German-born Austrian actress and singer Topsy Küppers, 93, died on June 14. Topsy “jes’ growed” in Aachen, took dramatic lessons at the wonderfully German-named Bühnengenossenschaft (one of her professors was the notorious "Mephisto,” Gustaf Gründgens). Küppers moved to Austria and was acting onstage and screen by the mid-1950s. In 1976 she founded the Freie Bühne Wieden in Vienna, which featured left-wing plays, works by Jewish authors, and cabaret. She made her film debut in 1958’s Gitarren der Liebe; through 1992, she appeared in some 20 films and TV shows. In addition to these, Küppers worked as a chanteuse in both Austria and Germany. She was married to writer, actor, and composer George Kreisler from 1958-75; one of their children is actress and singer Sandra Kreisler.
