She was born in
Schwerin, in the former
East Germany, which is now the capital of the
Federal State of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Before
German reunification, she was a well-known film and stage actress in the
German Democratic Republic. She made her film debut at age 23 in the 1979 film ''
, where she portrayed a disillusioned young wife. She won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival for her role in the 1981 film Bürgschaft für ein Jahr''. In 2011, she appeared in the music video of "Wir Sind am Leben" by the
Berlin music duo
Rosenstolz. Sass said the GDR required her to spell her name with a "
ß" presumably because "Sass" was associated with the Nazi
SA and
SS. == Filmography ==