HULLER
Sandra

• 1. Life and career

Sandra Hüller is a German actress. She gained critical praise for her portrait of Anneliese Michel in Hans-Christian Schmid's drama Requiem (2006), and is best known internationally for her starring role in Maren Ade's comedy Toni Erdmann (2016). Besides Julia Jentsch, Nina Hoss and Paula Beer she is the only German actress to win either the European Film Award or the Silver Bear for Best Actress, top honors of the European Film Academy and Berlin Film Festival, in the 21st century. Hüller has starred in German, Austrian, American, British and French films.

Life and career

Hüller was born in Suhl, East Germany. She studied theater from 1996 to 2000 at the Hochschule Für Schauspielkunst "Ernst Busch", Berlin. She appeared from 1998 to 2001 at the Jena Theater, Thuringia and then for one year at the Schauspiel Leipzig. It was Oliver Held who recommended her to the Theater Basel, Switzerland where she appeared until 2006.

Prior to the release of Toni Erdmann in 2016, Hüller was best known for her role as Michaela Klingler in Hans-Christian Schmid's film Requiem, for which she won the Berlin Film Festival Award for Best Actress in 2006.

In 2014, she won the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Franziska Feldenhoven in Frauke Finsterwalder's film Finsterworld.

In 2019, she appeared in two French films, Justine Triet's Sibyl, where she played film director Mika, and in Alice Winocour's Proxima as the psychologist Wendy.

In 2023, Hüller portrayed Contess Irma Sztáray in Frauke Finsterwalder's historical black comedy film Sisi & I, a retelling of the later years of Empress Elisabeth of Austria from the point of view of her lady-in-waiting, Irma Sztáray. The film had its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin Film Festival on 19 February 2023, and was released in Germany on 30 March 2023. Hüller was nominated for the German Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film.

Hüller will have two films in main competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival; the French film Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet, and the American-British-Polish film The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer.