Susanna Wellenbrink: “The Happy Family” child star turns 50

Susanna Wellenbrink (50) was a real child star. The Munich native had her first role in the series “The Crime Hour” when she was just nine years old. However, she became known to most TV viewers thanks to her leading role in the ARD series “The Happy Family”, in which she played from 1987 to 1991 alongside Maria Schell (1926-2005) and Siegfried Rauch (1932-2018). . She played Tami Behringer, the youngest of the series’ three daughters. In contrast to her TV sister Maria Furtwängler (58), Wellenbrink has not been in the spotlight as an actress for a long time.

The show gene was probably given to her from birth. Her father Egon Wellenbrink (79) appeared in many commercials in the 90s and became a famous Melitta man. Her half-brother Nico Santos (31) started a singing career.

In 1993, Susanna Wellenbrink won the Golden Camera as the best young German actress for her performance in the TV drama “Mother at 16”. She then appeared in series such as “Gynecologist Dr. Markus Merthin” (1996-1997), “Marienhof” (1997-1998) and “The Rosenheim Cops” (2006) before things quieted down for her.

In 2005, her daughter Mia-Sophie (26) followed in her footsteps and also started out as a child star. She became known as a sweet girl with her cry “Fruchtarm” for the “Froop” yoghurt and even celebrated a small chart success as a singer. Mia-Sophie comes from Wellenbrink’s relationship with the ballet dancer Daniel Ramsbott, to whom she was married from 1998 to 2000. She entered into a second marriage to a high school teacher, but it only lasted from 2007 to 2008. She has two sons from another relationship.

Susanna Wellenbrink last made headlines in 2021. In an interview she said that she only lived on around 700 euros per month and was receiving Hartz IV. Despite the difficult financial circumstances, she was positive at the time: “We have little and yet everything we need.”

Every now and then she gives insights into her new life away from the acting industry, which apparently no longer takes place in Germany. She told her almost 2,900 followers that she now lives “abroad”. She put her farm in Lower Bavaria, which she bought with her first fees, up for sale. She posts pictures of her sons, her dogs, lots of nature and memories of her late mother. It took her a while, she said in May 2024, and was optimistic: “Giving up was never an option. If I took a step back, it was to get going.”