Biography:

Renate Blume was born in 1944 in Bad Wildungen. As a twelve-year-old she joined the famous Gret Palucca ballet school in Dresden. Although her parents wanted her to became a doctor, she secretly applied to the Academy for Performing Arts in Berlin.

While still a student, she played her first leading role in the 1964 film Der geteilte Himmel, based on a novel by Christa Wolf. This East German film became an international success, thanks in part to Blume’s naturalistic and honest performance.

From 1965 to 1970, Blume was a member of the Dresdner Staatstheater ensemble, where she continued giving guest performances until 1986. She was married to the (East) German director Frank Beyer (Jakob der Lügner) from 1965 until 1974.  In 1970, Blume joined the East German television ensemble and acted in over 40 TV productions over the next 20 years. Her film credits include the DEFA Westerns, Ulzana, and Kit & Co., together with Armin Mueller-Stahl.

Since the Wall came down, she has taught performing arts, performed at theaters in Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, and Munich, and acted in movies and TV series. As the widow of the American and East German actor and singer, Dean Reed, she was featured in Der Rote Elvis (2007), a German documentary about Reed’s life.