Red roses for Hildegard Knef as she turns 75

Knef was literally deluged with red roses on her birthday, her biographer and friend Axel Andree told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. A cool blonde leading lady of international films, Knef scandalised post-World-War-II West Germany when she did a nude scene in a German film called "The Sinner" in 1951.

Born in Ulm in 1925, Knef began her career at the German UFA studios on the eve of Nazi Germany's defeat. Among her Hollywood credits were "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" with Gregory Peck in 1952.

Among her triumphs was a Broadway run of the musical "Silk Stockings", a musical adaptation of the film "Ninotschka", in 1955. Knef also had a career as a cabaret singer. "Let it rain red roses for me" ("Fuer mich soll's rote Rosen regnen") was one of her biggest hits.

Her autobiography, "The Gift Horse", was a hit in both German and English. A later installment, "The Verdict", detailed Hildegard Knef's battles with cancer. Knef received congratulatory telegrams Thursday from German President Johannes Rau and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and other public figures.

(dpa)