Natalia Wörner

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Natalia Wörner studied acting at the Lee Strasberg's Actors' Studio in New York and began her stage career in Hamburg upon her return to Germany, She made her film debut in 1992, appearing in the feature film LENI as a young Jewish woman escaping Germany during the Second World War. That same year, she also starred in Sherry Hormann's 'Frauen sind etwas Wunderbares' (Women are wonderful) and 'Die Sieger' (The Invincibles.), a police thriller by Dominik Graf along with other TV productions. Fluent in several languages, Natalia effortlessly played alongside Gerard Depardieu in the 1994 French suspense thriller, François Dupeyron's 'La Machine'. She again caught the attention of the international audience for her French speaking role in the international cinematic production '20 Nuits et un Jour du Pluie' (20 Nights and One Rainy Day), which premiered in Cannes in 2000. However, it was her exceptional role in the 1995 popular TV series 'Um die Dreißig' (About 30) that won the hearts of the critics and the nation and catapulted her to become the critically acclaimed actress she is today having played leading roles in more than 50 national and international films. Natalia received her first award, the GOLDEN GONG, in 1996 for her outstanding performance in the episode 'Perfect Mind' of the long-standing crime series Tatort (Crime Scene). That same year she played in the romantic comedy 'Irren ist Männlich' (Father's Day), again directed by Sherry Hormann. Moving seamlessly between drama and comedy, in 2000 she was again honored twice for Best Leading Actress for her performances in 'Bella Block' episode 'Blinde Liebe' (Blind Love), to which she had also written the screenplay, and in the TV movie 'Frauen lügen besser' (Women Lie Better), an adaptation of Annemarie Schoenle's novel. Natalia's passion and commitment to the art of acting was never more evident than in her theatrical stage appearances. In 2001, at the Hamburger Kammerspiele she played in both David Hare's 'The Blue Room' and David Auburn's 'Proof'. She later returned to grace the stage in 2005, where she was part of the world premiere of Ulrich Waller's 'Ein Stück vom Himmel' (A Piece of Heaven) at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, and again in 2009 to the Renaissance Theatre in Berlin, for Patrick Marbers' successful play 'Hautnah' (Closer) directed by Ulrike Jackwerth. In addition to numerous appearances in television productions throughout the years, in 2006 Natalia played a compelling role as an investigator in the TV crime series 'Unter anderen Umständen' (Under Different Circumstances), directed by Judith Kennel. Natalia has since appeared in the numerous subsequent annual films. In addition to this, she also starred in the German adaptation 'Das Kindermädchen' by Carlo Rola and played the evil stepmother in the the international film series 'Cinderella' by Christian Duguay. The year 2009, saw Natalia flourish in the international film industry. Firstly, she appeared in the English/German co production 'Four Seasons', starring alongside Senta Berger, Tom Conti and Michael York. Later that year, she ventured to Hungary for the shooting of the monumental 'Ridley Scott' and the Tandem Communications adaptation of Ken Follett's world-wide bestselling novel, 'The Pillars of the Earth'. Here, Natalia played a dramatic and romantic lead, Ellen, the wild forest woman. The eight-hour series was broadcast world-wide in 2010 and received international critical acclaim. As such, the film was awarded several international honors including the Austrian ROMY, nominations for the American Golden Globes and receiving the German BAMBI. Natalia completed another German cinematic wonder in 2012 with the project 'Die Kirche bleibt im Dorf' (The church stays in the village) by Ulrike Grothe. Her hilarious portrayal of the Swabian western-styled dialect showdown was seen and loved by more than half a million people. She also finished the next sequel feature film of 'Unter anderen Umständen' (Under Different Circumstances) and the superb culture clash comedy 'Kückückskind'. Subsequent projects were leading roles in the film adaption of the world famous Goethe-Drama 'Götz von Berlichingen' (2013), the eagerly awaited sequel of 'Die Kirche bleibt im Dorf' (The church stays in the village II), Carlo Rola's thriller "Die Mutter des Mörders" (Mother of the murderer, 2014), "Der gute Göhring" and a newly developed political TV series "Die Diplomatin" (The Diplomat), which received its premiere in 2016. For the preparation of her role, Karla Lorenz, Natalia Wörner accompanied Germany's former Secretary of State Frank-Walter Steinmeier during official trips to Indonesia and South Korea, and she took over the leading role in a new adaption of "Mata Hari" (2016) as well as a role in the internationally cast of "Berlin Station" (2017), a successful American series produced by Studio Babelsberg. Natalia's profile would not be complete without mentioning her remarkable effort in numerous charity projects, particularly those that are of personal significance in her life. Having directly experienced the devastating 2004 tsunami in Thailand, she responded with immediate effect and founded the Tsunami Direkthilfe e.V., the function of which is to help re-establish the coastal fishing communities. In 2006, she became an ambassador for the international children's aid organization Kindernothilfe e.V. and supports many national and international projects that strive for the protection, health, safety, education and love of children. For her ongoing dedication to the cause she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 2016.