Margarethe von Trotta Biography: Age, Career, Net Worth, Spouse, Children, Parents, Movies

Margarethe von Trotta is a German filmmaker, screenwriter, and actress who has long been celebrated for her probing portraits of women navigating history, politics, and personal defiance in films that pulse with quiet fury and feminist insight.

She burst onto the scene in the 1970s as a leading force in New German Cinema with The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, co-directed with Volker Schlöndorff, a blistering critique of media and state oppression, and went on to helm landmark works like Marianne and Juliane, which won the Golden Lion at Venice, and Rosa Luxemburg, a commanding biopic that earned Barbara Sukowa the Best Actress prize at Cannes.

Profile

• Full Name: Margarethe Maria von Trotta
• Stage Name: Margarethe von Trotta
• Born: February 21, 1942
• Age: 83 years old
• Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
• Nationality: German
• Occupation: Film Director, Screenwriter, Actress
• Height: Unknown
• Parents: Alfred Roloff and Elisabeth von Trotta
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: Jürgen Moeller (m. 1964–1968), Volker Schlöndorff (m. 1971–1991)
• Children: Felix Moeller
• Relationship: Divorced
• Net Worth: $5 million

Early Life and Education

Margarethe Maria von Trotta was born on February 21, 1942, in war-torn Berlin.

Her father, painter Alfred Roloff, and mother, Elisabeth von Trotta, of Baltic-German nobility, fled the city after the war.

She grew up in Düsseldorf with no publicly documented siblings.

Von Trotta studied German and Romance languages in Munich and Paris, then trained at acting schools in Munich, launching a stage and screen career in the early 1960s.

She keeps her religious and deeper ethnic background private.

Career

Margarethe von Trotta began as an actress in the 1960s, appearing in films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Volker Schlöndorff, whom she married in 1971.

She co-wrote and co-directed The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975), a searing adaptation of Heinrich Böll’s novel that condemned press sensationalism and state surveillance.

Her solo directorial debut The Second Awakening of Christa Klages (1978) explored female solidarity and radical politics, setting the tone for her feminist lens.

Von Trotta achieved international breakthrough with Marianne and Juliane (1981), a devastating portrait of sisterhood and political extremism that won the Golden Lion at Venice.

She followed with Rosa Luxemburg (1986), earning Barbara Sukowa Best Actress at Cannes, and Rosenstrasse (2003), a Holocaust-era tale of female resistance.

Other key works include The Promise (1995), spanning the Berlin Wall’s fall, and Hannah Arendt (2012), a cerebral biopic of the philosopher’s Eichmann trial coverage.

Margarethe von Trotta released Forgotten Land (2020), a reflective drama on memory and exile, and continues mentoring young filmmakers through masterclasses.

She serves on festival juries, publishes essays on cinema, and preserves New German Cinema’s legacy.

Von Trotta’s unflagging commitment to women’s voices and historical truth keeps her influence alive in global arthouse circles.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: Unknown
• Facebook Handle: Unknown
• Twitter Handle: Unknown

Personal Life

Margarethe von Trotta married Jürgen Moeller in 1964; they divorced in 1968 and share a son, Felix Moeller, a noted documentary filmmaker.

She wed Volker Schlöndorff in 1971, collaborating closely until their 1991 divorce.

Von Trotta lives in Paris and Munich, speaks fluent French, and guards her privacy while supporting women’s rights and cultural exchange.

Filmography

• The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975)
• The Second Awakening of Christa Klages (1978)
• Marianne and Juliane (1981)
• Rosa Luxemburg (1986)
• The Promise (1995)
• Rosenstrasse (2003)
• Hannah Arendt (2012)
• Forgotten Land (2020)

Net Worth

Margarethe von Trotta has an estimated net worth of $5 million. She earns primarily through directing and writing internationally acclaimed films, festival honors, and European co-productions. Income from acting roles, screenwriting fees, and restored-film royalties sustains her finances.