German actress Eva-Maria Hagen has passed away

German actress Eva-Maria Hagen passed away on August 16 at the age of 87 in Hamburg, her management announced on Friday, at her family's request.

Hagen was a major movie star in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) before she came into conflict with the East German leadership over her support for her erstwhile lover Wolf Biermann, a songwriter and GDR dissident.

After leaving the GDR in 1977, Hagen only began starring in films again after the reunification of Germany.

Known as the 'Brigitte Bardot of the GDR,' she starred in movies, plays, television films and musicals.