Sophie Scholl

Activist

Birthday May 9, 1921

Birth Sign Taurus

Birthplace Germany

DEATH DATE Feb 22, 1943 (21)

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About

Remembered for her mid-twentieth-century anti-Nazi activism, she belonged to a non-violent, student resistance group called the White Rose and was executed for handing out what the Nazi government deemed treasonous political literature.

Before Fame

Before joining the White Rose, she worked as a kindergarten teacher and went on to study philosophy and biology at the University of Munich.

Trivia

She was the subject of the Academy Award-nominated film Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (Sophie Scholl: The Final Days). Actress Julia Jentsch won both German and European Film Awards for her portrayal of Scholl.

Family Life

The daughter of leftist politician Robert Scholl, she grew up in Forchtenberg, Ludwigsburg, and Ulm, Germany, with siblings named Inge, Hans, Elisabeth, Sophie, Werner, and Thilde. Her brother Hans was also put to death for his dissemination of anti-Nazi pamphlets, and her boyfriend, Fritz Hartnagel, ultimately married her sister Elisabeth.

Associated With

She and fellow activist Lillian Hellman were both part of the Nazi resistance movement.