Nina Hoss

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.

In 1997, Hoss graduated from the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin, where she studied alongside Lars Eidinger, Fritzi Haberlandt, Devid Striesow, and Mark Waschke.

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".

In 2000, Hoss was one of the Shooting Stars at the Berlinale. 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. 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.

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.

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.

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).

She has received glowing reviews by American critics for her performances in films.

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 Hamburg