Diane Kruger
Kruger in 2019
Born
Diane Heidkrüger

(1976-07-15) 15 July 1976 (age 47)
Algermissen, Lower Saxony, West Germany
OccupationActress
Years active1992–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2001; div. 2006)​
Partners
Children1

Diane Kruger (née Heidkrüger; German: [diˈaːnə ˈkʁuːɡɐ]; born 15 July 1976) is a German[1] actress. Early in her career, she gained worldwide recognition and received the Trophée Chopard from the Cannes Film Festival.

Kruger became known for her roles in film as Helen in the epic war film Troy (2004), Dr. Abigail Chase in the heist film National Treasure (2004) and its 2007 sequel, Bridget von Hammersmark in Quentin Tarantino's war film Inglourious Basterds (2009), and Gina in the psychological thriller film Unknown (2011). She also starred as Detective Sonya Cross in the FX crime drama series The Bridge (2013–14). In 2017, she made her German-language debut in Fatih Akin's In the Fade, for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. In 2019, Kruger starred in the spy-thriller The Operative with Martin Freeman.[2]

Early life

Diane Heidkrüger was born on 15 July 1976.[3][4] She grew up in a deeply Catholic German family,[5] and attended Catholic school.[6] She has stated that one of her grandmothers was Polish.[7]

She was brought up in West Germany with her younger brother, Stefan. Her mother sent her to student exchange programs when she was a teenager to improve her English.[8] As a child, Kruger wanted to become a ballerina[9] and successfully auditioned for the Royal Ballet School in London, but a knee injury cut her ballet career short. Later, Kruger moved to Paris, attending drama school and working as a model and began learning and speaking fluent French.[10][11]

Career

Modeling

In 1993, Kruger represented Germany in the Elite Model Look[12] and started modeling afterwards. Despite her relatively short stature for a model, she managed to land bookings such as advertisements from Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo, Giorgio Armani, Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Burberry and Louis Vuitton; runway shows from Marc Jacobs, D&G and Sonia Rykiel; and appearances on the cover of Vogue Paris, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan to her modeling repertoire.[13] She gradually stopped modelling after deciding to pursue a career in acting.

Acting

Kruger at the 2009 Venice Film Festival

Kruger became interested in acting and took lessons at the Cours Florent. She made her film debut in 2002, opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert in The Piano Player, a TV film by Jean-Pierre Roux. The same year, she also starred in her then husband's directorial début Mon Idole.

She played Julie Wood in 2003's Michel Vaillant and Lisa in Wicker Park (2004), alongside Josh Hartnett and Rose Byrne. One of her more high-profile roles to date is her portrayal of Helen of Sparta in Wolfgang Petersen's epic Troy. In 2004, Kruger starred with Nicolas Cage and Sean Bean (who co-starred with her in Troy) in the film National Treasure, going on to appear in films Joyeux Noël (2005) and Copying Beethoven (2006). She reprised her role as Dr. Abigail Chase in National Treasure: Book of Secrets, released in December 2007.

Kruger was the hostess of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.[14] Kruger was a jury member of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008. The festival is chaired by Costa Gavras.

In 2009, she co-starred as a German actress turned Allied spy in Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds. In December 2009, she announced the nominations of the 67th Golden Globe Awards and also picked up nominations from the Screen Actors' Guild for Best Supporting Actress and Outstanding Performance by a Cast of a Motion Picture for her role in Inglourious Basterds.[15]

Kruger played Anna in Jaco Van Dormael's Mr. Nobody. Critical response has praised the film's artistry and Kruger's acting.[16] Kruger made a cameo appearance in an April 2010 episode of the Fox show Fringe, in which her former boyfriend, actor Joshua Jackson, starred. In 2010, Kruger also appeared in Mark Ronson's music video for "Somebody to Love Me", where she plays Boy George.

In the 2011 film Unknown, Kruger starred as Gina, a Bosnian undocumented immigrant, and key character alongside leading actor Liam Neeson.[17] It was also announced in 2011 that Kruger had replaced Eva Green in the role of Marie Antoinette in the French-language film, Les Adieux à la Reine.[18] In 2012, she was named as a member of the Jury for the Main Competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[19] The festival is chaired by Nanni Moretti. She starred in the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel The Host, which was released in March 2013.[20] More recently, Kruger portrayed El Paso, Texas, police officer Sonya Cross on FX's The Bridge, which aired in 2013.[21] In 2015, she was named as a member of the Jury for the Main Competition at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. In 2016, she co-starred in The Infiltrator with Bryan Cranston and John Leguizamo.

In 2017, Kruger made a rare film appearance in Germany in the thriller In the Fade by Fatih Akin, for which she won several awards. In 2019, Kruger replaced Marion Cotillard in the spy movie The 355,[22] playing a BND agent.

In 2022, Kruger starred in the thriller Out of the Blue, opposite Ray Nicholson, son of Jack. The following year, she joined the cast of David Cronenberg's The Shrouds, replacing Léa Seydoux.[23] She will portray three different characters in the film.[24]

Public image

Kruger at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Kruger was included in People's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" 2004 issue. She appeared on Maxim's "Hot 100" list twice, ranking at No. 50 in 2005 and No. 88 in 2009.[25][26][27] She also ranked at No. 83 on AskMen's "Top 99 Women" list in 2010.

Kruger is a brand ambassador for Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre.[28] In December 2009, she was announced as the global "spokesmodel" of L'Oréal.[29] It was announced in May 2010 that she would become the latest face for Calvin Klein's newest fragrance line, Beauty.[30]

Personal life

Kruger is fluent in German, English and French.[31] Additionally, she studied Latin in school for eight years, though she does not speak it.[10] Kruger has stated that she has a fear of horses and will not take part in any films that require her to ride or interact with horses, revealing that she has given up roles in the past because of this. Her fear stems from having been previously thrown off the animals by accident.[32]

In 1999, she began dating French actor and director Guillaume Canet.[33] They were married on 1 September 2001.[34] They acted together in Joyeux Noël (2005) and divorced in 2006.[35] Kruger said that the marriage was unsuccessful because their careers had kept them in different parts of the world.[36]

From 2006 to 2016, she was in a relationship with actor Joshua Jackson.[37]

In 2015, Kruger met actor Norman Reedus on the set of Sky.[38] The two were first seen together as a couple in July 2016.[39] In November 2018, Kruger gave birth to their daughter, her first and his second child.[40]

Filmography

Kruger at the 2009 Venice Film Festival

Film

Year Title Role Language Notes
2001 Point de lendemain [fr] Agnes French Short subject
2002 Duelles Sabine Episode: "Mauvaise conduite"
The Piano Player [de; fr; ru] Erika Nile English American title: The Target[41][42]
Not For, or Against (Quite the Contrary) A call girl French French title: Ni pour, ni contre (bien au contraire)
Mon Idole Clara Broustal English title: Whatever You Say
2003 Michel Vaillant Julie Wood
2004 Troy Helen English
Wicker Park Lisa
Narco La fille du night-club French
National Treasure Abigail Chase English
2005 Joyeux Noël Anna Sørensen French, English,
German
Frankie [fr] Frankie French
2006 Les Brigades du Tigre Constance Radetsky English title: The Tiger Brigades
Copying Beethoven Anna Holtz English
2007 Goodbye Bafana Gloria Gregory
Days of Darkness Véronica Star French French title: L'Âge des ténèbres
The Hunting Party Mirjana English
National Treasure: Book of Secrets Abigail Chase
2008 Anything for Her Lisa French
2009 Inglourious Basterds Bridget von Hammersmark English, French, German
Mr. Nobody Anna English
Farewell Femme jogging French French title: L'Affaire Farewell
2010 Inhale Diane Stanton English
Lily Sometimes [fr] Clara French French title: Pieds nus sur les limaces
2011 Unknown Gina English
Forces spéciales Elsa French English title: Special Forces
2012 Farewell, My Queen Queen Marie Antoinette French title: Les adieux à la Reine
Un plan parfait Isabelle English title: A Perfect Plan / Fly Me to the Moon
2013 The Host The Seeker/Lacey English
Me, Myself and Mum Ingeborg French French title: Les Garçons et Guillaume, à table!
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden Margret Wittmer English Narration/Voice
2014 The Better Angels Sarah Bush Lincoln
2015 Fathers and Daughters Elizabeth
Disorder Jessie French
Sky Romy English
2016 The Infiltrator Kathy Ertz
2017 In the Fade Katja Sekerci German German title: Aus dem Nichts
All That Divides Us Julia Keller French
2018 JT LeRoy Eva English
Welcome to Marwen Deja Thoris
2019 The Operative Rachel
QT8: The First Eight Herself Documentary film[43]
2022 The 355 Marie Schmidt
Out of the Blue Marilyn
Marlowe Clare Cavendish
2023 Visions Estelle French Post-production
TBA Joika Tatiyana Volkova English Post-production
TBA The Shrouds Three Roles[44] English Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Language Notes
2010 Fringe Miranda Greene English Episode: "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver"
2013–2014 The Bridge Detective Sonya Cross English Main role
2022 Swimming with Sharks Joyce Holt English Main role
2023 Marlene Marlene Dietrich TBA Main role

Awards and nominations

Kruger at the 73rd Annual Peabody Awards in 2014
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2003 Cannes Film Festival[45] Chopard Trophy for Female Revelation — Won
2004 Bambi Award[46] — — Won
Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress National Treasure Nominated
2007 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress – Action, Adventure National Treasure: Book of Secrets Nominated
2009 Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Cast Inglourious Basterds Won
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Cast Won
Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
2013 Newport Beach Film Festival[47] Best Actress Un plan parfait Won
2015 Elle Style Awards Best Movie Actress — Won
2017 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress In the Fade Won
Satellite Awards Best Actress – Motion Picture Won [a]
2018 German Film Award Best Actress In the Fade Nominated
2023 Zurich Film Festival Golden Eye Award Visions Won

Honors

Notes

  1. ^ Tied with Sally Hawkins for The Shape of Water

References

  1. ^ "Hollywood-Superstar Diane Kruger wütet gegen deutsche Behörde" (in German). Focus. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (10 February 2019). "The Operative review – deep-cover spy thriller that forgets the thrills". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ^ Okwodu, Janelle (15 July 2021). "Diane Kruger Was a Runway Star First". Vogue. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  4. ^ Asbrink, Hana (15 July 2016). "25 Times Birthday Girl Diane Kruger Wowed Us with Her Fresh-Faced Beauty". InStyle. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Diane Kruger for Marie Claire". Marie Claire. 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010. This month, she speaks openly to Marie Claire about a difficult childhood, her Catholic upbringing...
  6. ^ Hattersley, Giles (2 August 2009). "Diane Kruger on being a 1940s film star-turned-spy". The Times. UK. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  7. ^ "Diane Kruger "Farewell, My Queen" Stephen Holt Show". Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2012 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Friedlander, Noam (2 June 2009). "Diane Kruger interview". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  9. ^ "The 10 best dressed". Matches Fashion. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  10. ^ a b "'When the film has its own life, it's wiser to listen to the film': Diane Kruger and Fatih Akin on In the Fade". National Post. 19 January 2018. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Diane Kruger, in France, Looked Tres Bien to Us". Esquire. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  12. ^ Elite.[usurped] pageantopolis. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
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  20. ^ "'The Host' Premiere: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger Celebrate Stephenie Meyer's Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  21. ^ Siegemund-Broka, Austin (7 September 2013). "'The Bridge': Diane Kruger on Asperger's and Female TV Roles". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
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  28. ^ "Watches for Men: New Boutique: Diane Kruger helps unveil Jaeger-LeCoultre's Cannes boutique". Professionalwatches.com. 28 May 2009. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
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  36. ^ Helen Barlow (9 April 2007). "Vintage Kruger". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  37. ^ Gugliemi, Jodi (18 July 2016). "Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson Have Split After 10 Years Together". People. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
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  39. ^ Guglielmi, Jodi (22 March 2017). "Yes, They're Dating! Diane Kruger and Norman Reedus Spotted Kissing in N.Y.C." people.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  40. ^ Juneau, Jen (2 November 2018). "Diane Kruger and Norman Reedus Welcome First Child Together". People. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
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  42. ^ "The Target (2002) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
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