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Anita Pallenberg(1942-2017)

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Anita Pallenberg
CATCHING FIRE: THE STORY OF ANITA PALLENBERG is about a woman who was at many points in her life a newspaper headline: Anita Pallenberg was a “rock n’ roll goddess,” a “voodoo priestess,” and an “evil seductress.” She was accused of trying to break up the Rolling Stones, among other things. But those who loved her considered her an exciting cultural force, and a loving mother – and innocent of the accusations. Never-seen-before home movies and family photographs explore life with the Rolling Stones and tell a bittersweet tale of both triumph and heartbreak. From Barbarella to the Swiss Alps, and the Lower East Side to London, Anita Pallenberg was a creative force ahead of her time.
Play trailer1:54
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg (2023)
8 Videos
65 Photos
Anita Pallenberg was a model and actress best known for her involvement with The Rolling Stones in the 1960s and 1970s. She was born in 1942 to Elfriede Paula Wiederhold, a German secretary, and Arnold Pallenberg, a descendant of a prominent family of furniture manufacturers from Cologne, Germany. She grew up in Rome, Italy, where her father owned a travel agency, and Germany, where she was sent to a boarding school at her father's request. After being expelled from school at 16, she lived in Munich, where she studied at an art school, hung out with the La Dolce Vita crowd in Rome, and eventually traveled to New York where she connected with Andy Warhol's Factory.

In 1965, Anita Pallenberg was working as a model all over Europe when she met The Rolling Stones backstage at a concert in Munich. She started a tumultuous relationship with guitarist Brian Jones that lasted until she left him for his bandmate Keith Richards in 1967. With Richards, she formed a relationship that lasted 12 years and produced three children. During her time with The Rolling Stones, Anita was considered to be a muse for the band and a huge influence on their style and music. She also became known as an actress in her own right in the late '60s and early '70s, working with directors such as Volker Schlöndorff, who directed her debut A Degree of Murder (1967) and Roger Vadim in Barbarella (1968). The end of her relationship with Richards in the late 1970s, personal struggles with addiction, and the death of her youngest son shortly after his birth saw her drift from the public eye for many years.

In the 1990s, Anita Pallenberg returned to the spotlight. She got a degree in fashion design and took occasional small roles in film and on television. Her status as a fashion icon, inspiring designers and celebrities, remains to this day.

Anita Pallenberg died in 2017 due to complications from hepatitis C.
BornApril 6, 1942
DiedJune 13, 2017(75)
BornApril 6, 1942
DiedJune 13, 2017(75)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 nomination total

Photos65

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Known for

Jane Fonda and John Phillip Law in Barbarella (1968)
Barbarella
5.9
  • The Great Tyrant
  • 1968
Michelle Pfeiffer in Chéri (2009)
Chéri
6.1
  • La Copine
  • 2009
Mick Jagger and James Fox in Performance (1970)
Performance
6.7
  • Pherber
  • 1970
Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Coburn, Walter Matthau, John Huston, Charles Aznavour, John Astin, Ewa Aulin, and Ringo Starr in Candy (1968)
Candy
5.1
  • Nurse Bullock
  • 1968

Credits

IMDbPro

Actress



  • Willem Dafoe and Shanyn Leigh in 4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011)
    4:44 Last Day on Earth
    4.7
    • Sky's Mother
    • 2011
  • Michelle Pfeiffer in Chéri (2009)
    Chéri
    6.1
    • La Copine
    • 2009
  • Go Go Tales (2007)
    Go Go Tales
    5.8
    • Sin
    • 2007
  • Diego Luna and Samantha Morton in Mister Lonely (2007)
    Mister Lonely
    6.4
    • The Queen
    • 2007
  • Hideous Man (2002)
    Hideous Man
    6.4
    Short
    • 2002
  • Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders in Absolutely Fabulous (1992)
    Absolutely Fabulous
    8.2
    TV Series
    • Devil
    • 2001
  • Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998)
    Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
    6.5
    • Casino
    • 1998
  • Logo Loco (1995)
    Logo Loco
    Short
    • Blixa (voice)
    • 1995
  • Le berceau de cristal (1976)
    Le berceau de cristal
    6.9
    • 1976
  • Mick Jagger and James Fox in Performance (1970)
    Performance
    6.7
    • Pherber
    • 1970
  • Heads
    Short
    • 1969
  • Man on Horseback (1969)
    Man on Horseback
    6.5
    • Katrina - Marketenderin
    • 1969
  • Anita Pallenberg in Dillinger Is Dead (1969)
    Dillinger Is Dead
    6.9
    • Ginette
    • 1969
  • Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Coburn, Walter Matthau, John Huston, Charles Aznavour, John Astin, Ewa Aulin, and Ringo Starr in Candy (1968)
    Candy
    5.1
    • Nurse Bullock
    • 1968
  • Jane Fonda and John Phillip Law in Barbarella (1968)
    Barbarella
    5.9
    • The Great Tyrant
    • 1968

Producer



  • Umano non umano (1969)
    Umano non umano
    5.5
    • producer
    • 1969

Additional Crew



  • Keith Richards: Under the Influence (2015)
    Keith Richards: Under the Influence
    7.1
    • archival video provided by
    • 2015

Videos8

Wonderwall
Clip 1:38
Wonderwall
Wonderwall
Clip 1:30
Wonderwall
Wonderwall
Clip 1:30
Wonderwall
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:54
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:46
Official Trailer
Wonderwall
Trailer 2:11
Wonderwall
Dillinger Is Dead
Trailer 2:41
Dillinger Is Dead

Personal details

  • Height
    • 5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
  • Born
    • April 6, 1942
    • Hamburg, Germany
  • Died
    • June 13, 2017
    • Chichester, West Sussex, England, UK(complications from hepatitis C)
  • Children
      Marlon Richards
  • Parents
      Arnold Pallenberg
  • Relatives
    • Arnold Böcklin(Great Grandparent)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 1 Interview
    • 4 Articles
    • 6 Pictorials

Did you know

  • Trivia
    Had three children with Keith Richards: Marlon Richards, Dandelion Richards (she later changed her name to Angela) and a son Tara, who died of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) shortly after his birth.
  • Quotes
    [on whether she regretted meeting The Rolling Stones] Fate, I respect a lot. I never regret anything.

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