Sonja Sutter (born 17 January 1931) is a German film actress. She was one of the few actors that was allowed to appear in productions in both East and West Germany. She is remembered for her role as Fraulein Rottenmeier in the German TV series Heidi from 1978. This series aired in many countries in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s, and was dubbed into several languages. She is also remembered for having several roles in the TV series Derrick from 1983 to 1998.

Biography

Sonja Sutter was born in Freiburg, Germany.

Sonja Sutter went on the Rudolf Steiner School in Freiburg but ended with only a limited education but she later studied Greek and Latin. At that time she matured into the decision to become an actress. Her stage debut was in 1950 at the Municipal Theater. Later she worked in Stuttgart, at the Schauspielhaus in Hamburg and at the State Theater in Munich. In test shots for a movie by and with Luis Trenker, the DEFA-Director Slatan Dudow discovered and engaged Sutter for the role as Renate Ludwig in the German movie Frauenschicksale (1952).

After this movie many film offers came from West Germany and Sutter was thus one of the few artists of her time, which worked on two German territories. Her big breakthrough came in 1957 with Lissy, an award-winning movie, which gave Sonja Sutter a certain notoriety in East Germany. During the 1950s she starred in movies like Die Barrings (1955), Star mit fremden Federn (1955), Das Schweigen im Walde (1955), Drei Birken auf der Heide (1956) and Johannisnacht (1956). In 1961 she lost, with the construction of the Berlin Wall, the opportunity to participate in further DEFA films. Since 1961 Sonja Sutter has been living in Vienna and she works on the Burgtheater in Vienna. She has played in 16 TV-movies and she had many appearances in popular German TV-series like Der Kommissar, Tatort and Derrick. In Derrick she played in 6 episodes from 1983 to 1998.