Sirk was born Hans Detlef Sierck in Hamburg, Germany. His parent were Danish. He grew up in Denmark, but moved to Germany as a teenager. His theater career began in 1922 and his movie career in 1934. He left Germany in 1937. By 1942 he was directing movies in Hollywood. He is famous for lush romantic movies made between 1952 and 1958. At the height of his career, he quit making movies. He left the United States. Sirk died in Lugano, Switzerland about thirty years later. In 1985, he was awarded the Bavarian Film Award, Honorary Award.