The Boy Who Owns the World
2024 · Edna
Ihr Brief zur Hochzeit
2012 · Hannah
Das Monstrum
2001 · Helene