Alexandra Maria Lara (''née'' Plătăreanu; 12 November 1978) is a Romanian-German actress who has appeared in ''

Downfall Downfall may refer to: Books * ''The Downfall'' (novel), an 1892 book by Émile Zola * ''Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire'', a 1999 book by Richard B. Frank about the last days of World War II * ''Downfall'', a 2001 Dragonlance ...

'' (2004), '' Control'' (2007), '' Youth Without Youth'' (2007), ''

The Reader ''The Reader'' (german: Der Vorleser) is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in Germany in 1995 and in the United States in 1997. The story is a parable, dealing with the difficulties post-war German generations ...

'' (2008), ''

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

'' (2013), and ''

Geostorm ''Geostorm'' is a 2017 American science fiction disaster film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Dean Devlin (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Ed Harris, and Andy García. It fol ...

'' (2017).

Early life

Born in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

, Lara is the only child of Valentin Plătăreanu, an actor, and his wife, Doina. In 1983, her family fled to

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

to escape

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He w ...

's regime in

Communist Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian Peop ...

. Although the family had planned to emigrate to Canada, they settled in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

, before eventually moving to

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Career

By sixteen, she was playing lead roles in various television dramas; since then, she has appeared in films, including as

Traudl Junge Gertraud "Traudl" Junge (; 16 March 1920 – 10 February 2002) was a German editor who worked as Adolf Hitler's last private secretary from December 1942 to April 1945. After typing Hitler's will, she remained in the Berlin ''Führerbunker'' unt ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

's secretary, in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

-nominated 2004 film ''

''; following this,

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...

wrote her a letter and gave her a leading role in '' Youth Without Youth'' (2007). In 2007 she also appeared as Belgian journalist Annik Honoré in the film '' Control'', the

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums '' Unknown ...

biopic. In 2008, she served as a member of the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

jury. She has also appeared in several French productions, including ''

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

'' and '' L'Affaire Farewell''. She appeared in ''

'' and ''

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex ''The Baader Meinhof Complex'' (german: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, ) is a 2008 German drama film directed by Uli Edel. Written and produced by Bernd Eichinger, it stars Moritz Bleibtreu, Martina Gedeck, and Johanna Wokalek. The film is b ...

'' which were both nominated for the 81st Academy Awards, for best picture and best foreign language film, respectively. In 2018 she starred with her real life husband Sam Riley in '' Happy New Year, Colin Burstead'' by

Ben Wheatley Benjamin Wheatley (born 7 May 1972) is an English filmmaker and screenwriter. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and tel ...

, playing his German girlfriend.

Personal life

MJK 68021 Alexandra Maria Lara und Sam Riley (Berlinale 2020)

In August 2009, Lara married English actor Sam Riley, with whom she acted in the films '' Control'' and '' Suite Française''. In January 2014, she gave birth to their first child, a boy. They also played a couple on-screen in

's drama '' Happy New Year, Colin Burstead''.

Filmography

*''Stella Stellaris'' (1994, TV miniseries) *''I Desire You'' (1995), as Mädchen am Bahnhof *'' Mensch, Pia!'' (1996, TV series,

breakthrough role A breakthrough role, also known as a breakout role, is a term in the film industry to describe the performance of an actor or actress which contributed significantly to the development of their career and beginning of critical recognition. The si ...

), as Pia Mangold *'': Tote weinen nicht'' (1997, TV), as Laura *''Das Vorsprechen'' (1997, Short), as Junge Schauspielerin *''Die Mädchenfalle – Der Tod kommt online'' (1998, TV Movie), as Silke Hartmann *''

Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by ...

: Fürstenschüler'' (1998, TV), as Kerstin *' (1998, TV Movie), as Renate - jung *''

Polizeiruf 110 ''Polizeiruf 110'' ("Police call 110") is a long-running German-language detective television series likened to Poirot. The name links to the emergency telephone number of the ''Volkspolizei''. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the ...

: Sumpf'' (1999, TV), as Meike *''Sperling (Sperling und der falsche Freund)'' (1999, TV) *''Südsee, eigene Insel'' (1999), as Sandra *''Vertrauen ist alles'' (2000, TV film), as Jennifer Blankenburg *''Lady Cop (ep. Die Geliebte des Killers)'' (2000, TV), as Sabine Sasse *''Fisimatenten'' (2000), as Hanna *''

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

'' (2000), as Melanie *''Luftpiraten – 113 Passagiere in Todesangst'' (2000, TV Movie), as Nicolette *'' The Tunnel'' (TV film, 2001), as Charlotte 'Lotte' Lohmann *''Honolulu'' (2001), as Cleonise *''99 Euro Films'' (2001) (segment "Privat") *'' Leo & Claire'' (2001), as Käthe Katzenberger *''Liebe und Verrat'' (2002, TV film), as Marie Irimia *'' If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer'' (2002), as Astrid *''Schleudertrauma'' (2002, TV film), as Doreen *''

Naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

'' (2002), as Annette *''

'' (2002, TV miniseries), as Comtesse Marie Walewska *'' Doctor Zhivago'' (2002, TV series), as Tonya Gromyko Zhivago *' (2002, TV film), as Princess Amélie (Anna Amalia) *' (2004, TV miniseries), as Camilla Senger, geb. Hofmann *''Leise Krieger'' (2004, Short), as Nora *'' Der Untergang'' (''Downfall'') (2004, directed by

Oliver Hirschbiegel Oliver Hirschbiegel (born 29 December 1957) is a German film director. His works include ''Das Experiment'' and the Oscar-nominated ''Downfall''. Life and career Hirschbiegel was born in Hamburg, Germany. A Waldorf graduate, Hirschbiegel studi ...

), as

*''Cowgirl'' (2004), as Johanna 'Paula' Jakobi / Murderous Lady im Film Noir *' (2005), as Venus Morgenstern *' (2005), as Ida *'' Offset'' (2006), as Brindusa Herghelegiu *'' Wo ist Fred?'' (2006), as Denise Poppnick *''

The Company ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (2007, TV miniseries), as Lili *'' Control'' (2007, directed by

Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner"' ...

), as Annik Honore *'' I Really Hate My Job'' (2007), as Suzie *'' Youth Without Youth'' (2007, directed by

), as Veronica / Laura / Rupini *'' Miracle at St. Anna'' (2008, directed by

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

), as Axis Sally *'' The Baader Meinhof Complex'' (2008, directed by

Uli Edel Ulrich "Uli" Edel (; born 11 April 1947) is a German film and television director, best known for his work on films such as ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' and '' Body of Evidence.'' His '' Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny'' won a Golden Globe for ...

), as Petra Schelm *''

'' (2008, directed by

Stephen Daldry Stephen David Daldry CBE (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Olivier Awards for his work in the West End and three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway. He has received thr ...

), as Young Ilana Mather *' (2009), as Juliana Lukas *''

The City of Your Final Destination ''The City of Your Final Destination'' is a 2009 American romantic drama film directed by James Ivory and starring Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Metwally, Hiroyuki Sanada and Norma Aleandro. It was written by Ruth Pra ...

'' (2009, directed by

James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. For many years, he worked extensively with Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, his domestic as well as professional partner, and with screen ...

), as Deirdre Rothemund *''

Farewell Farewell or fare well is a parting phrase. The terms may also refer to: Places * Farewell, Missouri, a community in the United States * Farewell and Chorley, a location in the United Kingdom near Lichfield, site of the former Farewell Priory Fil ...

'' (2009), as Jessica *'' City of Life'' (2009), as Natalia Moldovan *'' The Nazi Officer's Wife'' (2010) *'' A Distant Neighborhood'' (2010, directed by Sam Garbarski), as Anna Verniaz *'' Small World'' (2010), as Simone Senn *' (2011, directed by

Detlev Buck Detlev Buck (; born 1 December 1962 in Bad Segeberg) is a German film director, actor, producer and screenwriter. Life and work From his first short film at the age of 21 in 1982, ', he has remained one of the most important filmmakers working ...

), as Sarah *''Nachtlärm'' (2012), as Livia *'' Imagine'' (2012, directed by Andrzej Jakimowski), as Eva *''Move On (2012), as Szefowa Lena *''

'' (2013, directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

), as Marlene Lauda *'' Suite Française'' (2015, directed by

Saul Dibb Saul Dibb (born 18 August 1968) is an English director and screenwriter. His father is the documentary maker Mike Dibb. Born in London, England, Saul Dibb is a graduate of the University of East Anglia. He is best known for co-writing and direct ...

), as Leah *'' The Most Beautiful Day'' (2016), as Mona *''Robbi, Tobbi und das Fliewatüüt'' (2016), as Sharon Schalldämpfer *''

Sing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music ( arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or ...

'' (2016, directed by Garth Jennings), as Rosita (German

dubbing Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production so ...

, originally performed by

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...

) *'' Vier gegen die Bank'' (2016, directed by

Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...

), as Freddie *''

'' (2017, directed by

Dean Devlin Dean Devlin (born August 27, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actor of film and television. He is best known for his collaborations with director Roland Emmerich, and for his work on the ''Librarian'' and ''Leverage' ...

), as Ute Fassbinder *'' 25 km/h'' (2018, directed by Marcus Goller), as Ingrid *' (2018), as Antonia Berger *'' Happy New Year, Colin Burstead'' (2018, directed by

), as Hannah *'' The Collini Case'' (2019, directed by

Marco Kreuzpaintner Marco Johann Kreuzpaintner (born 11 March 1977) is a German film director, executive producer and screenwriter. Career In 1999, he began his career in the role of German dubbing assistant for the Stanley Kubrick film '' Eyes Wide Shut''. In ...

), as Johanna *''Børning 3: Asphalt Burning'' (2020), as Robin *'' The King's Man'' (2021, directed by

Matthew Vaughn Matthew Allard de Vere Drummond (born Matthew Allard Robert Vaughn; 7 March 1971) is an English filmmaker. He has produced films including ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998) and '' Snatch'' (2000), and directed ''Layer Cake'' (2004 ...

), as Emily Oxford

References

External links

* *
2005 interview
on cineastentreff.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Lara, Alexandra Maria 1978 births 21st-century German actresses Actresses from Bucharest Französisches Gymnasium Berlin alumni German film actresses Living people Romanian emigrants to Germany Romanian film actresses 21st-century Romanian actresses