Sandra Hüller

Sandra Hüller (born 30 April 1978) is a German actress. She has appeared in German, Austrian, American, British, and French films. She has received various accolades, including two European Film Awards, a César Award and three German Film Awards, along with nominations for an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Hüller has played Anneliese Michel in Hans-Christian Schmid's 2006 drama Requiem, for which she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress, and a troubled daughter in Maren Ade's 2016 comedy Toni Erdmann, for which she won her first European Film Award for Best Actress. She portrayed Irma Sztáray in Frauke Finsterwalder's 2023 historical black comedy Sisi & I. International recognition came in 2023 for her starring roles in Jonathan Glazer's Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest and Justine Triet's legal drama Anatomy of a Fall. Her performances in them earned her two BAFTA Film Award nominations, while the latter won her a European Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Early life and education
Hüller was born in Suhl, Thuringia, East Germany, and grew up in Oberhof and Friedrichroda, small villages in the heavily forested state of Thuringia. She is the elder of two children, with parents who were educators; her father Reiner taught at a center for apprentices, her mother Kornelia gave after-school tutoring.

Hüller cut off her hair, dyed it red, and joined a drama club as a teenager. "I took part in the theatre workshop at school and really enjoyed it, but I never thought that it could be a profession for me. It was more of a hobby", Hüller said.

In high school, Hüller had her stage debut with the 1996 production Wir Voodookinder directed by Robert Lehniger at the Theatertreffen der Jugend in Berlin.

From 1996, Hüller studied acting at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin, graduating in 2003. After graduating, Hüller left Berlin and spent two years at a theatre southwest of Leipzig, then moved to Switzerland to join the Theater Basel.

Hüller speaks German, English, French and Spanish.

Career


Hüller appeared from 1998 to 2001 at the Theaterhaus Jena, Thuringia and then for one year at the Schauspiel  Leipzig. It was Oliver Held, a playwright from Jena, who recommended her to the Theater Basel in Switzerland, where she appeared until 2006.

In 2006, Hüller appeared as Michaela Klingler in Hans-Christian Schmid's film Requiem, for which she won the 56th Berlin International Film Festival's Award for Best Actress and her first German Film Award.

In 2009, Hüller appeared as Elizabeth I, in Virgin Queen at Prater Volksbühne theatre, and in the music-theater-show For Love, directed by Tom Schneider, based on the works of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.

In 2012, at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, Hüller was – alongside Emily Jacir and David OReilly – part of the jury that chose Justine Triet's Vilaine Fille Mauvais Garçon as the festival's best short film.

From 2012 to 2015, Hüller was a member of the company at the Munich Kammerspiele, where she worked with director Johan Simons on several plays, notably Elfriede Jelinek's ''Die Straße. Die Stadt. Der Überfall.'' in 2013.

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

In 2016, Hüller co-founded the FARN.collective theater group. She accepted the invitation to become a member of Berlin's Academy of Arts in 2017.

In 2018, Hüller became a member of the company at the Schauspiel Bochum, again working with Johan Simons. In 2018, she played the lead role in Simons' adaptation of Penthesilea in Bochum and at the Salzburg Festival.

In 2019, Hüller appeared in Johan Simons' award-winning, gender-switched version of Hamlet. In 2019, Hüller was part of the 69th Berlin International Film Festival's jury, chaired by Juliette Binoche. Later 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 Countess 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. 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.

In 2023, Hüller starred in two films that premiered in main competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival; the French legal drama Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet, which won the Palme d'Or, and the American-British-Polish Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer, which won the Grand Prix. She won her second European Film Award for Best Actress for Anatomy of a Fall, while also being nominated for The Zone of Interest. She also earned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Anatomy of a Fall, as well as BAFTA Film Award nominations for both Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. She also won the César Award for Best Actress for Anatomy of a Fall.

In June 2024, Hüller was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Hüller is scheduled to direct Penthesile:a:s by Marie Dilasser at the Neues Theater Halle/Saale in 2025.

Other activities
In 2024, Hüller appeared in the first-ever advertising campaign of Phoebe Philo's eponymous fashion brand.

Personal life
Hüller considers Thuringia as home.

Hüller lives in Leipzig-Plagwitz, Germany, with her daughter, who was born in 2011.

Hüller is a licensed forklift operator, certified for a role in Thomas Stuber’s In the Aisles.

Radio plays

 * 2013: Paul Plamper: Der Kauf, produced by Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Deutschlandfunk and Schauspiel Köln
 * 2017: Paul Plamper: Dienstbare Geister, produced by Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Deutschlandfunk, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Ruhrtriennale and Maxim Gorki Theater
 * 2016: Franz Kafka, Das Schloss, produced by Bayerischer Rundfunk and Hörspiel und Medienkunst
 * 2021: Kirsten Becken: Ihre Geister sehen, produced by Deutschlandfunk

Audio books

 * 2013: Finn-Ole Heinrich: Die erstaunlichen Abenteuer der Maulina Schmitt – Mein kaputtes Königreich. (Hörcompany)
 * 2014: Finn-Ole Heinrich: Die erstaunlichen Abenteuer der Maulina Schmitt – Warten auf Wunder. (Hörcompany)
 * 2015: Finn-Ole Heinrich: Die erstaunlichen Abenteuer der Maulina Schmitt – Ende des Universums (Hörcompany)
 * 2015: Karen Köhler: Wir haben Raketen geangelt (tacheles!/Roof Music)
 * 2017: Mariana Leky: Was man von hier aus sehen kann (tacheles!/Roof Music)
 * 2018: Wolfgang Herrndorf: Bilder deiner großen Liebe: Ein großer Monolog mit Musik (tacheles!/Roof Music)
 * 2019: Mariana Leky: Die Herrenausstatterin (tacheles!/Roof Music)
 * 2019: Mariana Leky: Erste Hilfe (tacheles!/Roof Music)

Awards and nominations
Besides Julia Jentsch and Paula Beer, Hüller is the only German actress to win both the European Film Award and the Silver Bear for Best Actress, top honors of the European Film Academy and Berlin Film Festival, in the 21st century.

For her performance in Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Hüller became the third German actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and the first German actress to be nominated since Luise Rainer in 1937.