Alexandra Maria Lara (née Plătăreanu; 12 November 1978) is a Romanian-German actress, best known internationally for her roles in the films Downfall (2004), Control (2007), Youth Without Youth (2007), The Reader (2008), Rush (2013), and Geostorm (2017). From 2022 to 2025, she served as co-president of the Deutsche Filmakademie.
Alongside Florian Gallenberger, Lara served as president of the Deutsche Filmakademie from 2022 to 2025.
Personal life
thumb|200px|Lara with husband [[Sam Riley at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on 20 February 2020]]
In August 2009 Lara married English actor Sam Riley, with whom she had acted in the films Control and Suite Française. In January 2014 she gave birth to their first child, a boy. They played a couple on screen in Ben Wheatley's drama Happy New Year, Colin Burstead.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Film
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1995
|I Desire You
|Mädchen am Bahnhof
|
|-
|1997
|Das Vorsprechen
|Junge Schauspielerin
|Short film
|-
| rowspan="2" |1999
|Sperling (Sperling und der falsche Freund)
|
|
|-
|Our Island in the South Pacific
|Sandra
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2000
|Just Messing About
|Hanna
|
|-
|Crazy
|Melanie
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2001
|Honolulu
|Cleonise
|
|-
|99 Euro Films
|
|Segment "Privat"
|-
|Leo & Claire
|Käthe Katzenberger
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2002
|If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer
|Astrid
|
|-
|Naked
|Annette
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2004
|Leise Krieger
|Nora
|Short film
|-
|Downfall
|Traudl Junge
|
|-
|Cowgirl
|Johanna 'Paula' Jakobi / Murderous Lady im Film Noir
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2005
|'
|Venus Morgenstern
|
|-
|'
|Ida
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2006
|Offset
|Brindusa Herghelegiu
|
|-
|Where Is Fred?
|Denise Poppnick
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2007
|Control
|Annik Honore
|
|-
|I Really Hate My Job
|Suzie
|
|-
|Youth Without Youth
|Veronica / Laura / Rupini
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2008
|Miracle at St. Anna
|Axis Sally
|
|-
|The Baader Meinhof Complex
|Petra Schelm
|
|-
|The Reader
|Young Ilana Mather
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |2009
|'
|Juliana Lukas
|
|-
|The City of Your Final Destination
|Deirdre Rothemund
|
|-
|Farewell
|Jessica
|
|-
|City of Life
|Natalia Moldovan
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2010
|The Nazi Officer's Wife
|
|
|-
|A Distant Neighborhood
|Anna Verniaz
|
|-
|Small World
|Simone Senn
|
|-
|2011
|'
|Sarah
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2012
|'
|Livia
|
|-
|Imagine
|Eva
|
|-
|Move On
|Lena
|
|-
|2013
|Rush
|Marlene Lauda
|
|-
|2015
|Suite Française
|Leah
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |2016
|The Most Beautiful Day
|Mona
|
|-
|Robbi, Tobbi und das Fliewatüüt
|Sharon Schalldämpfer (voice)
|
|-
|Sing
|Rosita (voice)
|German-language dub
|-
|Vier gegen die Bank
|Freddie
|
|-
|2017
|Geostorm
|Ute Fassbinder
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2018
|25 km/h
|Ingrid
|
|-
|'
|Antonia Berger
|
|-
|Happy New Year, Colin Burstead
|Hannah
|
|-
|2019
|The Collini Case
|Johanna
|
|-
|2020
|Børning 3: Asphalt Burning
|Robin
|
|-
|2021
|The King's Man
|Emily Oxford
|
|-
|2022
|The Sitting Duck
|Julie
|
|-
|2025
|Bulk
|Aclima
|
|-
|2026
|Eat Pray Bark
|Ursula Brandmeier
|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Film
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1994
|Stella Stellaris
|
|Miniseries
|-
|1996
|Mensch, Pia!
|Pia Mangold
|10 episodes
|-
|1997
|
|Laura
|Episode: "Tote weinen nicht"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1998
|'
|Silke Hartmann
|TV film
|-
|Tatort
|Kerstin
|Episode: "Fürstenschüler"
|-
|'
|Young Renate
|TV film
|-
|1999
|Polizeiruf 110
|Meike
|Episode: "Sumpf"
|-
| rowspan="3" |2000
|Vertrauen ist alles
|Jennifer Blankenburg
|TV film
|-
|Lady Cop
|Sabine Sasse
|Episode: "Die Geliebte des Killers"
|-
|Force Majeure
|Nicolette
| rowspan="4" |TV film
|-
|2001
|The Tunnel
|Charlotte 'Lotte' Lohmann
|-
| rowspan="5" |2002
|Liebe und Verrat
|Marie Irimia
|-
|Schleudertrauma
|Doreen
|-
|Napoléon
|Comtesse Marie Walewska
| rowspan="2" |Miniseries
|-
|Doctor Zhivago
|Tonya Gromyko Zhivago
|-
|'
|Princess Amélie
|TV film
|-
|2004
|'
|Camilla Senger geb. Hofmann
| rowspan="2" |Miniseries
|-
|2007
|The Company
|Lili
|-
|2017
|You Are Wanted
|Hanna Franke
|12 episodes
|-
|2022
|Toutes ces choses qu'on ne s'est pas dites
|Julia Saurel
|9 episodes
|}
References
External links
- 2005 interview on cineastentreff.de