Editing Hildegard Knef (section)

==Singer==
In the 1960s Knef took a break from acting and started writing song lyrics. In 1963 she started a concert and recording career,<ref name="The New York Times" /> and she surprised her audiences with the deep, smoky quality of her voice and with lyrics she wrote herself. Fans around the world rallied in her support as she recovered from cancer several times. She returned to Berlin after Reunification. At her peak, an entertainment columnist called her the "willowy blonde" who had a "dusty voice" and a "generous mouth".<ref name="The New York Times" />

The song she is mostly remembered for is "Für mich soll's rote Rosen regnen" ("Let it rain red roses for me"). She is also known for her version of the songs "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" ("I still have a suitcase in Berlin") and "Mackie Messer" ("[[Mack the Knife]]").<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110611020859/http://german-lyrics.com/english/hildegard-knef/hildegard-knef-mackie-messer-mack-the-knife English lyrics for Mackie Messer by Hildegard Knef]}}</ref> She sold more than three million records in total.

She launched 23 original albums with 320 different songs. She wrote the lyrics for 130 songs herself.<ref name="HKnef_10Facts">{{cite web|last=Gurke|first=Thomas M|title=Hildegard Knef – 10 Facts At a Glance|url=http://www.hildegardknef.de/home%20english.htm|publisher=Impressum|access-date=2 February 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230705103556/https://www.hildegardknef.de/home%20english.htm | archive-date = 5 July 2023 | url-status = live}}</ref>