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German actress and model From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Petra Schürmann-Freund (German: [ˈpeːtʁa ˈʃyːɐ̯ˌman] ; 15 September 1933 – 14 January 2010) was a German actress, model, TV announcer and beauty queen who won Miss World 1956.[7]
Petra Schürmann | |
|---|---|
 Schürmann in 2004 | |
| Born | 15 September 1933[3][4][5][6] Mönchengladbach, Rhine Province, Germany |
| Died | 14 January 2010 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model, presenter, beauty queen |
| Years active | 1954–2004 |
| Known for | Miss World 1956 |
| Spouse |
Gerhard Freund
(m. 1973; died 2008) |
Schürmann won the 1956 Miss World[8] contest, representing West Germany.[9][10][11]
As of 2012[update] she is the only German to win this title,[9] with the exception of Gabriella Brum who won the title in 1980 but resigned one day later. The pageant was held in London, United Kingdom.[9] Schürmann finished only third in the Miss Germany pageant, but was chosen to represent her country in London because of her better knowledge of English.[12]
At that time Schürmann was studying philosophy and history of the arts at the universities of Bonn and Cologne.[13][9] After winning her Miss World title, she continued her studies in Munich.[12] Beginning with the 1960s Schürmann entered an ongoing radio and television career, primarily with the Munich-based Bayerischer Rundfunk.[9] She also did some acting and wrote several books.[9]
In 1973, Schürmann married the physician Dr. Gerhard Freund (1922–2008), who under a veil of secrecy, had fathered their daughter Alexandra in 1967.[13]
This was at a time when he was still wed to German actress Marianne Koch.[13] Alexandra Freund also had a successful career with the Munich broadcaster but died in 2001, aged 34, from an automobile accident when she collided with a wrong-way driver.[13]
Schürmann never fully recovered from the loss of her daughter, with whom she was very close.[7][13][9] From 2003 until her death, she was involved in an intimate relationship with Felix Raslag, CEO of a biotech company in Munich, who was 35 years her junior.[14][15][16][17]
Schürmann retired in 2006 with her husband to their house on the shores of Lake Starnberg, south of Munich.[13] When he died in August 2008, they had been married for 35 years.[10][11][12] She died on 14 January 2010 in her home in Starnberg following a long illness.[7]
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