Barbara Sukowa | |
|---|---|
 Sukowa in 2010 | |
| Born | (1950-02-02)2 February 1950 (age 75)[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1971-present |
| Spouse(s) | Hans-Michael Rehberg |
| Partner | Daniel Olbrychski |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | www |
Barbara Sukowa (German:[ˈbaʁ.ba.ʁaˈzu.kɔ.va]ⓘ; born 2 February 1950) is a German actress of screen and stage and singer. She has received threeGerman Film Awards for Best Actress, threeBavarian Film Awards,Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress,Venice Film Festival Award, as well as nominations forEuropean Film Awards,César Awards, andGrammy Awards.[2]
Sukowa is best known for her work with directorsRainer Werner Fassbinder andMargarethe von Trotta. She rose to prominence after starring in the West German miniseriesBerlin Alexanderplatz directed by Fassbinder, and the following year went to star in his drama filmLola, for which she received her first German Film Award for Best Actress. Also in 1981, Sukowa starred inMarianne and Juliane directed by Margarethe von Trotta. They would go on to work on six more films together. For her performance, she also received German Film Award andVenice Film Festival Award for Best Actress. In 1986, she won theCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for performance in the drama filmRosa Luxemburg.[3]
In 1990s, Sukowa starred in a number of international films, most notable,Europa (1991) directed byLars von Trier,Voyager (1991) byVolker Schlöndorff,M. Butterfly byDavid Cronenberg, andJohnny Mnemonic (1995) byRobert Longo. In later career, she playedHildegard of Bingen in 2009 drama filmVision, andHannah Arendt in the biographical filmHannah Arendt (2012). She starred in the American television series12 Monkeys (2015-2018), a remake of the1995 film of the same name. In 2019, she starred in French drama filmTwo of Us, for which she receivedLumières Award for Best Actress andCésar Award for Best Actress nomination.
Sukowa was born inBremen, Germany, in 1950.[4] She speaks German, English, and French.[5] After studying acting at theMax Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Sukowa's stage debut was in Berlin in 1971, in a production ofPeter Handke'sDer Ritt über den Bodensee. The same year, Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of theDarmstädter National Theatre. She also worked in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg, in collaboration with directors such asLuc Bondy, playing Marion inBüchner'sDanton's Death and Helena inA Midsummer Night's Dream. Other Shakespeare roles in Europe were Rosalind inAs You Like It and Desdemona inOthello. She performed inIbsen'sThe Master Builder.
In addition to her stage work, Sukowa is associated with theNew German Cinema. Her performance as Mieze inRainer Werner Fassbinder's miniseriesBerlin Alexanderplatz (1980) earned her the German Best Young Actress Award.[6] The following year, her performance of the title role in Fassbinder's drama filmLola earned her aGerman Film Award for Best Actress.[2] Also that year, she starred inMarianne and Juliane directed byMargarethe von Trotta. For this performance she also received German Film Award for Best Actress andVenice Film Festival Golden Phoenix Award for Best Actress.[2] She starred inDie Jäger (1982) directed byKároly Makk,Un dimanche de flic (1983) by Michel Vianey, andÉquateur bySerge Gainsbourg. In 1985, Sukowa made her American television debut starring in the CBS miniseriesSpace, based onJames A. Michener's novel.
In 1986, Sukowa played Polish socialistRosa Luxemburg in the biographical drama filmRosa Luxemburg directed by Margarethe von Trotta. She receivedCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance, and well as another German Film Award for Best Actress.[7][2] In 1987, she starred inDays to Remember directed byJeanine Meerapfel, receiving nomination for a German Film Award for Best Actress, and appeared in American action filmThe Sicilian oppositeChristopher Lambert. In 1990, she starred inThe African Woman directed by Margarethe von Trotta.
Sukowa moved to Brooklyn, New York City in 1991.[5] In 1991, she starred oppositeSam Shepard inVoyager directed byVolker Schlöndorff, andEuropa byLars von Trier. Both films received positive reviews from critics.[8] Sukowa was nominated forEuropean Film Award for Best Supporting Actress forVoyager, and European Film Award for Best European Actress of the Year forEuropa.[2] In 1993, she starred inM. Butterfly directed byDavid Cronenberg.[9] In 1995, she appeared inJohnny Mnemonic directed byRobert Longo. In 1997, she returned in Germany for starring inIn the Name of Innocence [de], for which she receivedBavarian Film Award for Best Actress[10] In 1999, she appeared inTim Robbins'sCradle Will Rock, andThe Third Miracle directed byAgnieszka Holland. Sukowa also starred in a made-for-television filmsLost Souls (1998) andThe Lady in Question (1999).
Sukowa has developed a parallel career as aclassical music narrator and speaker. She has performed the Speaker's role inArnold Schoenberg'sPierrot lunaire, first with the Schoenberg Ensemble underReinbert de Leeuw, and later with ensembles in Paris, London,[11] Berlin, St. Petersburg, Madrid, Rome, Tokyo, Salzburg, Los Angeles, and New York City.[12] She has performed the Speaker's role in Schoenberg'sGurrelieder with theBerlin Philharmonic underClaudio Abbado, and is featured on the recordings with Abbado and theVienna Philharmonic, andEsa-Pekka Salonen and thePhilharmonia.[6] She narratedProkofiev'sPeter and the Wolf both in concert and on record, as well as on a recording ofMendelssohn's music forA Midsummer Night's Dream. In English, she has worked in a production ofThe Cherry Orchard (Princeton,New Jersey, 2000).[13] Sukowa has performed inArthur Honegger'sJeanne d'Arc au bûcher andKurt Weill'sThe Threepenny Opera. She performed speaking and singing roles in de Leeuw'sIm wunderschönen Monat Mai in 2004. She performed the speaking role in the US premiere ofMichael Jarrell'sCassandre in March 2006, and in the New York City premiere that month, with musicians from theSaint Louis Symphony Orchestra.[14][15] At the51st Annual Grammy Awards, she received Grammy Award nomination forIm wunderschönen Monat Mai.[16] Sukowa is also the front singer of the Band the X-Patsys, which she founded with visual artists Jon Kessler and Robert Longo.[6]
In 2004, Sukowa was a member of the jury at the26th Moscow International Film Festival.[17] In 2012, she was on the jury for the62nd Berlin International Film Festival.[18]
In 2009, Sukowa played the role ofHildegard of Bingen in 2009 drama filmVision directed by Margarethe von Trotta, receiving another Bavarian Film Award for Best Actress. In 2012, Sukowa starred as German-Jewish philosopher and political theoristHannah Arendt in the German-Luxembourgish-French biographical filmHannah Arendt directed by Margarethe von Trotta. The film and her performance received positive reviews from critics.[19][20] Sukowa received another Bavarian Film Award for Best Actress and German Film Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, and well asEuropean Film Award for Best Actress nomination.[21][2] In 2016, she appeared onMaria Schrader' drama filmStefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe, and later had supporting roles inAtomic Blonde (2017),Gloria Bell (2018), andNative Son (2019).
From 2015 to 2018, Sukowa starred as Katarina Jones in the American television series12 Monkeys.[22] She continued appearing on American television guest-starring onHunters starringAl Pacino, and had a recurring role on theApple TV+ seriesServant. In 2022, she was cast in the thrillerThe Swarm based on theFrank Schätzing best-seller.[23]
In 2019, Sukowa starred in French romance drama filmTwo of Us, for which she receivedLumières Award for Best Actress andCésar Award for Best Actress nomination.[24][25][26]
In 2022, Sukowa starred oppositeBen Kingsley in the biographical filmDalíland aboutSalvador Dalí, playingGala Dalí.[27][28] It premiered at the2022 Toronto International Film Festival.[29]
She was married to the artist and directorRobert Longo, with whom she has performed as a singer.[30] She has three sons, one from her earlier marriage toHans-Michael Rehberg, one from her relationship withDaniel Olbrychski, and one with Longo. She and Longo separated in 2018.[31]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Unter Ausschluß der Öffentlichkeit | Viktoria Herbst | Episode: "Der Abstieg" |
| 1977 | Women in New York | Crystal Allen | Television film |
| 1978 | Heinrich Heine [de] | Amalie Friedländer | Television film |
| 1980 | Berlin Alexanderplatz | Emilie "Mieze" Karsunke | Miniseries |
| 1980 | Tatort | Babsi Meyer | Episode: "Der gelbe Unterrock" |
| 1980 | St. Pauli-Landungsbrücken | Episode: "Immer lustig" | |
| 1984 | Baumeister Solness | Hilde Wangel | Television film |
| 1985 | Space | Leisel Kolff | Miniseries |
| 1993 | Colpo di coda | Regina | Television film |
| 1995 | The Wright Verdicts | Sister Maria Pulaski | Episode: "The Eyes of God" |
| 1998 | New York Undercover | Cousal General | Episode: "Pipeline" |
| 1998 | Lost Souls | Sheila Robinson | Television film |
| 1999 | The Lady in Question | Rachel Singer | Television film |
| 2002–2003 | Liebe, Lügen, Leidenschaften | Barbara Landau | Miniseries |
| 2004 | The Other Woman | Vera Glaubitz | Television film |
| 2011 | Night Without Morning [de] | Katharina Dänert | Television film |
| 2015–2018 | 12 Monkeys | Katarina Jones | Series regular, 45 episodes |
| 2020 | Hunters | Tilda Sauer | Episode: "At Night, All Birds Are Black" |
| 2021–2022 | Servant | Aunt Josephine | Recurring role |
| 2023 | The Swarm | Dr. Katherina Lehmann | Series regular, 8 episodes |
| 2024 | Constellation | Irena Lysenko | Limited series[32] |
| 2025 | The Night Agent | Jacqueline Laurent | Episode: "A Good Agent" |
General source for Awards and nomination -AllMovie[2]
