Fled East Germany in 1960 to live in Stuttgart and work as an electronics engineer. Soon after, she entered a beauty contest on a whim and ended up winning the title of Miss Germany. That led to being crowned Miss Universe in 1961. She married actor Ty Hardin in 1962, but the marriage only lasted 3 years. In 1969, she married Iraqi-born filmmaker Howard Avedis. Their partnership resulted in numerous drive-in hits and cult classics, including The Stepmother (1972), The Teacher (1974) and Mortuary (1983). Marlene always produced, sometimes wrote and usually appeared in supporting roles in these productions.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 7, 1934 (92)
- Breslau, Germany
- Actor, producer and writer
- 6 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
What are Marlene Schmidt's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 5
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 1
Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Marlene Schmidt's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Marlene Schmidt's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
15 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
Shoebox Zoo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Kidnapped (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Mortuary(1982)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Separate Ways(1981)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
The Fifth Floor(1978)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Texas Detour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Scorchy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Dr. Minx (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
The Specialist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
The Teacher(1974)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
The Stepmother(1972)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Farewell, Lebanon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Red Plain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Career shape
Star power in the 54th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 15 titles from 1968 to 2004; peak year 1983.
Film career
Peak 1983 · at the high point of their film career. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1974Screen debut· The Teacher
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Marlene Schmidt's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 14th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 20th percentile for acclaim.
- Below 25th6
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 6 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Panned1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the acting 49/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 32. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Marlene Schmidt's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Marlene Schmidt work with?
People who share at least 2 of Marlene Schmidt's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Howard Avedis shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Howard AvedisShared titles: They're Playing with Fire (1984), Mortuary (1982), Separate Ways (1981), The Fifth Floor (1978), The Teacher (1974), The Stepmother (1972)See all 6 shared titles with Howard Avedis
Actors
- Alvy MooreShared titles: They're Playing with Fire (1984), Mortuary (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Alvy Moore
- Bill ConklinShared titles: They're Playing with Fire (1984), Mortuary (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Conklin
- Curt AyersShared titles: They're Playing with Fire (1984), Mortuary (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Curt Ayers
- Sharon FarrellShared titles: Separate Ways (1981), The Fifth Floor (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Sharon Farrell
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- John CacavasShared titles: They're Playing with Fire (1984), Mortuary (1982), Separate Ways (1981)See all 3 shared titles with John Cacavas
- Gary GraverShared titles: They're Playing with Fire (1984), Mortuary (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Gary Graver
- Stanford C. AllenShared titles: Mortuary (1982), The Fifth Floor (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Stanford C. Allen
Producers
- Ernest KayeShared titles: They're Playing with Fire (1984), Mortuary (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Ernest Kaye
- Edward L. MontoroShared titles: Mortuary (1982), The Fifth Floor (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Edward L. Montoro
- Bill KawataShared titles: Separate Ways (1981), The Fifth Floor (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Kawata
- Lenke RomanszkyShared titles: The Teacher (1974), The Stepmother (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Lenke Romanszky