Diane Kruger (, ; born 15 July 1976) is a German actress. She is a former model-turned-actress who, early in her film career, gained worldwide recognition and received the Trophée Chopard from the Cannes Film Festival.
Kruger was born in Algermissen. She was trained from a young age to become a and studied at the Royal Academy in Hanover and the Royal Ballet School in London. She won the 1992 Elite Model Look national contest and signed with Elite Model Management, working in Paris and then New York. In the late 1990s, she left modelling and transitioned to acting.
Kruger became known for her roles in films such 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.
Early life and education
Diane Heidkrüger was born on 15 July 1976 in Algermissen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Her mother, Maria-Theresa, was employed as a bank clerk. Her father, Hans-Heinrich, was a computer scientist. One of her grandmothers was Polish. She was brought up in Algermissen with her younger brother, Stefan.
When she was two years old, her mother took the initiative to enrol her in after-school ballet dance classes. She practised ballet dancing, whether or barre workouts, from a young age at the in Hildesheim. and attended Catholic school.
thumb|alt=A photograph of the White Lodge building|The London [[Royal Ballet School at White Lodge (pictured), Richmond Park, where Kruger pursued her ballet training]]
Kruger took additional dance classes at the Royal Academy of Hanover, where British teachers came to teach, Kruger said. To teach her the value of individual autonomy and to improve her English, her mother sent her to London, United Kingdom, the Look of the Year Modelling Award. The reward was an "entry ticket" into professional modelling from Elite Model Management, as well as a Vespa. Kruger moved to Paris, France, on her own at the age of 15. In the 1990s, Kruger lived near the Tuileries in Paris, in a building intended for models, rented by the agency.
Kruger subsequently moved to the United States and settled in New York.
Back in Paris, She then enrolled at the Cours Florent drama school,
Kruger played Anna in Jaco Van Dormael's Mr. Nobody. Critical response has praised the film's artistry and Kruger's acting. 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.
thumb|upright|Kruger at the 2012 [[Cannes Film Festival]]
In the 2011 film Unknown, Kruger starred as Gina, a Bosnian undocumented immigrant, and key character alongside leading actor Liam Neeson. 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.
She starred in the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel The Host, which was released in March 2013. Kruger also portrayed El Paso, Texas, police officer Sonya Cross on FX's The Bridge, which aired in 2013. 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, playing a BND agent.
In 2019, Kruger starred in the spy-thriller The Operative with Martin Freeman.
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, portraying three different characters in the film.
Other activities
Kruger was the hostess of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. She was a member of the jury for the main competition at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008, chaired by Costa Gavras; the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, chaired by Nanni Moretti; and the 2015 Venice Film Festival, chaired by Alfonso Cuaron. In 2025, she served as president of the jury at the 18th Angoulême Francophone Film Festival (FFA).
Public image
Kruger was included in People "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" 2004 issue. She appeared on Maxim "Hot 100" list twice, ranking at No. 50 in 2005 and No. 88 in 2009. She also ranked at No. 83 on AskMen "Top 99 Women" list in 2010.
Kruger is a brand ambassador for Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre. Since 2009, she has been a global "spokesmodel" of L'Oréal. In 2010, she became the face for Calvin Klein's Beauty fragrance line.
Personal life
thumb|upright=0.85|right|Kruger in 2017
Kruger is trilingual, being fluent in German, English, and French. Additionally, she studied Latin in school for eight years, though she does not speak it.
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.
In 1999, she began dating Guillaume Canet. They acted together in (2005) and divorced in 2006. Kruger said that the marriage was unsuccessful because their careers had kept them in different parts of the world.
From 2006 to 2016, she was in a relationship with actor Joshua Jackson.
In 2015, Kruger met actor Norman Reedus on the set of Sky. The two were first seen together as a couple in July 2016. In November 2018, Kruger gave birth to their daughter, her first and his second child. She sold her fourth-floor apartment in the Parisian neighborhood of Saint-Germain to Karl Lagerfeld when she learned she was pregnant because it didn't have an elevator.
Kruger is a US green card holder.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Language
! class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
| 2001
| Point de lendemain
| Agnes
| rowspan="2" | French
| Short subject
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2002
| Duelles
| Sabine
| Episode: "Mauvaise conduite"
|-
| The Piano Player
| Erika Nile
| English
| American title: The Target
|-
| Not For, or Against
| A call girl
| rowspan="3" | French
| French title: Ni pour, ni contre (bien au contraire)
|-
| Mon Idole
| Clara Broustal
| English title: Whatever You Say
|-
| 2003
| Michel Vaillant
| Julie Wood
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2004
| Troy
| Helen
| rowspan="2" | English
|
|-
| Wicker Park
| Lisa
|
|-
| Narco
| La fille du night-club
| French
|
|-
| National Treasure
| Abigail Chase
| English
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2005
| Joyeux Noël
| Anna Sørensen
| French, English, German
|
|-
| Frankie
| Frankie
| rowspan="2" | French
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| Les Brigades du Tigre
| Constance Radetsky
| English title: The Tiger Brigades
|-
| Copying Beethoven
| Anna Holtz
| rowspan="2" | English
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2007
| Goodbye Bafana
| Gloria Gregory
|
|-
| Days of Darkness
| Véronica Star
| French
| French title: L'Âge des ténèbres
|-
| The Hunting Party
| Mirjana
| rowspan="2" | English
|
|-
| National Treasure: Book of Secrets
| Abigail Chase
|
|-
| 2008
| Anything for Her
| Lisa
| French
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2009
| Inglourious Basterds
| Bridget von Hammersmark
| English, French, German
|
|-
| Mr. Nobody
| Anna
| English
|
|-
| Farewell
| Femme jogging
| French
| French title: L'Affaire Farewell
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| Inhale
| Diane Stanton
| rowspan="1" | English
|
|-
| Lily Sometimes
| Clara
| French
| French title: Pieds nus sur les limaces
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
| Unknown
| Gina
| English
|
|-
| Forces spéciales
| Elsa
| rowspan="3" | French
| English title: Special Forces
|-
| rowspan="2" | 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
|-
| rowspan="3" | 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
| rowspan="3" | English
| Narration/Voice
|-
| 2014
| The Better Angels
| Sarah Bush Lincoln
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2015
| Fathers and Daughters
| Elizabeth
|
|-
| Disorder
| Jessie
| French
|
|-
| Sky
| Romy
| rowspan="2" | English
|
|-
| 2016
| The Infiltrator
| Kathy Ertz
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| In the Fade
| Katja Sekerci
| German
| German title: Aus dem Nichts
|-
| All That Divides Us
| Julia Keller
| French
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2018
| JT LeRoy
| Eva
| rowspan="7" | English
|
|-
| Welcome to Marwen
| Deja Thoris
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| The Operative
| Rachel
|
|-
| QT8: The First Eight
| Herself
| Documentary film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2022
| The 355
| Marie Schmidt
|
|-
| Out of the Blue
| Marilyn
|
|-
| Marlowe
| Clare Cavendish
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2023
| Visions
| Estelle
| French
|
|-
| Joika
| Tatiyana Volkova
| rowspan="3" | English
| Biopic drama
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2024
| The Shrouds
| Three roles
|
|-
| Longing
| Alice
|
|-
| Saint-Exupéry
|
| French
| Adventure biopic drama
|-
| 2025
| Amrum
| Tessa Bendixen
| German
|
|-
| TBA
| A.M.I.
| Ami
| English
| Filming
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Language
! class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
|2010
| Fringe
|Miranda Greene
| rowspan="5" |English
|Episode: "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver"
|-
| 2013–2014
| The Bridge
| Detective Sonya Cross
| Main role
|-
|2020 || Robot Chicken || Caroline Flack (voice) || Episode: "Callie Greenhouse in: Fun. Sad. Epic. Tragic."
|-
| 2022
| Swimming with Sharks
| Joyce Holt
| Main role
|-
| 2025
| Little Disasters
| Jess
| Main role
|-
| 2025
| The Seduction
| Madame de Rosemonde
| French
| Main role
|-
| 2025
| Marlene
| Marlene Dietrich
|
|
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
| 2003
| Cannes Film Festival
| Chopard Trophy for Female Revelation
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Bambi Award
|
|
|
|-
| Saturn Award
| Best Supporting Actress
| National Treasure
|
|-
| 2007
| Teen Choice Awards
| Choice Movie Actress – Action, Adventure
| National Treasure: Book of Secrets
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2009
| Broadcast Film Critics Association
| Best Cast
| rowspan="6" | Inglourious Basterds
|
|-
| San Diego Film Critics Society
| Best Cast
|
|-
| Saturn Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Online Film Critics Society
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| Screen Actors Guild Awards
| Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
|
|-
| Screen Actors Guild Awards
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
|
|-
| 2013
| Newport Beach Film Festival
| Best Actress
| A Perfect Plan
|
|-
| 2015
| Elle Style Awards
| Best Movie Actress
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| Cannes Film Festival
| Best Actress
| rowspan="3" | In the Fade
|
|-
| Satellite Awards
| Best Actress – Motion Picture
|
|-
| 2018
| German Film Award
| Best Actress
|
|-
|2023
|Zurich Film Festival
|Golden Eye Award
|
|
|}
Honors
- 50px Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (22 September 2014)
Notes
References
External links
- Diane Kruger at AskMen