Nina Hoss (; born 7 July 1975) is a German stage, film, and television actress. She is known for her collaborations with director Christian Petzold in films such as Barbara (2012) and Phoenix (2014). Her roles in other films include The White Masai (2005), Pelican Blood (2020), Tár (2022), and Hedda (2025). She has also starred in the American TV series Homeland (2014–2017), The Defeated (2020), and Jack Ryan (2022).
Hoss received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2013 and was appointed a Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France in 2015.
Early life and education Hoss was born in Stuttgart, West Germany, in 1975. Her father, , was a German trade unionist and politician (member of the Bundestag with The Greens, which he co-founded). Her mother, , was an actress at Stuttgart National Theatre and later director of the Esslingen-based Württemberg State Playhouse (Württembergische Landesbühne Esslingen).
Hoss acted in radio plays at the age of seven, and appeared on stage for the first time at the age of 14.Nina Hoss is judge of the 2012 Alfred Kerr Acting Prize (1 March 2012) Berliner Theatertreffen.
In 1997, Hoss graduated from the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin, where she studied alongside Lars Eidinger,Philip Oltermann (23 March 2017), Lars Eidinger: 'The Nazis cramp us Germans up. But Brits have a Third Reich fascination' The Guardian. Fritzi Haberlandt, Devid Striesow, and Mark Waschke.Anna Kemper, and Daniel Müller (7 February 2013), Deutsche Schauspieler: Eine Klasse für sich ZEITmagazin.
Career Hoss' first major success was the title role Rosemarie Nitribitt of Bernd Eichinger's A Girl Called Rosemary in 1996, a period drama (based on an actual scandal) set in the 1950s that looks back at the days of West Germany's postwar Wirtschaftswunder, with what a New York Times review calls a "curdling cynicism".Stephen Holden (15 October 1999), "A Prostitute Undone by Ambition". The New York Times.
In 2000, Hoss was one of the Shooting Stars at the Berlinale. Her close collaboration with director Christian Petzold has been extremely successful; she won the 2003 Adolf Grimme Award for her role in his film Something to Remind Me and two years later the Adolf Grimme Award in Gold for Wolfsburg. Her performance of Yella, earned her the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2007 and the German Film Award in 2008.Berlinale 2011: International Jury , Berlin International Film Festival, 21 January 2011. Another collaboration with Petzold, Barbara, in which Hoss plays a doctor exiled to an East German provincial backwater in 1980, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011 and the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.
She later made her name in Hollywood playing a German BND agent in three seasons of the series Homeland (2014–2017). Hoss starred in the 2020 miniseries The Defeated, and was a series regular in season three of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan in 2022.
As a stage actress, Hoss was an ensemble member at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin from 1998 to 2013, where she appeared as Medea and as Franziska in Minna von Barnhelm (2005). In 2013, she joined the ensemble of the Schaubühne theatre in Berlin. There, she starred in three productions by director Thomas Ostermeier, including Lillian Hellman's 'Little Foxes' (2014) and the world premiere of Yasmina Reza's Bella Figura (2015). In his stage production (2017) of Didier Eribon's book Returning to Reims, her starring role drew autobiographically from her relationship with her father and his activist politics.
Hoss recorded a duet with the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers called "Europa geht durch mich" ("Europe goes through me") for the album Futurology, which was released on 7 July 2014. Hoss features on the 2021 album Bright Magic by Public Service Broadcasting.
She stars in Todd Field's Tár alongside Cate Blanchett as Sharon Goodnow, a violin player who is the partner of conductor Lydia Tár. In the film, Hoss plays the concertmaster of an orchestra. In 2025, Hoss starred as Eileen Lovborg in Nia DaCosta's Hedda, for which she received critical praise for her performance.
Other activities
Hoss was a jury member of the German Film Academy's First Steps awards for young filmmakers in 2000.The juries First Steps. She was a member of the juries of the Locarno International Film Festival in 2009, the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011, and the 73rd Venice International Film Festival in 2016.
She served as the sole judge of the 2012 Alfred Kerr Acting Prize at the Berliner Theatertreffen.
In 2018, she was part of the jury that awarded the first-ever Wortmeldungen Prize for Literature of the Crespo Foundation.Verleihung des WORTMELDUNGEN-Literaturpreises an Petra Piuk Wortmeldungen Prize for Literature, press release of 7 May 2018.
Social and political commitment Hoss supports the Make Poverty History campaign and fights female genital mutilation. In continuation of the work of her father she is committed as a goodwill ambassador of the state of Pará in Brazil against the destruction of the rain forest and to improve the living conditions of the indigenous people living there.Barbara Jänichen: "Nina Hoss and the amazon-heritage of her father". In: Die Welt, 6 November 2009.
In 2017, she joined Cate Blanchett, Lars von Trier, and others, in signing a petition in support of Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov and against a crackdown on artistic expression in Russia.Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov goes on trial for fraud BBC News, 7 November 2018.
Hoss served as an Alliance 90/The Greens delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2004 and 2010.
Recognition and honors Hoss has received numerous state honours, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2013). She was appointed a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France (2015).
In August 2019 Hoss was invited to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Academy Invites 842 To Membership Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, press release of 1 August 2019.
She has received glowing reviews by American critics for her performances in films.A. O. Scott (16 July 2009), "Diary of Soviet Violence in a Conquered Capital", The New York Times, 17 July 2009.
Personal life Hoss married British music producer Alex Silva in 2015 after having been in a relationship with him for 12 years.
Filmography + Film and television roles Year Title Role Notes 1996 Marilli Kosemund 1996 A Girl Called Rosemary Rosemarie Nitribitt Television film 1998 Rider of the Flames Marie Rätzer 1998 Love Your Neighbour! Liz 1999 The Volcano Marion von Kammer Dir. Ottokar Runze 2000 Die Geiseln von Costa Rica Kiki Television film 2001 Toter Mann Leyla Television film 2002 Naked Charlotte 2002 Paula 2002 Emilia Galotti Countess Orsina Television film 2003 Wolfsburg Laura Reiser 2003 Leonce und Lena Prinzessin Lena Television film 2005 The White Masai Carola Mamutelil geb. Lehmann 2006 Atomised Jane 2006 Hannah Hannah Morgan 2007 Yella Yella Fichte 2007 Marie 2008 The Anarchist's Wife Lenin 2008 Jerichow Laura 2008 A Woman in Berlin Anonyma 2010 We Are the Night Louise 2011 Juliane Kreisler 2012 Barbara Barbara 2013 Gold Emily Meyer 2014 A Most Wanted Man Irna Frey 2014 Phoenix Nelly Lenz 2014–2017 Homeland Astrid Recurring role (seasons 4–6), 13 episodes 2017 Return to Montauk Rebecca 2019 The Audition Anna Bronsky 2019 Pelican Blood Wiebke 2019 Criminal (Germany) Claudia 2020 My Little Sister Lisa 2020 The Defeated Elsie Garten Miniseries 2022 The Contractor Katia 2022 Tár Sharon Goodnow 2022 Jack Ryan President Alena Kovac Main role (season 3) 2023 Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Doris Goethe 2024 Langue étrangère Suzanne Schreber 2025 Cicadas Anja 2025 Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny Hannah Arendt 2025 Hedda Eileen Lovborg Post-production
Film awards and nominations
Hoss has won or been nominated for many awards, including: 2019 – Douglas Sirk Award at the Filmfest HamburgBritta Schmeis (30 September 2019), Nina Hoss will Widersprüchlichkeiten ergründen Die Welt. 2023 – Santa Barbara International Film Festival - Virtuosos Award, for Tár; recognising "noteworthy performances in films which have elevated them into the national cinematic dialogue"
Year Nominated work Award Category ResultsRef1997A Girl Called RosemarieGoldene Kamera awards Lilli Palmer Memorial Camera1999The Volcano (Der Vulkan)Montreal World Film Festival Best Actress 2000Berlin International Film Festival Shooting Stars Award by European Film Promotion2002Toter MannGerman Television AwardsBest Actress in a Movie Made for Television2004WolfsburgGerman Film AwardsBest Performance by an Actress in a Leading RoleGerman Television AwardsBest Actress in a Movie Made for Television2006The White MasaiBavarian Film AwardsBest Actress (Darstellerpreis)Bayern.de: Official press release 2007YellaBambi AwardsBest Actress - NationalBerlin International Film FestivalSilver Bear for Best ActressGerman Film AwardsBest Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role2008Jupiter AwardBest German Actress2012BarbaraCapri Hollywood Film FestivalBest ActressDublin Film Critics Circle AwardsBest ActressEuropean Film AwardsBest ActressIndiewire Critics' PollBest ActressVillage Voice Film PollBest Actress2013German Film Critics Association AwardsBest Actress (Beste Darstellerin)International Cinephile Society AwardsBest Actress2014Fenster zum SommerJupiter AwardsBest German TV Actress2015PhoenixDublin Film Critics Circle AwardsBest ActressGerman Film AwardsBest Performance by an Actress in a Leading RoleIndiewire Critics' PollBest Lead ActressJupiter AwardBest German ActressMons International Festival of Love FilmsBest ActressSeattle International Film FestivalBest ActressToronto Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActressVillage Voice Film PollBest Actress2016Chlotrudis AwardsBest ActressInternational Cinephile Society AwardsBest ActressNational Society of Film Critics AwardsBest ActressSeattle Film Critics AwardsBest ActressHomelandScreen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series2019The AuditionSan Sebastián International Film FestivalSilver Shell for Best ActressJohn Hopewell and Jamie Lang (28 September 2019), ‘Pacified’ Wins Golden Shell at San Sebastian Variety.Stockholm Film FestivalBest Actress2020Días de Cine AwardsBest Foreign ActressPelican BloodGuenter Rohrbach FilmpreisBest Female ActorMy Little SisterEuropean Film AwardsBest ActressGerman Screen Actors AwardsBest Leading Actress (Beste Hauptdarstellerin)2021Festival del Cinema EuropeoBest European ActorThe AuditionGerman Film Critics Association AwardsBest Actress (Beste Darstellerin)Pelican BloodGerman Film Critics Association AwardsBest Actress (Beste Darstellerin)2022TárFlorida Film Critics CircleBest Supporting Actress Gotham Independent Film AwardsOutstanding Supporting Performance2023 Dorian Awards Supporting Film Performance of the Year Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Performance London Film Critics' Circle Supporting Actress of the Year Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress North Dakota Film Society Best Supporting Actress San Diego Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress 2025 Hedda Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Supporting Actress Astra Film AwardsBest Supporting Actress - Drama Chicago Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Performance San Diego Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Toronto Film Critics Association Outstanding Supporting Performance Toronto International Film Festival TIFF Tribute Performance Award Middleburg Film FestivalExcellence in Acting Award
References
Notes