Born Dorothea Gerson in Berlin, Germany, Gerson began her career as a touring singer and actress in the Holtorf Tournee Truppe alongside actor Mathias Wieman in Germany where she met and married her first husband, film director Veit Harlan.
Having made her debut as Hansel in Remscheid in 1942, she then added Cherubino, Mignon and Azucena to her roles.
Judith Holfelder had lived in Berlin until the age of six.