Ulrike Krumbiegel

Ulrike Krumbiegel (born 16 December 1961) is a German actress. She has performed in more than 100 film and TV productions. In her early career, she performed in East German cinema and theatre. After the re-unification of Germany, her career continued with appearances in crime series such as Tatort, and the ZDF series SOKO München. She has also continued to appear in the theatre, featuring in plays by Berthold Brecht, Henrik Ibsen and William Shakespeare.

Life

Origin and training

Ulrike Krumbiegel was born in East Berlin, East Germany, as one of two daughters of an international trader and a nurse. She grew up in Mitte. In 1976, she heard on the DDR-Radio that they are looking for an actor. At 15 years old, she applied as a student to the amateur playing group of the Berliner Volksbühne, where she was accepted and starred in Die Nacht nach der Abschlussfeier by Soviet writer Vladimir Tendryakov.

After her school training (Abitur 1980 in Mitte), she completed her acting studies at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin until 1983.

Theatre

She got her first stage engagement at the Mecklenburg State Theatre, where she was on stage as Iphigenie and Minna von Barnhelm, among others. In 1986, she moved to the Deutsches Theater, where she was a longtime member for 15 years altogether until 2001 and worked with directors like Frank Castorf, Jürgen Gosch, and many times with Thomas Langhoff. Krumbiegel played many roles in the classical theatre repertoires. In the 1989–90 season, she starred as Natascha in Nachtasyl (Director: Friedo Solter). In the 1990–91 season, she was the Eve in The Broken Jug. In the 1991–92 season, she took over the title role in a new production of the Kleist play Das Käthchen von Heilbronn.

Further stations were the Berliner Ensemble, the Munich Kammerspiele, the Maxim Gorki Theatre, and the Residenz Theatre of the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel. At the Maxim Gorki Theatre, she again starred in the 2001–02 season in Goethe's Iphigenie, in a production by Thomas Langhoff, with Klaus Manchen (Thoas), Joachim Meyerhoff (Orest), Tilo Nest (Pylades), and Siegfried Terpoorten (Arkas) as partners. In the 2003–04 season at the Munich Residenztheater (staged by Thomas Langhoff), she was the whore Yvette in the Brecht play Mother Courage and Her Children, her lager whore was a "broken, tragicomic number between brokenness, lust, love and business ability". In the 2003–04 season, she starred along with the Berliner Ensemble as Gina Ekdal in the Henrik Ibsen play The Wild Duck (Director: Thomas Langhoff). In 2005, she starred in Munich Kammerspielen as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet (Director: Lars-Ole Walburg).

East German film and TV

In the late phase of East Germany, Krumbiegel worked in many TV films and DEFA productions. The director Bodo Fürneisen discovered her while in her studies and gave her a female lead role in the 1981 TV film Komm mit mir nach Chicago; Krumbiegel played the role of 17-year-old waiter apprentice Anja, who "goes from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan". More film and TV tasks for DEFA and the Deutscher Fernsehfunk followed.

In the youth film Schwierig sich zu verloben (1982–83) by Karl-Heinz Heymann, she took the role of the young saleswoman Barbara, whose love for the locksmith Wolle (Werner Tritzschler) breaks down when she tells him of her pregnancy. In the DEFA film Junge Leute in der Stadt (1984–85), Ulrike Krumbiegel, under the directing of Karl-Heinz Lotz, the saleswoman Frieda, who, in order to not lose her place, had to be sexually blackmailed by her boss Richard.

After the Peaceful Revolution

After East Germany ended, she kept getting roles in demanding cinema and TV productions, such as Dietmar Klein's 1992 comedy Der Erdnussmann or Im Namen der Unschuld. She also worked together with directors Margarethe von Trotta and Andreas Kleinert. From 2000, Krumbiegel accepted more film and TV deals, but continued to appear, albeit to a reduced extent, in selected productions. In the meantime, Krumbiegel has participated in more than 100 film and television productions.

In the drama film Heidi M. (2001) by Michael Klier she played, alongside Katrin Sass, her girlfriend. In the 2004 war film Downfall, she played the fictional role of Dorothee Kranz, who was the mother of Hitler Youth soldier Peter Kranz. In the 2005 thriller Antibodies by Christian Alvart, she played Rosa Martens, the wife of a village policeman who witnessed her husband being manipulated by a jailed serial killer. In the 2007 teen film Meer is nich, she was the mother Karla, whose 17-year-old daughter is in a deep phase of self-discovery and indecision shortly before graduating from high school.

Crime series work

She starred many times in the crime series Tatort.

In the Swedish thriller series Greyzone (2018), she took a supporting role as German weapons designer Renate Gleisner. While shooting, Krumbiegel said her lines in English with a German accent. In the ZDF series The Old Fox, she took the role of Chairwoman Judge Emma Horvath, who is grieving for her child, one of the leading episodes in the new season, which will air from April 2019. In the ZDF series SOKO München (2020), she played, alongside Nils Hohenhövel, the mother of a suspect who becomes a murderer.

Private

Krumbiegel is the mother of a grown-up daughter, whom she raised alone. Her hobbies are skiing and sailing and she lives in Mitte.

Role profile and awards

Ulrike Krumbiegel is deemed as one of the most convincing character actresses in Germany. Determined on any particular type, she played little girls several times at the beginning of her career; later, she was often the silent woman in the background. She was often naïve or needy, proving her flexibility at many times. Her roles are characterised by a "wide range". In critics, her "physical weakness", her "sense", and the "brittleness" were emphasized in her presentation.

For her performance in the TV film Geschlecht: weiblich by Dirk Kummer, she earned in 2003 the German TV Awards in the category "Best Actress – Lead Role". In 2008, Krumbiegel won the Golden Camera as best actress. She was honoured for her role in Polizeiruf 110: Jenseits. She was shortlisted for the 2009 German Film Award in the category "Best Performance - Female Supporting Role" for A Woman in Berlin. For the 2010 German Television Award she was nominated for "Best Actress" for her role in The Lost Father.

Selected filmography

1982: Komm mit mir nach Chicago (TV Movie) - Anja Paul 1983: Schwierig sich zu verloben - Brigitta 1983: Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort: Ein gefährlicher Fund (TV Series) - Heike Baum 1984: Iphigenie in Aulis (Theatre recording) 1984-2017: Polizeiruf 110 (TV Series) - Heidi Schoppe / Nina Hausner / Katja Kraatz / Beatrice / Frau Kerner / Angelika Sladowski 1985: Junge Leute in der Stadt - Frieda 1986: Jungfer Miras Mirakel (TV Movie) - Suschen Falk 1986: Der Hut des Brigadiers - Heide Reider 1988: Fallada – The Last Chapter - Anneliese 1988: Felix and the Wolf - Mutter Grosser 1988: Der Aufstand der Fischer von St. Barbara (TV Movie) - Marie 1989: - Tina 1990: Sehnsucht - Ena 1990: Heute sterben immer nur die anderen - Lisa 1991: Der Verdacht - Irina, Karins Schwester 1991: Schlaflose Tage (TV Movie) - Antonia 1992: Der Erdnußmann - Linda 1992: Miraculi 1992: Ärzte (TV Series) - Eva Schindler 1995: The Promise - Elisabeth 1995: Der Kontrolleur - Marianne / Inge 1996-2021: Tatort (TV Series) - Bettina Mai / Angelika Zerrer / Ina Armbaum / Bea Kubitz / Simone Mende / Krankenpflegerin Inge Kehrer / Sofie Reber / Carola Barneck / Simone Ahlert 1997: Im Namen der Unschuld - Sandra Wegmann 2001: Heidi M. - Lilo 2001: Paulas Schuld (TV Movie) - Paula 2001: Schimanski (TV Series) - Manuela Keller 2002: In einer Nacht wie dieser (TV Movie) - Yvonne Steininger 2002: Mein Vater (TV Movie) - Anja Esser 2003: Sternzeichen - Mutter von Alexander 2003: Geschlecht weiblich (TV Movie) - Dina Grossmann 2003–2013: Bloch (TV Series) - Clara Born 2004: Downfall - Dorothee Kranz 2004: Der Stich des Skorpion (TV Movie) - Maria Michaelis 2004: Das Schwalbennest (TV Movie) - Rita Stützler 2005: Mord am Meer (TV Movie) - Renate Siedler 2005: Antibodies - Rosa Martens 2005: Bella Block (TV Series) - Silke Voss 2006: Erased (TV Movie) - Dr. Katharina Trapp 2006: Väter – denn sie wissen nicht, was sich tut (TV Movie) - Marion Vollmer 2006: Das Duo (TV Series) - Susanne Walters 2007: - Brigitte 2007: Meer is nich - Karla - mother 2007: Solo für Schwarz (TV Movie) - Maren Brügge 2008: Nachtschicht (TV Series) - Violetta Kiesewetter 2008: Hurenkinder (TV Movie) - Isolde 2008: Die Weisheit der Wolken (TV Movie) - Katrin Paulsen 2008: A Woman in Berlin - Ilse Hoch 2008: Stolberg (TV Series) - Ida Sonnenburg 2009: (TV Movie) - Susanne Pramann 2009: - Carmen Schöne 2010: The Lost Father (TV Movie) - Elke Hagestedt 2010: Auftrag in Afrika (TV Movie) - Simone Schumann 2010: Vater Morgana - Britta 2011: Stilles Tal - Barbara Stille 2012: Die Jagd nach dem weißen Gold (TV Movie) - Frau Schumann 2012-2017: Spreewaldkrimi (TV Series) - Marianne Stein 2013: Im Netz (TV Movie) - Kommissarin Theissen 2013: Danni Lowinski (TV Series) - Judith Ritter 2013: Grossstadtklein - Susanne 2013: Die goldene Gans (TV Movie) - Edeltraud 2013: Ein starkes Team (TV Series) - Katharina Dammers 2014: Der Kriminalist (TV Series) - Nike Cloppenburg 2014: (TV Movie) - Elly's Mother 2014: Alles Verbrecher – Eiskalte Liebe (TV Movie) - Herta Frohwitter 2014: Zu mir oder zu dir? (TV Movie) - Elke Landowski 2014: Sein gutes Recht (TV Movie) - Nicole Burkhardt 2015: Der Blindgänger (TV Movie) - Sanna Stein 2015: Alles Verbrecher – Leiche im Keller (TV Movie) - Kommissarin Herta Frohwitter 2015: Unter der Haut (TV Movie) - Marianne Siedler 2015-2019: The Old Fox (TV Series) - Emma Horvath / Veronika Berndorfer 2016: Mutter reicht's jetzt - Barbara Weller 2017: Matula (TV Movie) - Ann-Gret Dahus 2017: Happy Burnout - Dr. Gunst 2017: Stralsund (TV Series) - Anke Liebrecht 2017: Die Anfängerin - Dr. Annebärbel Buschhaus 2017: Back for Good 2017: In Wahrheit (TV Series) - Frau Schäffler 2017: Die Anfängerin - Dr. Annebärbel Buschhaus 2017-2021: Letzte Spur Berlin (TV Series) - Renate Elbe 2018: Greyzone (TV Series) - Renate Gleisner 2019: Inga Lindström (TV Series) - Nora 2019: Irgendwas bleibt immer (TV Movie) - Melanie Krömer 2020: SOKO München (TV Series) - Bernadette Müller 2020: Der Kroatien-Krimi (TV Series) - Danica 2021: Das Mädchen mit den goldenen Händen - Victoria

Theatre

1986: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Egmont (Klärchen) – Director: Friedo Solter (Deutsches Theater Berlin) 1988: Michail Bulgakow: Paris, Paris (Schneiderin) – Director: Frank Castorf (Deutsches Theater Berlin) 1990: Heinrich von Kleist: Der zerbrochne Krug (Eve) – Director: Thomas Langhoff (Deutsches Theater Berlin) 1990: Maxim Gorki: Nachtasyl (Natascha) – Director: Friedo Solter (Deutsches Theater Berlin) 1991: Peter Turrini: Der Minderleister (Arbeiterin) – Director: Carl-Hermann Risse (Deutsches Theater Berlin)

Audiobooks

Simone Schneider: Die Schöne und das Tier : Hörspiel. Freiburg [u. a.], 1994. Monika Feth: Meine schrecklich liebe, kleine Schwester. Hamburg, 1998. John Grisham: The Partner : Hörspiel. München, 2000. Kurt Tucholsky: Rheinsberg: Ein Bilderbuch für Verliebte Berlin, 2001. Damals in der DDR : Feature. eine vierteilige Hördokumentation nach der gleichnamigen TV series, eine Produktion von MDR Figaro in Koproduktion mit MDR. Köln, 2004. Kjell Eriksson: Das Steinbett : Kriminalhörspiel. Berlin, 2005. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Iphigenie in Tauris Argon Verlag GmbH 2007. Marina Lewycka: Kurze Geschichte des Traktors auf Ukrainisch : Hörspiel. München, 2007. Anna Seghers: Aufstand der Fischer von St. Barbara Berlin, 2008. Erin Hunter: Feuer und Eis. Weinheim, 2008. Erin Hunter: In die Wildnis. Weinheim, 2008. Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid. Köln, 2010.

Radioplays

1985: Kurt Tucholsky: Rheinsberg (Claire) – Director: Barbara Plensat (Hörspiel – Rundfunk der DDR) 1985: Franz Fühmann: Das blaue Licht (Hexe) – Director: Barbara Plensat (Fantasy, Märchen für Erwachsene – Rundfunk der DDR) 1986: Walter Jens nach Euripides: Der Untergang (Kassandra) – Director: Barbara Plensat (Hörspiel nach der Tragödie: Die Troerinnen – Rundfunk der DDR) 1987: Georg Hirschfeld: Pauline (Lucie) – Director: Werner Grunow (Hörspiel – Rundfunk der DDR) 1988: Homer: Die Irrfahrten des Odysseus (Kalypso) – Director: Werner Buhss (Kinderhörspiel (6 Teile) – Rundfunk der DDR) 1989: Peter Brasch: Santerre (Jean) – Director: Joachim Staritz (Hörspiel – Rundfunk der DDR) 1991: Jacob Grimm/Wilhelm Grimm: Sex-Märchen zur Nacht (Königstochter) – Director: Barbara Plensat (Märchen für Erwachsene – Funkhaus Berlin) 1992: Reinhard Lakomy & Monika Ehrhardt: Der Wasserkristall (Quingel) – Director: Rainer Schwarz (Geschichtenlieder-Hörspiel – DSB) 1994: Michael Koser Ufos über Professor Van Dusen, Director: Sylvia Rauer und Rainer Clute (DKultur) 1995: Reinhard Lakomy & Monika Ehrhardt: Der Regenbogen (Quingel) – Director: Jürgen Thormann (Geschichtenlieder-Hörspiel – Sony Music) 1996: Waleri Petrow: Die Zauberperle (Telefon-Stimme) – Director: Werner Buhss (Kinderhörspiel – MDR/DLR) 1996: Franz Zauleck: Olga bleibt Olga – Director: Karlheinz Liefers (Kinderhörspiel – DLR Berlin) 1996: Karl Kirsch: Arthur – Director: Albrecht Surkau (Kriminalhörspiel – DLR) 1998: : Warum ist es am Rhein so schön... (Eva) – Director: Hans Gerd Krogmann (Hörspiel – WDR/DLR) 2003: Dylan Thomas: Unter dem Milchwald (Polly Garter) – Director: Götz Fritsch (Hörspiel – MDR) 2009: Carl Ceiss: Engel von Bremen – Director: Ulrich Lampen (Hörspiel – RB/SR) 2011: Marianne Zückler: Die Läuferin (Irene) – Director: Andrea Getto (Hörspiel – RBB/NDR) 2013: Ingrid Strobl: Old Man Prison Blues – Director: Thom Kubli (|WDR) 2014: Ingo Schulze: Das „Deutschlandgerät" – Director: Stefan Kanis (Hörspiel – MDR) 2016: Reinhard Lakomy & Monika Ehrhardt: Die Sonne (Quingel) – Director: Monika Ehrhardt (Geschichtenlieder-Hörspiel – Sony Music) 2018: Juli Zeh: Unterleuten – Director: Judith Lorentz (NDR/rbb)