The German film and stage actress Nina Hoss, is perhaps best known for her collaborations with the German screenwriter and film director Christian Petzold, in numerous movies including “Barbara” and “Phoenix.”
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Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Nina Hoss hails from Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, and was born under the Cancer zodiac sign on 7 July 1975, which makes her 48 years old as of 2023. She’s the daughter of the former German labor unionist and politician, Willi Hoss, who was previously elected to the Bundestag (German federal parliament) for the Greens political party, and Heidemarie Rohweder, who was an actress known for 1970’s “Tatort” and 1999’s “Der Vulkan.” Nina’s mom – passed away in March 2014 – is remembered for her works at Stuttgart National Theatre, and for being the director of Württembergische Landesbühne Esslingen (Württemberg State Playhouse), which is based in Esslingen. Nina spent her childhood in Hamburg, Germany, and was brought up alongside her brother, Florian Hoss, who currently works as a filmmaker and photographer. Influenced by her mother, Hoss developed an interest in acting at a very young age.
Nina was educated at the Niederschöneweide district-based Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, from where she graduated in 1997. She was later enrolled at Berlin University of the Arts. Moreover, she honed her acting skills at the performing arts and music school, Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, simply known as HfMT Hamburg.
Stage Appearances
Hoss began acting in radio plays when she was seven years old, and on stage when she was 14. From 1998 to 2013, Hoss was in an ensemble at the Berlin-based Deutsches Theater, where she appeared in numerous plays including “Minna von Barnhelm,” in which she portrayed Madea. 2013 saw her join Schaubühne Thater as an ensemble member, and she appeared in three of Thomas Ostermeier’s productions including “Little Foxes” by Lillian Hellman in 2014, and “Bella Figura” by Yasmina Reza in the year that followed. She also starred in the stage production of the novel “Returning to Reims” by Didier Eribon, in 2017.
This Thursday ( Feb, 15 ) I will be in conversation with the great Nina Hoss and Christian Martin at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, right after the "Returning to Reims" performance – around 10pm. See you there ! More infos : https://t.co/EFaCrjOZWY pic.twitter.com/9Rmt0X45NR
— Edouard Louis (@edouard_louis) February 13, 2018
Film and TV Appearance
Nina caught the public’s attention with her portrayal of the luxury call girl, Rosemarie Nitribitt, in the 1996 German biographical film “A Girl Called Rosemary.” In 2001, she landed a role in the German psychological thriller, “Something to Remind Me,” for which she was awarded the Adolf Grimme Award. Hoss starred alongside Jacky Ido in the 2005 movie “The White Maasai”, and her next notable appearance was in the Christian Petzold-directed 2007 drama-thriller, “Yella,” for which she received numerous awards. In 2012, she collaborated with Petzold again in the drama film “Barbara,” in which she played the physician Barbara, who was exiled to an East Germany-based provincial backwater in the ‘80s.
Hoss received critical acclaim in Hollywood for her performance in the TV espionage thriller “Homeland” (2014-2017), portraying a German BND agent in three seasons of the show, which was based on the Israeli TV series “Prisoners of War.” 2014 saw Hoss land another career-defining role of Nelly Lenz in the German drama movie “Phoenix” – her performance saw her receive numerous accolades, including a Seattle International Film Festival’s Golden Space Needle Award, and a Toronto Film Critics Association Awards both in 2015, and a Seattle Film Critics award for Best Actress in 2016. In 2019 Nina starred in two German films, “The Audition” and “Pelican Blood.”
Nina’s next major role was in the 2020 TV miniseries “The Defeated,” which is also known as “Shadowplay”. In 2022, she played the supporting role of Sharon Goodnow in the psychological drama “Tar,” which brought her numerous awards and nominations. In the same year, she was selected for the main role of Alena in the third season of the American political action thriller, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.”
Other Works and Social Commitments
In 2014, Hoss recorded the song “Europa geht durch mich” (meaning ‘Europe goes through me’) with the Welsh rock band the Manics, or Manic Street Preachers. She was then featured in the album “Bright Magic” (2021) by the London-based musical group, Public Service Broadcasting, which comprises four musicians.
Hoss has served as a judge of the Locarno Film Festival (2009), which is held annually in August in Switzerland, the Berlin International Film Festival (2011), and the 73rd annual Venice International Film Festival (2016). Moreover, she was a judge of the young filmmakers’ First Steps Award ceremony by the German Film Academy in 2000. She was granted a membership in America’s Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences in 2019.
Hoss is a devoted women’s rights activist, who has frequently collaborated with the Make Poverty History organizations to fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). She believes that FGM is torture, one of the worst crimes in civilized society, and hopes that the primitive practice will be abandoned in the near future. Hoss is also a Goodwill Ambassador (just like her late father) to Brazil’s state of Para – she speaks against the destruction of rain forests, which ruins the living conditions of the state’s indigenous people. In 2004 and 2010, she was appointed as one of the Greens political party delegates to the Federal Assembly (also the Federal Convention) for the purpose of voting for the President of Germany.
Awards and Accolades
Out of the 58 awards for which she’s been nominated, Nina has won 25 as of September 2023. Her performance in “Tar” has seen her receive numerous awards and nominations: she scooped a Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Award in 2022, a Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Virtuoso Award in 2023, and was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award, National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA, and International Online Cinema Award (INOCA) all in 2023. For her performance in “The Audition,” Hoss received a Stockholm Film Festival Award and a San Sebastian International Film Festival’s Silver Seashell Award, both in 2019. She has been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in “Homeland” in 2016.
In 2013, Hoss received the only federal decoration in her country, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and in 2015, she was appointed a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, France.
Personal Life
Hoss is a married woman; she exchanged vows with the British music producer, Alex Silva, in 2015, the duo having dated for over a decade and a half before they married. Silva began his record production career after moving to London in 1995, and has since collaborated with numerous famous performers, including Paul McCartney, Dave Stewart and Herbert Groenemeyer. The couple prefers to keep their lives private; they don’t have children together.
Hoss follows the Christianity religion
Height, Weight, and Physical appearance
Hoss is of White ethnicity, and has a pair of blue eyes and long blonde hair. She is slimly built, weighs approximately 130lbs (59kgs), is 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall, with vital statistics of 34-24-35.
Net Worth
Hoss has made a name for herself in Germany and the US, thanks to her successful acting career. She ‘s worth approximately $2 million, as of 2023.
