Alexandra Maria Lara
BIO
Alexandra Maria Lara (born Alexandra Plătăreanu on November 12, 1978) is a Romanian-German actress. Lara is best known for her roles in THE DOWNFALL (2005) and YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (2007).
Born in Bucharest, Lara is the only child of Valentin Plătăreanu, a famous Bucharest actor. At the age of four (in 1983) her family decided to flee to West Germany to escape from the Nicolae Ceauşescu regime in Communist Romania. Although the family had originally planned to emigrate to Canada, they settled down in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, before eventually moving to Berlin. After graduating at the Französisches Gymnasium Berlin in 1997, Lara started studying acting under the management of her father, co-founder of the Theaterwerkstatt Charlottenburg, until 2000.
By the age of 16 she was already playing leading roles in various television dramas. Since then her career has developed and she has become a respected film actress worldwide. Her most famous role to date, which has resulted in international recognition, is as Traudl Junge, Adolf Hitler’s secretary in the Oscar Nominated 2004 film THE DOWNFALL . Due to her convincing performance in THE DOWNFALL (2004), Francis Ford Coppola wrote her a letter and gave her a leading role in YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (2007).
In 2008 she took part in the German productions THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX (an Eichinger production) and in KAIFECK MURDERS next to Benno Fürmann.
Aside from her roles in various films in that year, she was member of the feature film jury at the Cannes Filmfestival 2008. Several international films followed, like THE COMPANY, THE CITY OF FINAL DESTINATION , Anton Corbijns’ film about JOY DIVISION leadsinger Ian Curtis CONTROL, Spike Lee’s MIRACLE IN ST. ANNA and Stephen Daldry’s THE READER. At the End of 2009 Alexandra Maria Lara played the leading role in Sam Garbaski’s film QUARTIER LOINTAIN.
One year later she was on camera with the leading female part in Bruno Chiches SMALL WORLD beside Gerard Depardieu. The film based on the same titled novel by Martin Suter. 2011 three cinema productions followed: First Alexandra Maria Lara acted in Detlev Buck’s RUBBELDIEKATZ side by side with German actor Matthias Schweighöfer. After that she played the leading role in IMAGINE under direction of Andrzej Jakimowski. In autumn 2011 she acted in Christoph Staub’s film NACHTLÄRM, the second time she played in a film based on a Script of Martin Suter. In 2012 the international production 33 DAYS - BORN TO BE WILD followed, with Alexandra Maria Lara as Marlene Knaus (the wife of Niki Lauda
BACK
By the age of 16 she was already playing leading roles in various television dramas. Since then her career has developed and she has become a respected film actress worldwide. Her most famous role to date, which has resulted in international recognition, is as Traudl Junge, Adolf Hitler’s secretary in the Oscar Nominated 2004 film THE DOWNFALL . Due to her convincing performance in THE DOWNFALL (2004), Francis Ford Coppola wrote her a letter and gave her a leading role in YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (2007).
In 2008 she took part in the German productions THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX (an Eichinger production) and in KAIFECK MURDERS next to Benno Fürmann.
Aside from her roles in various films in that year, she was member of the feature film jury at the Cannes Filmfestival 2008. Several international films followed, like THE COMPANY, THE CITY OF FINAL DESTINATION , Anton Corbijns’ film about JOY DIVISION leadsinger Ian Curtis CONTROL, Spike Lee’s MIRACLE IN ST. ANNA and Stephen Daldry’s THE READER. At the End of 2009 Alexandra Maria Lara played the leading role in Sam Garbaski’s film QUARTIER LOINTAIN.
One year later she was on camera with the leading female part in Bruno Chiches SMALL WORLD beside Gerard Depardieu. The film based on the same titled novel by Martin Suter. 2011 three cinema productions followed: First Alexandra Maria Lara acted in Detlev Buck’s RUBBELDIEKATZ side by side with German actor Matthias Schweighöfer. After that she played the leading role in IMAGINE under direction of Andrzej Jakimowski. In autumn 2011 she acted in Christoph Staub’s film NACHTLÄRM, the second time she played in a film based on a Script of Martin Suter. In 2012 the international production 33 DAYS - BORN TO BE WILD followed, with Alexandra Maria Lara as Marlene Knaus (the wife of Niki Lauda