Martina Gedeck

Martina Gedeck
Gedeck in 2017
Born (1961-09-14) 14 September 1961 (age 63)
Munich, Bavaria, West Germany
OccupationActress
Years active1981–present
Spouse
Markus Imboden
​
(m. 2005)​
AwardsGerman Film Award
(1997, 2002)
Websitemartina-gedeck.com

Martina Gedeck (German: [maʁ.ˈtiː.na ˈɡeː.dɛk] ⓘ; born 14 September 1961) is a German actress. She achieved international recognition due to her roles in films such as Mostly Martha (2001), The Lives of Others (2006), and The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008).[1] She has won several awards, including two Deutscher Filmpreis, in 1997 for Supporting Actress in Life is All You Get, and in 2002 for Actress in Mostly Martha.[2]

Biography

Gedeck was born 14 September 1961 in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany, and grew up in Bavaria, the oldest of three girls.[3] In 1971, her family moved to West Berlin, where the 11-year-old Martina debuted as an actress in children's television shows.[4] There seems to be some uncertainty regarding her year of birth 1961.[5]

After leaving school in 1981, she enrolled at the Free University of Berlin, majoring in German Literature and History.[4] From 1982 to 1986, Martina attended acting classes at the Berlin University of the Arts. During that time, she made her stage debut at the Theater am Turm in Frankfurt. Gedeck performed regularly at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, and appeared in plays in Basel, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg.[4]

In 1994, Gedeck gained the attention of film audiences with her performance in Sönke Wortmann's hit comedy Maybe... Maybe Not (Der bewegte Mann). In 1995, Gedeck received critical praise for her award-winning performance in the television drama Hölleisengretl [de]. In 1997, she boosted her reputation with her performance as Lilo in Wolfgang Becker's Life is All You Get (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle).[4] In 1997, she received the German Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as a shy waitress in Helmut Dietl's Rossini [de].[2][4] By the end of the 1990s, Gedeck had established herself as "one of the most prolific character actresses in Germany" with ambitious feature films such as Jew-Boy Levi (Viehjud Levi) and television dramas like Dominik Graf's Your Best Years (Deine besten Jahre). She garnered awards and nominations throughout this period of her career.[4]

Gedeck in 2007

Gedeck's international breakthrough came with her performance in Sandra Nettelbeck's Mostly Martha (Bella Martha). In the film, she plays a workaholic chef who is forced to adjust to major changes in her personal and professional life that are beyond her control. The film won the Créteil International Women's Film Festival Grand Prix Award, and the Goya Award for Best European Film in 2002. It also received a German Film Award Nomination for Outstanding Feature Film. For her performance, Gedeck received a European Film Award Nomination for Best Actress (2002), the German Film Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Actress (2002), and the German Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (2003).[6]

Gedeck at the Austrian Film Awards 2011

In 2006, Gedeck appeared in five major films: The Elementary Particles (2006) as Christiane, The Lives of Others (2006) as Christa-Maria Sieland, The Perfect Friend (2006) as Marlène, Summer '04 (2006) as Miriam Franz, and Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd (2006) as Hanna Schiller, starring opposite Matt Damon and John Turturro.[4] The Lives of Others won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[1]

In 2008, Gedeck played the role of Ulrike Meinhof in The Baader Meinhof Complex. In 2010, Gedeck, who is affiliated with the Green Party, served as an elector in the Federal Assembly to elect the new President of Germany.[7] That year, she appeared in Jew Suss: Rise and Fall and Agnosía.

In 2012, she appeared in The Wall and The Door, and in 2013, she appeared in The Nun and Night Train to Lisbon. Gedeck resides in Berlin with her partner, Swiss director Markus Imboden.[3] In 2013 she was nominated a member of the jury at the 70th Venice International Film Festival.[8]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Project Result
1995 Grimme-Preis Best Cast Just an affair Won
1995 Bavarian TV Awards Best Actress Hölleisengretl[9] Won
1997 German Film Award Best Supporting Actress Rossini Won
1997 Golden Lion Best Actress The Nephew Nominated
1997 TelStar Best Actress The Nephew Won
1998 Golden Lion Best Supporting Actress Bella Block[10] Won
1998 Grimme-Preis Best Actress The Nephew, Bella Block Won
1999 Bavarian Film Awards Best Actress The Green Desert[11] Won
2000 Bavarian TV Awards Best Actress Best Years[9] Won
2001 Baden-Baden TV Film Festival Best Cast Romeo Won
2002 European Film Award Best Actress Mostly Martha Nominated
2002 German Film Award Best Actress Mostly Martha Won
2002 Grimme-Preis Best Actress Romeo Won
2002 Preis der deutschen Filmkritik Best Actress Mostly Martha[12] Won
2002 Mons International Festival Best Actress Mostly Martha Won
2003 Goldene Kamera Best Actress Lost Country, The Mother[13] Won
2004 Grimme-Preis Best Actress Back to Life Nominated
2004 Deutscher Fernsehpreis Best Actress Hungry for Life[14] Won
2006 European Film Award Best Actress The Lives of Others Nominated
2006 German Film Award Best Actress The Elementary Particles Nominated
2006 Premio Bacco, Notte delle Stelle Best Actress Mostly Martha[15] Won
2006 International Filmfestival Kaluga Best Actress Mostly Martha Won
2006 Diva Award Hall of Fame Outstanding Artistic Contribution[2][16] Won
2007 Berlin Film Festival, Silver Bear Best Cast The Good Shepherd Won
2007 Bavarian Film Awards Best Actress Messy Christmas[11] Won
2007 Jupiter Award Best Actress The Elementary Particles Won
2007 Nastro d'Argento Europeo Best Actress The Lives of Others Won
2008 BZ Culture Award Outstanding artistic contribution — Won
2013 German Film Award Best Actress[17] Die Wand Nominated
2015 Goldene Kamera Best German Actress[18] — Won

References

  1. ^ a b "Martina Gedeck". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Awards for Martina Gedeck". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  3. ^ a b Kevin Maher (1 November 2008). "'Germany's Meryl Streep' Martina Gedeck is the first lady of terror". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Martina Gedeck". Film Portal. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Schauspielerin Martina Gedeck – Was dir das Leben schenkt". Cicero Online (in German). Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Awards for Mostly Martha". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  7. ^ "German Presidential Elections". LIFE. Retrieved 21 January 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Juries and Awards of the 70th Venice Film Festival". labiennale. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Preistraeger des Bayerischen Fernsehpreises" (PDF). Bayrische Staatsregierung. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Bella Block: Das Gegenteil von Liebe". ZDF. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Bayerische Filmpreisträger" (PDF). Bayrische Staatsregierung. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Preisträger seit 1956". Verband der deutschen Filmkritik. Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  13. ^ "Die Goldene Kamera 2003, 4 Februar 2003". Die Goldene Kamera. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  14. ^ "Preisträger 2004". Der Deutsche Fernsehpreis GmbH. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  15. ^ "Preisträger". Notte Delle Stelle. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  16. ^ "Die Preisträger der DIVA seit 1991". Diva Award. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  17. ^ "Martina Gedeck". IMDb. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Martina Gedeck". Goldene Kamera (in German). Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
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