Ingrid van Bergen disinherits daughter and grandchildren in will

The will of late German actress Ingrid van Bergen has been opened at the Winsen District Court, revealing that she has disinherited her daughter, Andrea, and her grandchildren.

According to the handwritten document, which was drafted in 2009, van Bergen cited a lack of care from her daughter, stating, ‘My daughter Andrea, who has not looked after me for decades, and I am also disinheriting the grandchildren.’

Instead, van Bergen left her entire estate to her long-time friend, Sieglinde Schnitzler. The inheritance includes her share of a property in Eyendorf, all movable and immovable inventory, and her animals. The two women had maintained a close friendship since meeting in prison during the 1970s. Schnitzler, who cared for the actress until her death in November 2025, expressed that she is mourning her friend rather than celebrating the inheritance.