Birgit Minichmayr (born 3 April 1977) is an Austrian actress. She studied drama at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna. For her work in Maren Ade's film Everyone Else she won Silver Bear for Best Actress at 59th Berlin International Film Festival. She is the only Austrian actress to win this award in history of the festival and the first Austrian actress to win best actress award at a major European film festival (Cannes, Venice, Berlin) since 1956. She worked with several major European directors including Michael Haneke, Tom Tykwer and Jessica Hausner.
Career Minichmayr had her first break with the Burgtheater in Vienna, where she appeared in numerous plays, including Der Reigen by Arthur Schnitzler (staged by Sven-Eric Bechtolf), Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare (staging by Declan Donnellan) and Der Färber und sein Zwillingsbruder by Johann Nestroy (staged by Karlheinz Hackl). She made her cinema debut in 2000 as Barbara Brecht in Jan Schütte's Abschied, playing alongside Josef Bierbichler and Monica Bleibtreu. In 2000, Minichmayr appeared in Peter Sämann's television thriller (in the Tatort series), "Böses Blut". She was awarded the Austrian Nestroy Prize for "Best Young Talent" in 2000. In 2006 she played Mizzi Kasper, one of the lovers from Crownprince Rudolf in the movie . A year later, Minichmayr played the fool in Luc Bondy's acclaimed staging of Shakespeare's King Lear, always at the Burgtheater.
Minichmayr currently lives in Munich and Vienna. She speaks English and has acted in several international and English language productions. Among the directors she worked with were István Szabó, Götz Spielmann, Tom Tykwer, Oliver Hirschbiegel, Robert Dornhelm, and Doris Dörrie. She is also an accomplished vocalist, and has been recorded several times, though she has always made acting her primary focus.
At the 59th Berlin International Film Festival 2009 Minichmayr was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her performance in Maren Ade's Alle Anderen (Everyone Else).
Filmography Date Film Role Director Notes 2000 Barbara Brecht Jan Schütte 2000 Kathi Peter Sämann TV film – Awarded Nestroy Prize for Best Young Talent 2001 Emmi Straube István Szabó 2001 Steffi Götz Spielmann TV film 2002 Learning to Lie Tina Hendrik Handloeghten 2004 Hotel Petra Jessica Hausner 2004 Downfall Gerda Christian Oliver Hirschbiegel 2004 Tanja Antonin Svoboda 2004 Mirz Schlömmer Julian Pölsner TV film 2005 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Grenouille's Mother Tom Tykwer 2005 Brigitte Barbara Albert 2006 Students of Michael Haneke 2006 The Crown Prince Mizzi Kasper Robert Dornhelm TV film 2006 Aglaia Titus Selge TV film 2007 Maja Alexander Hahn 2008 Karolin Angermeier Doris Dörrie 2009 Birgit Wolfgang Murnberger 2009 The White Ribbon Frieda Michael Haneke 2009 Everyone Else Gitti Maren Ade 2012 Adele Spitzeder Xaver Schwarzenberger TV film 2012 Mercy Maria Matthias Glasner 2014 Bertha von Suttner Urs Egger TV film2015Jack Marlies Haum Elisabeth Scharang2017Animals Anna Greg Zglinski2019The Goldfish Magda Grabowski Alireza Golafshan 2020 My Wonderful Wanda Sophie Bettina Oberli 2024 Andrea Gets a Divorce Andrea Josef Hader 2024 Sleeping with a Tiger Maria Lassnig Anja Salomonowitz 2026 The Blood Countess Hermine Ulrike Ottinger 2026 Everytime Ella Sandra Wollner
Awards 2000: Nestroy Prize for Best Young Talent 2004/2009: Nestroy Prize for Best Actress 2009: 59th Berlin International Film Festival, Best Actress for Everyone Else 2010: German Film Awards, Nomination Best Actress for Everyone Else 2015: Blow-Up International Arthouse Film Festival, Nomination for Best Actress – Monica Vitti Award
References
External links