Winnie Markus, 80; Actress in German Movies, Theater

Winnie Markus, 80, a German actress known for her work in German theater and films of the 1950s and 1960s, died Friday in Munich of unstated causes.

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1921, Markus moved to Vienna, where she trained in the renowned Max Reinhardt Seminary and gained acclaim for her performances in theater. She soon became much in demand for films, appearing notably in “The Devil in Silk,” “The Priest and the Girl” and “What a Woman Dreams of in Springtime.”

Markus took a couple of decades off to rear a daughter, but returned to the stage and TV in the 1980s.

She was honored by a German film association in 1986 for her lifetime acting achievements.