Dority Margit Saad, a renowned star of German post-war cinema, was born in Munich, Germany, to a Lebanese linguist father, Fuad Jabbour Saad, and his wife Agnes, a language teacher. After completing her education, Margit pursued acting classes at the Otto Falckenberg Academy, financing her studies by working as a model. Her striking physical appearance, with her tall, blond, and photogenic features, soon led to her being featured on several magazine covers.
One of these magazine appearances led to her screen debut in 1951, followed by her stage bow at the Düsseldorfer Kabarett, where she was discovered by director Robert A. Stemmle and cast in her first starring role in the musical Südliche Nächte (1953). For most of the subsequent decade, Margit was typecast in undemanding fare, playing naive ingénues or exotic love interests in operettas, lightweight comedies, Heimatfilms, and schmaltzy romances.
However, as public tastes shifted towards more sophisticated material, Margit was finally able to break free from her typecasting. She began to take on more challenging roles, including a gangster's moll in the popular caper comedy Peter Voss, der Millionendieb (1958),opposite O.W. Fischer, and a boutique owner acting as banker for a gang of drug smugglers in Heiße Ware (1959).
Margit's international appearances included episodes of The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (1959) and The Saint (1962),as well as a role as General Carla of the 'Women's Army of Parazuella' in The Magnificent Two (1967),a comedy starring the duo of Morecambe & Wise. She also made many stage appearances in both Germany and Austria, with possibly her greatest theatrical success being in the title role of Irma La Douce opposite Harald Juhnke, which premiered in Baden-Baden in 1961.
From 1971, Margit was active as a director of television documentaries, making four TV movies based on literary works, including Abenteuer aus dem Englischen Garten (1984),for which she also co-authored the screenplay. Margit was married to French director, stage, and costume designer Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and held French citizenship. She resided in Munich, Germany, until her passing on August 7, 2023, at the age of 94.
