Karin Dor Biography
Karin Dor was a German actress, known for her captivating performances in both German and international films. She was born Kätherose Derr on February 22, 1938, in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Karin Dor appeared in many German films. Here first being an uncredited part in the musical, The Last Waltz (1953) and then in Roses from the South (1954). Her most famos German films include her roles in Krimis, which were German movies adapted from the works of Edgar Wallace, as well as Karl May’s films. These two-film series were directed by her first husband, Harald Reinl.
Karin Dor first rose to international fame with her role as Helga Brandt, the seductive villainess in the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice (1967). She also gained critical acclaim for her appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Topaz (1969).
In 2008, Karin Dor appeared in a Munich stage production called Man liebt nur dreimal (You Only Love Thrice). In later years, she mostly performed stage roles but still appeared in some films. Karin Dor’s personal life was equally fascinating as her career. She was married three times, with her last marriage to George Robotham, an American stunt director, lasting from 1988 until he passed away in 2007.
In July 2016, while vacationing in South Tyrol, Karin Dor suffered a severe accident. She was accidentally rammed by a woman with a stroller, which knocked her to the ground and caused a 4-cm gashing head wound. Additionally, she lost her memory for an hour. Despite the aftereffects, she continued working, performing on stage between October and November 2016 at the Komödie im Bayerischen Hof in Munich.
In January 2017, however, Dor’s condition suddenly worsened, and she was confined to a care home. Her condition continued to decline, and she passed away on November 6, 2017, at the age of 79.