She was born in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) to a Dutch father, merchant and plantation owner, and a German mother. Werner was a Dutch citizen by birth; although she had her greatest successes in Germany, mainly during the time of the Third Reich, she did not assume German citizenship until 1955.
Arriving in Frankfurt, Germany at the age of 10, Werner's family in 1934 moved to Vienna, where she attended the Max Reinhardt Seminar drama school and gave her debut at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1937. She later made her name at the legendary UFA Studios near Berlin. She starred in the popular wartime films "Die schwedische Nachtigall" (The Swedish Nightingale) and "Wir machen Musik" (We're Making Music). She was the hostess of a popular television show of Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow since 1941, titled "Wir senden Frohsinn - Wir spenden Freude"
Having briefly been barred from performing by the Allies at the end of World War II, due to her alleged role in Nazi propaganda, she returned to the big screen in the 1950s where she excelled in dramatic character roles.
Werner had her last appearance on German TV in 2000 before dying peacefully in her sleep on 7 August 2005 at a retirement home in Lübeck. She had been suffering from pneumonia. Her last wish was to have her ashes scattered in Potsdam-Babelsberg.
Dubbing
After the war, she became an active voice dubber, dubbing foreign films in German.
1948 - Gene Tierney in Laura (1944)
1949 - Margaret Lindsay in The Spoilers (1942) - (Die Freibeuterin)
1949 - Gale Sondergaard in The Mark of Zorro (1940) - (Im Zeichen des Zorro)
1950 - Olivia de Havilland in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - (Robin Hood, König der Vagabunden)
1950 - Maureen O'Hara in The Black Swan (1942) - (Der Seeräuber)
1950 - Paulette Goddard in Reap the Wild Wind (1942) - (Piraten im Karibischen Meer)
1950 - Rita Hayworth in My Gal Sal (1942) - (Die Königin vom Broadway)
1950 - Maureen O'Hara in Buffalo Bill (1944) - (Buffalo Bill, der weiße Indianer)
1950 - Linden Travers in Christopher Columbus (1949)
1952 - Gale Storm in The Texas Rangers (1951) - (Grenzpolizei in Texas)
Filmography
Actress
2001
Für alle Fälle Stefanie (TV Series) as
Elise Dentis
- Immer wieder Dienstag (2001) - Elise Dentis
2000
Tatort (TV Series) as
Gertrud Schenk
- Bittere Mandeln (2000) - Gertrud Schenk
1998
Eine Frau mit Pfiff (TV Movie) as
Roswitha Maren
1997
Neues vom Süderhof (TV Series) as
Rita Beck
- Ben macht Karriere (1997) - Rita Beck
1997
Großstadtrevier (TV Series) as
Frau Björnsen
- Der G-Man (1997) - Frau Björnsen
1996
Alles wegen Robert De Niro (TV Movie) as
Frau Schmollig
1994
Briefgeheimnis (TV Series)
1992
Praxis Bülowbogen (TV Series)
- Der goldene Westen (1992)
1990
Roda Roda (TV Series)
1990
Die Hallo-Sisters as
Babsie
1989
Forstinspektor Buchholz (TV Series) as
Gertie Klemm
1989
Rivalen der Rennbahn (TV Series) as
Ella Kremer
- Zerreißprobe (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Am seidenen Faden (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Das Zukunftsrennen (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Gefährliches Spiel (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Die Doppelgängerin (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Gewitterwolken (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Die Untersuchung (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Verdacht (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Partner (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Das Attentat (1989) - Ella Kremer
- Gewinner und Verlierer (1989) - Ella Kremer
1987
Ein heikler Fall (TV Series)
- Die Vitrine (1987)
1983
Haus Vaterland (TV Series)
1979
Noch 'ne Oper (TV Movie) as
Souffleuse
1971
Glückspilze (TV Movie)
1969
Unsere kleine Show - Musik zur blauen Stunde (TV Series) as
Performer: Figaro-Arie
- Episode dated 10 November 1969 (1969) - Performer: Figaro-Arie
1968
Familie Musici (TV Movie) as
Mutter Musici
1966
Von uns - für Sie! (TV Movie)
1966
Wir machen Musik (TV Movie) as
Guest Artist
1965
Die Bräute meiner Söhne (TV Series) as
Hedi Seibold
- Thomas macht sich fit (1966) - Hedi Seibold
- Gisela steht Modell (1966) - Hedi Seibold
- Hat Thomas 'Familie'? (1966) - Hedi Seibold
- Zimmer zu vermieten (1966) - Hedi Seibold
- Claude im Karpfenteich (1966) - Hedi Seibold
- Freddy zieht aus (1965) - Hedi Seibold
- Eine Stewardess kommt selten allein (1965) - Hedi Seibold
- Plätzchen für Kätzchen (1965) - Hedi Seibold
- Karin II haut ab (1965) - Hedi Seibold
- Wochenende mit Conny (1965) - Hedi Seibold
- Mutters Geburtstag (1965) - Hedi Seibold
- Die merkwürdige Familienbraut (1965) - Hedi Seibold
- Wirrwarr mit vier Söhnen (1965) - Hedi Seibold
1955
Die Herrin vom Sölderhof as
Christa von Soldern
1955
Reaching for the Stars as
Carola
1955
Sie können sich sehen lassen (TV Movie) as
Singer
1954
Ein toller Tag as
Susanne, lady's maid
1954
Ännchen von Tharau as
Anna "Ännchen" Wittkuhn
1953
Der Vogelhändler as
Fürstin Marie-Louise
1952
Eine nette Bescherung (TV Movie)
1951
Königin einer Nacht as
Anna Silvana, Prinzessin von Este-Parma
1951
Mutter sein dagegen sehr as
Florentine
1950
Die gestörte Hochzeitsnacht as
Mary, seine Frau
1950
Epilog - Das Geheimnis der Orplid (uncredited)
1949
Geheimnisvolle Tiefe as
Cornelia, seine Verlobte
1946
Sag' die Wahrheit as
Singer
1945
Das seltsame Fräulein Sylvia
1944
Great Freedom No. 7 as
Gisa Häuptlein
1944
Jetzt erst recht!
1943
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as
Prinzessin Isabella d'Este
1942
Wir machen Musik as
Anni Pichler
1942
Hochzeit auf Bärenhof as
Roswitha von Krakow
1941
U-Boote westwärts! as
Pfeife / Irene Winterstein
1941
The Way to Freedom
1941
Die schwedische Nachtigall as
Jenny Lind
1940
Request Concert as
Inge Wagner
1940
Bal paré as
Tanzelevin Maxi Brunnhuber
1939
Ihr erstes Erlebnis as
Marianne Schäfer
1939
Drei Väter um Anna as
Anna
1939
Fräulein as
Annemarie Tessmer
1939
Bel Ami as
Suzanne Laroche
1938
Das Leben kann so schön sein as
Nora Kramer, Näherin
1938
Frau Sixta as
Otti, ihre Tochter
1938
Finale as
Hilde / F: Lina
Soundtrack
2018
Counterpart (TV Series) (performer - 1 episode)
- Act Like You've Been Here Before (2018) - (performer: "Ich Hab Dich und Du Hast Mich")
2009
Land of the Lost (performer: "Die Kleine Stadt Will Schlafen Geh'n")
1997
Neues vom Süderhof (TV Series) (performer - 1 episode)
- Ben macht Karriere (1997) - (performer: "Sing ein Lied, wenn du mal traurig bist", "So wird's nie wieder sein", "Wir machen Musik" - uncredited)
1967
Eine Frau mit Pfiff (TV Movie) (performer: "Sing Sing Sing", "The Walkin and Whistlin Blues", "Eine kleine Nachtmusik", "Sport und Musik", "Whistle while you work", "Jeder Spatz pfeift es vom Dach", "Mein Herz hat heut Premiere", "Sing ein Lied, wenn du mal traurig bist", "Fips, der Pfeifer", "Yesterday", "Sorbas Dance", "Die Figaro-Arie", "Wir machen Musik")
1942
Wir machen Musik (performer: "Wir machen Musik")
Self
2005
Münchhausen - Ein Mythos in Agfacolor (Video documentary) as
Self
2005
Legenden (TV Series documentary) as
Self
- Heinz Erhardt (2005) - Self
- Hans Albers (2005) - Self
2003
Hans Rosenthal - Das war Spitze! (TV Movie documentary) as