Irm Hermann, star of 20 Fassbinder films, dies aged 77

Irm Hermann, one of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s closest collaborators, has died in Berlin aged 77 following what her agent called a “short, serious illness”.

The actor, who was a staple of German theatre, TV and radio, made her name for her work with the uncompromising and virtuosic director, who she first encountered while working at the German automobile association.

Fassbinder persuaded her to quit her secretarial role and, despite no formal acting training, star in his 1966 short film, Der Stadtstreicher.

The success of that paved the way for both their careers: Hermann starred in some 20 Fassbinder films, including The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant and Fear Eats the Soul, often as frosty, heartless matriarchs, although in other roles Hermann also exhibited a remarkable gift for self-deprecation.

The pair also had a romantic relationship, although after Fassbinder’s death aged 37 in 1982, Hermann claimed he had been physically abusive.

Hermann also starred in Werner Herzog’s 1979 film Woyzeck, alongside Klaus Kinski, and in Loriot’s cult 1991 film Pappa Ante Portas.

Related: The bitter tears of Fassbinder's women

Three years ago came a fresh wave of fame when she played Ploppi’s grandmother in German family box office smash Fack ju Göhte 3.

Hermann was a regular on the German stage, as well as in TV and radio productions. She married the children’s book writer Dietmar Roberg, and she is survived by Roberg and their sons, Franz Tizian and Fridolin.