Petra Schürmann

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]

Biography

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]

Personal life

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]}

Death

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]

Selected filmography

• Hot Pavements of Cologne (1967)
• The Body in the Thames (1971)

References

External links

• Petra Schürmann at IMDb
• Petra Schürmann in the German National Library catalogue
• Article in Stern magazine – richly illustrated (in German)
• Petra Schürmann at Find a Grave

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Susana Duijm	Miss World 1956	Succeeded by Marita Lindahl