Elsner appeared in her first film, Alt Heidelberg (Old Heidelberg), in 1959 at age 17.German actor Hannelore Elsner dies aged 76 dated 23 April 2019 at Deutsche Welle online, retrieved 12 May 2019 She was discovered for more serious acting by Edgar Reitz, who cast her alongside Elke Sommer for a lead role in the 1973 film Die Reise nach Wien (Trip to Vienna), her first role outside Germany. Later she starred in films and TV series such as Die Schwarzwaldklinik (The Black Forest Clinic). Elsner is remembered for the title role, Inspector Lea Sommer, in the German detective series Die Kommissarin which aired on public television in 66 episodes from 1994 to 2006. She was the first woman to play an inspector in a television series.
