Heidelinde Weis, a charming and dainty Austrian actress, rose to instant stardom after her dual role in the three-part miniseries Die Frau in Weiß (1971),a production based on the 19th century novel by Wilkie Collins.
She attended a trade school and then studied acting at the prestigious Max-Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna from 1957 to 1958. Subsequently, she became an ensemble member of the Theater in der Josefstadt, performing in classical plays on many stages throughout Germany and Austria.
Weis made her screen debut in Wolfgang Liebeneiner's romantic comedy Ich heirate Herrn Direktor (1960),cast as the female lead opposite Gerhard Riedmann and Hans Söhnker. She went on to play the titular heroine in several popular motion pictures, including Dead Woman from Beverly Hills (1964) and the historical biopic Liselotte von der Pfalz (1966),earning a German Film Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
On television, Weis headlined as Mary Rose (1961) and Eurydike (1964),and co-starred with Claus Biederstaedt in the 20-part series Meine Frau Susanne (1963). Throughout the decades, she made guest appearances in popular crime series, enjoyed a recurring role in the dynastic TV drama Das Erbe der Guldenburgs (1987),and had starring turns in tele-movies like Quadrille (1986),Die selige Edwina Black (1987),and Gabriellas Rache (1994).
In addition to her acting career, Weis also enjoyed success as a singer and writer of chansons, releasing a trio of albums between 1975 and 1979. She co-starred with Christiane Hörbiger in the comedy series Neue Freunde, neues Glück (2005) and Das Glück ist ein Kaktus (2011); and with Peter Weck in Glück auf vier Rädern (2006) and Ein Ferienhaus auf Ibiza (2008).
The actress had her fair share of personal setbacks, including the loss of her husband of 38 years, Hellmuth Duna, in 1998. She survived both breast cancer (2010) and bladder cancer (2016). In 2022, she published a delightfully optimistic autobiography, entitled 'Das Beste kommt noch' (The Best is yet to come). Sadly, she passed away on November 24, 2023, in her hometown of Villach, Kärnten, at the age of 83.