Corinna Harfouch, daughter of Wolfgang Meffert and Marianne née Kleber, grew up in Großenhain and attended school from 1961 to 1973. She completed her Abitur at the extended high school and trained as a nurse before studying textile engineering at the TU Dresden in 1976.
Corinna Harfouch began her acting career at the Ernst Busch Drama School in Berlin from 1978 to 1981, where she made her debut in the Goethe play "Faust II". She played roles in Berlin, including in the Shakespeare drama "Macbeth" at the Berlin Volksbühne in 1982, under the direction of Heiner Müller.
During the GDR era, Corinna Harfouch became a celebrated film actress, starring in films such as "The House by the River", "Fallada - Last Chapter" (1987),"The Little Public Prosecutor" (1987),"The Actress" (1988),"The Big Mouth" and "Meeting in Travers" (1989).
After reunification, Corinna Harfouch continued to thrive, starring in TV series and films such as "Our teacher Dr. Specht", "5 Hours of Fear - Taking Hostages in Kindergarten", "Tatort", "Kommissar Beck", and "Charlie & Louise" (1993). She also appeared in "The Promise", "Come Back, Sexy Sadie" (1995),"Damn, He Loves Me", "Dangerous Girlfriend" (1996),"Knockin'' On Heavens Door" (1997),and "To err is male" (1996).
Corinna Harfouch received several awards for her achievements, including the Critics' Prize for Best Actress twice, in 1989 for "The Actress" and in 1990 for "Meeting in Travers". She was also awarded the "Bavarian Film Prize" in 1995 for "Irren ist Mann" and in 1997 for "The Outbreak" and "Dangerous Girlfriend".