Maria Schrader (born 27 September 1965) is a German actress, screenwriter, and director. She directed the award-winning 2007 film Love Life and the 2020 Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series. She also starred in the German international hit TV series Deutschland 83 (2015), known for being the first German-language series broadcast on US television.
Early life and career Schrader was born in Hanover and studied at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Austria.
She is especially well known from the film Aimée & Jaguar, as well as the acclaimed Liebesleben ("Love life") that she wrote, produced, and in which she acted. She has also written other films: ; I Was on Mars; Stille Nacht and Meschugge. She co-directed I Was on Mars with Dani Levy, whom she dated until 1999.
Schrader was part of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2000 and is again in the 2025 jury.
Schrader played the part of Martin Rauch's aunt in Deutschland 83 (2015), an 8 episode TV series, which was the first German-language TV series to be broadcast on US television. It also became popular in the UK, airing in early 2016 on Channel 4.
In 2020 Schrader directed the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series. She directed the 2022 film She Said, starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan.
Though Schrader's most popular roles as an actor are of the Jewish faith, and many of her films as a screenwriter and director include Jewish characters and revolve around Jewish struggles, Schrader herself is not Jewish.
Awards 1992 Max Ophüls Festival, Best Young Actress for I Was on Mars 1995 Mystfest, Best Actress for Burning Life 1995 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Actress for Nobody Loves Me, Burning Life 1995 German Film Awards, Best Leading Actress for Nobody Loves Me, Burning Life, Einer meiner altesten Freunde 1999 49th Berlin International Film Festival, Silver Bear for Best Actress (shared with Juliane Köhler) for Aimée & Jaguar 1999 German Film Awards, Best Leading Actress for Aimée & Jaguar, The Giraffe 1999 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Actress for Aimée & Jaguar 2020 Primetime Emmy Award, Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special for Unorthodox
Nominations 2016 German Film Awards, Best Director for Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe (Original title in German: Vor der Morgenröte)
Selected filmography +Actress Year Title Role Director Notes1992 I Was on MarsSilvaDani Levywith Dani Levy1994Nobody Loves MeFanny FinkDoris Dörriewith Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss, Elisabeth TrissenaarBurning LifeAnnaPeter Welzwith Anna Thalbach, Max Tidof1995One of My Oldest FriendsMarionRainer Kaufmannwith Richy Müller, Peter LohmeyerSilent NightJulia Dani Levywith Jürgen Vogel1997The UnfishSophie MoorRobert Dornhelmwith Eva Herzig, Andreas Lust, Georges Kern, August Schmölzer, Karl Merkatz, Bibiana Zeller, Rudolf Wessely, Erwin LederChild MurderKatrin MenzelBernd BöhlichTV film, with Jürgen Vogel, Christian Redl, Francis Fulton-Smith1998MeschuggeLena Katz Dani Levywith Dani LevyAm I Beautiful?ElkeDoris Dörriewith Senta Berger, Gottfried John, Iris Berben, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Franka Potente, Dietmar Schönherr, Heike Makatsch, Otto Sander, Joachim Król1999Aimée & JaguarFelice Schragenheim (Jaguar)Max Färberböckwith Juliane Köhler, Heike Makatsch, Johanna Wokalek2001Viktor Vogel - Commercial ManJohanna von SchulenbergLars Kraumewith Götz George, Alexander Scheer, Chulpan Khamatova, Vadim GlownaEmil and the DetectivesPastorin HummelFranziska Buchwith Jürgen VogelJosephineAlRajko Grlićwith Miroslav Vladyka, Giancarlo Esposito2002Operation RubikonSophie WolfThomas BergerTV film, with Hilmar ThateI'm the FatherMelanie KriegerDani Levywith Sebastian Blomberg, Christiane Paul2003RosenstrasseHannah WeinsteinMargarethe von Trottawith Katja Riemann2005SchneelandElisabethHans W. Geißendörferwith Julia Jentsch, Ulrich Mühe, Thomas Kretschmann, Joachim Król, Susanne Lothar2008PatchworkXenia Napolitano-FreitagFranziska BuchTV film, with Gabriela Maria Schmeide, Fritz Karl2011In DarknessPaulina ChigerAgnieszka Hollandwith Robert Więckiewicz2013SistersSaskia KerkhoffAnne Wildwith Ursula Werner, Jesper Christensen2014Lose My SelfLena FerbenJan Schomburgwith Johannes Krisch, Ronald Zehrfeld, Sandra Hüller2015Deutschland 83Lenora RauchEdward Berger, Samira RadsiTV series, with Jonas Nay, Ulrich Noethen, Sylvester Groth, Sonja Gerhardt, Ludwig Trepte, Alexander Beyer, Lisa Tomaschewsky2018The City and The CitySen. Detective Quissima DhattTom ShanklandTV series, with David Morrissey, Mandeep Dhillon, Lara Pulver2018Deutschland 86Lenora RauchFlorian Cossen, Arne FeldhusenTV series, with Jonas Nay, Ulrich Noethen, Sylvester Groth, Sonja Gerhardt, Ludwig Trepte, Alexander Beyer, Lisa Tomaschewsky +Director Year Title Starring Notes1998MeschuggeDani LevyCo-director Dani Levy2007Love LifeNetta Garti, Rade Šerbedžija, Tovah Feldshuh2016Stefan Zweig: Farewell to EuropeJosef Hader, Barbara Sukowa2020UnorthodoxShira Haas, Amit Rahav, Jeff WilbuschTV miniseries2021I'm Your ManMaren Eggert, Dan Stevens, Sandra Hüller, Hans Löw, Wolfgang Hübsch2022She SaidCarey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Samantha Morton, Tom Pelphrey
References
External links