Irm Hermann (1942-2020) was a German actress, an iconic figure of the New German Cinema, and best known for her prolific collaboration with director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Initially a secretary, she joined Fassbinder's "antiteater" collective, becoming one of its most emblematic performers. She appeared in over twenty of his films, often portraying characters of subdued, repressed, or cruelly pragmatic women. Among her most celebrated roles are her performances in *The Merchant of Four Seasons* (1972), *The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant* (1972), *Ali: Fear Eats the Soul* (1974), and the television miniseries *Berlin Alexanderplatz* (1980). After her collaboration with Fassbinder ended, her career continued successfully, working with other important directors such as Werner Herzog and Christoph Schlingensief. In 1983, she won the Deutscher Filmpreis, the highest honor in German cinema, for Best Actress for her performance in Percy Adlon's film *Fünf letzte Tage*.