A(c)TIV- VITA

Marie Theres Kroetz-Relin was born in Munich in 1966 to film director Veit Relin and international movie icon Maria Schell. She made her first movie Secret Places in 1983 and spent the following years working on various TV productions as well as German director Sönke Wortmann’s acclaimed short film Drei D. In 1987 Marie Theres was awarded Best Young Actress at the annual German television awards Goldenen Kamera.

My children

Josephine Kroetz

… was born on October 25^th, 1988 and is already following in her ancestors’ footsteps: Her first novel for children of divorced parents was published when she was 19. Meanwhile, she builds up her own reputation behind the camera as a set mananger and in front as an actress.
On March 23 my talented young woman gave birth to her daughter, Matilda Ateneri and to me the joy of being a proud grandma.

The father of my children

Franz Xaver Kroetz

… was born on February 25^th, 1946. He’s one of the most popular playwrights and gained fame by means of his sociocritical plays. Up to date he has written over 60 stage plays that have run in 40 countries and were translated into 27 different languages. Furthermore, he is the author of many radio plays, screenplays, prose plays and poems. On top of that, he is also known as a director and actor, especially for his role as tabloid

My mother

Maria Schell

… was born on January 15^th, 1926 and died on April 4^th, 2005. She was a terrific actress, a world star, was known for her laughing-while-crying quality and coined the audience during the post-war years with her hope and her spirit. As an icon of her times, she portrayed real people, but was burdened all life long with the nickname “Seelchen” (little soul), given to her by the German press. Wrongly so, because my mother was

My father

Veit Relin

… was born on September 24^th, 1926 and died on January 23rd, 2013. He had a wonderful voice, as a tenor, but eventually became a painter and an actor playing on all the big stages, amongst others, the Burgtheater in Vienna. His workshop theatre in Vienna with its avant-garde repertoire caused a little revolution in the theatre world. He worked with Henry Kahnweiler and Oskar Kokoschka. The world premiere of Pablo Picasso’s

My mother’s siblings

Carl Schell

… was born on November 14^th, 1927 and is an actor, director, life and quick-change artist, adventurer and palm tree expert. His second wife Stella Schell-Monney became a musical star overnight – as Sheila in Hair. Caroline Schell, their daughter, is a renowned sculptor and painter.

My grandparents

Margarethe Schell von Noé

… was born on June 2^nd, 1905 and died on November 11^th, 1995. She was a young and talented actress, but sacrificed her career for her husband and their four children. Eventually, she found her way back into acting and became an acting coach. Omutti was the one who raised me, she was the best grandmother in the whole world and a woman with a heart of gold.