Gunnar Heckscher
Heckscher was born in Djursholm, son of economist Eli Heckscher. He graduated from Uppsala University in 1927 and obtained a PhD 1934. He lectured in political science at Uppsala between 1933 and 1941 and at what later became Stockholm University between 1941 and 1948. He was Dean of the Social Institute of Stockholm 1945-1954. He became a professor in 1948 and worked at both the Social Institute and at Stockholm University.
Helke Sander
When Sanders was 8 years old, she and her mother survived the firestorm bombing of Dresden during WWII. By the time she had graduated high school, she had been to 15 various schools around Germany. She received her Abitur in Remscheid in 1957 and went on to study acting at Ida Ehre School in Hamburg.
In 1959, she married Finnish writer Markku Lahtela in 1959, and had a son, Silvio Lahtela. After the birth of Silvio, Sanders and her family moved to Helsinki where she studied Germanistics and psychology at the University of Helsinki. Sanders also directed and performed in Ernst Toller's play "Der deutsche Hinkemann and Grass' "Noch zehn Minuten bis Buffalo." On the side, she also taught classes on drama and improvisation. From 1966 to 1969, she studied at the newly founded film school 'Deutsche Film und Fernsehakademie'. Sanders' work in cinema is very closely linked to her political engagement as a feminist.