- Born
- Died
- Birth nameFrieda Elfriede Benkhoff
- A vivacious and very attractive blonde supporting actress and occasional singer, Frieda Elfriede Benkhoff might best be described as a German Eve Arden. Even though she rarely commanded a leading role, she became widely popular as an effervescent, perpetually wisecracking scene stealer who invariably had the last word, whether as friend of the heroine, gossipy aunt or busybody. One of eight siblings, Fita began her working life as a dental assistant and telephone operator while training for acting in her own time. She made her first theatrical appearance in "Don Carlos" at Dortmund's Stadttheater in 1925. This was soon followed by comic turns on the larger stages of Berlin and Vienna, after which she was signed by Germany's premier film studio Ufa for a series of short featurettes.
Fita was already 34 when she made her breakthrough as a feisty maid in Reinhold Schünzel's off-beat comedy Amphitryon (1935). She established such a popular rapport with the actor Paul Kemp that she was cast opposite him in further box office hits, including Boccaccio (1936), and, for once even co-starring, in The Bashful Casanova (1936). After successive critical plaudits with Love in Stunt Flying (1937), Opernball (1939) and Das Fräulein von Barnhelm (1940), Fita had become firmly established as one of Germany's leading comediennes. She continued her career with some success after the war, gradually drifting into character roles, most notably as Mother Wolff in Gerhart Hauptmann's Der Biberpelz (1949). After the death of her husband in 1957, Fita went into quasi-retirement and devoted much of her time to painting. Ten years later, her contribution was deservedly recognised with a Bambi Award. Sadly, she passed away soon after.
- IMDb mini biography by: I.S.Mowis
- SpouseWilhelm Strom(1939 - 1957) (his death)
- After the dead of her husband in 1957 she withdrew more or less from the film and theater business. She only appeared in few productions like "Ingeborg" (1960), "Geisterkomödie" (1965) and "Frühling in Baden-Baden" (1967).
- She remained true to the entertainment movies till the end of the war and she amused the audience with appearances in "Ihr Privatsekretär" (1940), "Das Fräulein von Barnhelm" (1940), "Immer nur Du" (1941), "Johann" (1942) and "Freitag, der 13." (1944).
- She continued her theater career after the war, the film itself recovered from the effects of the war only at the end of the 40's and offered Fita Benkhoff regular roles from 1948.
- She came relative late to the film business when she went beyond thirty. But the film business seemed properly to wait to her and she was engaged for normally funny roles for countless movies in the 30's.
- She made her stage debut in 1925 at the Stadttheater Dortmund, afterwards followed engagements in Lübeck and Düsseldorf.
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