Sandra Hüller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sandra Hüller
Hüller in 2023
Born	(1978-04-30) 30 April 1978 (age 47) Suhl, East Germany
Alma mater	Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1998–present
Children	1
Awards	Full list

Sandra Hüller (born April 30, 1978) is a famous German actress. She has acted in movies from Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. Sandra has won many important awards, like two European Film Awards, a César Award, and three German Film Awards. She was also nominated for an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) and two BAFTA Awards.

Sandra Hüller played Anneliese Michel in the 2006 movie Requiem. For this role, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award. She also starred in the 2016 comedy Toni Erdmann, where she played a daughter with problems. This role earned her first European Film Award for Best Actress. In 2023, she acted as Irma Sztáray in the historical comedy Sisi & I.

She became very well-known around the world in 2023. This was because of her main roles in two big movies: Anatomy of a Fall, a legal drama, and The Zone of Interest, a movie about the Holocaust. Her acting in Anatomy of a Fall won her another European Film Award and a César Award. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for this film.

Early Life and Education

Sandra Hüller was born in Suhl, a town in Thuringia, which was part of East Germany at the time. She grew up in small villages called Oberhof and Friedrichroda. These villages are in a very forested area of Thuringia. Sandra is the older of two children. Her parents were both teachers. Her father taught at a center for students learning a trade, and her mother helped students with their homework after school.

As a teenager, Sandra cut her hair short, dyed it red, and joined a drama club. She said, "I took part in the theatre workshop at school and really enjoyed it. But I never thought it could be my job. It was more of a hobby." Her first time acting on a stage was in 1996. This was in a play called Wir Voodookinder in Berlin. From 1996, Sandra studied acting at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. She finished her studies in 2003.

After graduating, Sandra left Berlin. She spent two years acting at a theater near Leipzig. Then, she moved to Switzerland to join the Theater Basel. Sandra can speak German, English, French, and Spanish.

Career Highlights

Hüller in 2023

From 1998 to 2001, Sandra Hüller performed at the Theaterhaus Jena. After that, she spent a year at the Schauspiel Leipzig theater. A writer from Jena, Oliver Held, suggested her to the Theater Basel in Switzerland. She worked there until 2006.

In 2006, Sandra played Michaela Klingler in the film Requiem. For this role, she won the 56th Berlin International Film Festival's Award for Best Actress. She also won her first German Film Award.

In 2009, Sandra played Elizabeth I in a play called Virgin Queen. She also appeared in a music-theater show called For Love. This show was based on the music of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.

In 2012, Sandra was part of the jury at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. She helped choose the best short film at the festival.

From 2012 to 2015, Sandra was a member of the acting group at the Munich Kammerspiele. She worked with director Johan Simons on several plays. One important play was Die Straße. Die Stadt. Der Überfall. in 2013.

In 2014, Sandra won the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. This was for her role as Franziska Feldenhoven in the film Finsterworld.

In 2016, Sandra helped start a theater group called FARN.collective. In 2017, she was invited to become a member of Berlin's Academy of Arts.

In 2018, Sandra joined the acting group at the Schauspiel Bochum. She worked with Johan Simons again. She played the main role in Simons' play Penthesilea.

In 2019, Sandra acted in Johan Simons' play Hamlet, where the roles were switched between genders. Also in 2019, Sandra was part of the jury at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. Later that year, she appeared in two French films. She played a film director named Mika in Sibyl. She also played a psychologist named Wendy in Proxima.

In 2023, Sandra played Countess Irma Sztáray in the historical comedy film Sisi & I. This movie tells the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria from the point of view of her lady-in-waiting. The film first showed at the 73rd Berlin Film Festival in February 2023. It was released in Germany in March 2023. Sandra was nominated for the German Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in this film.

Also in 2023, Sandra starred in two films that were shown at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. One was the French legal drama Anatomy of a Fall, which won the top prize, the Palme d'Or. The other was the American-British-Polish Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest, which won the Grand Prix. She won her second European Film Award for Best Actress for Anatomy of a Fall. She was also nominated for this award for The Zone of Interest. She also received nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Anatomy of a Fall. She was nominated for BAFTA Film Awards 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, Sandra Hüller was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars.

Sandra Hüller is planning to direct a play called Penthesile:a:s in 2025.

Other Activities

In 2024, Sandra Hüller appeared in the first advertising campaign for fashion designer Phoebe Philo's clothing brand.

In July 2024, Sandra Hüller named a ship called Sea-Eye 5 for the Sea-Eye organization. This group helps people crossing the sea. In an interview, she spoke about how she felt about European migration policies.

Personal Life

Sandra Hüller feels that Thuringia is her home.

She lives in Leipzig-Plagwitz, Germany, with her daughter. Her daughter was born in 2011.

Sandra Hüller is also a licensed forklift operator. She got this license for a role in the movie In the Aisles.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio Plays

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

Sandra Hüller is one of only a few German actresses to win both the European Film Award and the Silver Bear for Best Actress. These are two very important awards from the European Film Academy and the Berlin Film Festival.

For her role in Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Sandra Hüller became the third German actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She is the first German actress to be nominated for this award since 1937!

See also

In Spanish: Sandra Hüller para niños