Barbara Sukowa
Encyclopedia
Barbara Sukowa is a German
theatre
and film
actress.
's Der Ritt über den Bodensee. Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of the Darmstädter National Theatre in the same year. She also worked in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg, in collaboration with directors such as Luc Bondy
and Ivan Nagel
. Her roles included Marion in Büchner
's Danton's Death
and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream
. Other Shakespeare roles in Europe were Rosalind in As You Like It
and Desdemona in Othello. Sukowa also performed in Ibsen
's The Master Builder
. In English, she has worked in a production of The Cherry Orchard
(Princeton, New Jersey
, 2000).
In addition to her stage work, Sukowa is well known for her performances in films from the New German Cinema. She portrayed Mieze in Rainer Werner Fassbinder
’s Berlin Alexanderplatz
(1980), which earned her the German best young actress award. Her performance of the title role in Fassbinder’s Lola earned her a German Film Awards
(Gold) award. Her performance in Margarethe von Trotta’s film Die bleierne Zeit
(Marianne and Juliane, 1981) earned her a best actress award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1985 she appeared in the mini-series Space
based on James A Michener's novel. She received best actress
honours at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival
for her work in von Trotta's film Rosa Luxemburg
.
Sukowa has also developed a further career as a classical music
narrator and speaker. She has performed the speaker's role in Arnold Schönberg’s Pierrot lunaire
, first with the Schoenberg Ensemble under Reinbert de Leeuw. Other performances have been with ensembles in Paris, London, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Madrid, Rome, Tokyo, Salzburg, Los Angeles, and New York City. She has performed the Speaker's role in Schönberg's Gurrelieder with the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado
, and is featured on the recordings with Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic, and Esa-Pekka Salonen
and the Philharmonia
. She narrated Prokofiev
’s Peter and the Wolf
both in concert and on record, as well as a recording of Mendelssohn
’s music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has performed in Arthur Honegger
’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher and Kurt Weill
’s The Threepenny Opera. She performed the speaking role in the US premiere of Michael Jarrell
's Cassandre in March 2006, and in the New York City premiere that month, with musicians from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
.
, with whom she has performed as a singer. She has two sons, from her earlier marriage to Hans-Michael Rehberg and from her relationship with Daniel Olbrychski
.
1981 Best Actress Venice film Festival
1982 Best Actress Bundesfilmpreis /German Federal Government Award
1986 Best Actress Bundesfilmpreis /German Federal Government Award
2008 Best Actress World Film Festival Montreal
2009 Best Actress Bayerischer Filmreis/Bavarian Film Award
Music awards
Echo Klassic
Edison
Grammy Nomination
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actress.
Work
Sukowa's stage debut was in Berlin in 1971, in a production of Peter HandkePeter Handke
Peter Handke is an avant-garde Austrian novelist and playwright.-Early life:Handke and his mother lived in the Soviet-occupied Pankow district of Berlin from 1944 to 1948 before resettling in Griffen...
's Der Ritt über den Bodensee. Günter Beelitz invited her to join the ensemble of the Darmstädter National Theatre in the same year. She also worked in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg, in collaboration with directors such as Luc Bondy
Luc Bondy
- Biography :Trained in Paris with the theatre teacher Jacques Lecoq, he received a job in 1969 as an assistant at the Hamburg Thalia Theatre. In a surprise, he took over in 1985 after the resignation of Peter Stein at the Schaubühne in Berlin. He also worked as a producer of both plays and operas...
and Ivan Nagel
Ivan Nagel
Ivan Nagel is a German theater scientist, critic and former theater director of Hungarian origin.-Life:Ivan Nagel comes from a Jewish family who fled their home because of the Second World War, and therefore survived the Holocaust. After the war, Nagel wanted to study in Budapest...
. Her roles included Marion in Büchner
Georg Büchner
Karl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
's Danton's Death
Danton's Death
Danton's Death was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution.-History:Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Realism in the so-called Vormärz era in German history and literature...
and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
. Other Shakespeare roles in Europe were Rosalind in As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
and Desdemona in Othello. Sukowa also performed in Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
's The Master Builder
The Master Builder
The Master Builder is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's most significant and revealing works.-Performance:...
. In English, she has worked in a production of The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
(Princeton, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 2000).
In addition to her stage work, Sukowa is well known for her performances in films from the New German Cinema. She portrayed Mieze in Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
’s Berlin Alexanderplatz
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Berlin Alexanderplatz is a novel by Alfred Döblin, published in 1929. The story concerns a small-time criminal, Franz Biberkopf, fresh from prison, who is drawn into the underworld. When his criminal mentor murders the prostitute whom Biberkopf has been relying on as an anchor, he realizes that...
(1980), which earned her the German best young actress award. Her performance of the title role in Fassbinder’s Lola earned her a German Film Awards
Deutscher Filmpreis
The Deutscher Filmpreis is the highest German movie award. From 1951 to 2004 it was awarded by a commission, since 2005 the award has been given by the Deutsche Filmakademie...
(Gold) award. Her performance in Margarethe von Trotta’s film Die bleierne Zeit
Marianne and Juliane
Marianne and Juliane is a 1981 West German film directed by Margarethe von Trotta. Its original German title is Die bleierne Zeit, an idiomatic expression which can be translated as "the leaden times" and refers to a complex mixture of feelings that were shared by many people of the 1970s political...
(Marianne and Juliane, 1981) earned her a best actress award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1985 she appeared in the mini-series Space
Space (miniseries)
Space is a television mini-series created by CBS in 1985. It is based on a novel of the same name by James A. Michener published in 1982. The program is also called "James A. Michener's Space". Like the novel, the mini-series is a fictionalised history of the United States space program...
based on James A Michener's novel. She received best actress
Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of films at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946.-Award Winners:-External links:* * ....
honours at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival
1986 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Sydney Pollack*Alexandre Mnouchkine*Alexandre Trauner*Charles Aznavour*Danièle Thompson*István Szabó*Lino Brocka*Philip French*Sonia Braga*Tonino Delli Colli-Feature film competition:* After Hours by Martin Scorsese...
for her work in von Trotta's film Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg (film)
Rosa Luxemburg is a 1986 West German drama film directed by Margarethe von Trotta. It was entered into the 1986 Cannes Film Festival where Barbara Sukowa won the award for Best Actress.-Cast:* Barbara Sukowa as Rosa Luxemburg...
.
Sukowa has also developed a further career as a classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
narrator and speaker. She has performed the speaker's role in Arnold Schönberg’s Pierrot lunaire
Pierrot Lunaire
Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...
, first with the Schoenberg Ensemble under Reinbert de Leeuw. Other performances have been with ensembles in Paris, London, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Madrid, Rome, Tokyo, Salzburg, Los Angeles, and New York City. She has performed the Speaker's role in Schönberg's Gurrelieder with the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado
Claudio Abbado
Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , is an Italian conductor. He has served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Vienna State Opera,...
, and is featured on the recordings with Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic, and Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is currently Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and Conductor Laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.-Early career:...
and the Philharmonia
Philharmonia
The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...
. She narrated Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
’s Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
both in concert and on record, as well as a recording of Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
’s music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has performed in Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...
’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher and Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
’s The Threepenny Opera. She performed the speaking role in the US premiere of Michael Jarrell
Michael Jarrell
Michael Jarrell is a Swiss composer. Born in Geneva, he studied at the Conservatoire there, and later with Klaus Huber in Freiburg.His works span many genres...
's Cassandre in March 2006, and in the New York City premiere that month, with musicians from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
.
Personal life
Sukowa is married to the artist and director Robert LongoRobert Longo
Robert Longo is an American painter and sculptor. Longo became famous in the 1980s for his "Men in the Cities" series, which depicted sharply dressed businessmen writhing in contorted emotion.-Early life and education:...
, with whom she has performed as a singer. She has two sons, from her earlier marriage to Hans-Michael Rehberg and from her relationship with Daniel Olbrychski
Daniel Olbrychski
Daniel Olbrychski is a Polish actor best known for leading roles in several Andrzej Wajda movies and also known for playing the Russian defector and spymaster Vassily Orlov, alongside Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie in the movie Salt....
.
Awards
1980 Chaplin Schuh Beste NachwuchsDarstellerin1981 Best Actress Venice film Festival
1982 Best Actress Bundesfilmpreis /German Federal Government Award
- 1986 Cannes Film Festival1986 Cannes Film Festival- Jury :*Sydney Pollack*Alexandre Mnouchkine*Alexandre Trauner*Charles Aznavour*Danièle Thompson*István Szabó*Lino Brocka*Philip French*Sonia Braga*Tonino Delli Colli-Feature film competition:* After Hours by Martin Scorsese...
, Best ActressBest Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival)The Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of films at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946.-Award Winners:-External links:* * ....
1986 Best Actress Bundesfilmpreis /German Federal Government Award
- 1997 Bavarian Film AwardsBayerischer FilmpreisThe Bavarian Film Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the State Government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the German Film Awards, these are the most highly regarded awards for filmmaking achievement in Germany.The Bavarian Film...
, Best Actress
2008 Best Actress World Film Festival Montreal
2009 Best Actress Bayerischer Filmreis/Bavarian Film Award
Music awards
Echo Klassic
Edison
Grammy Nomination
Filmography
- 1980 Berlin AlexanderplatzBerlin Alexanderplatz (television)Berlin Alexanderplatz, originally broadcast in 1980, is a 14-part television film adapted and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder from the Alfred Döblin novel of the same name, and stars Günter Lamprecht, Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa, Elisabeth Trissenaar and Gottfried John...
(Rainer Werner FassbinderRainer Werner FassbinderRainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
) - 1981 Die bleierne Zeit (Marianne & Juliane) (Margarethe von Trotta)
- 1981 Lola (Rainer Werner FassbinderRainer Werner FassbinderRainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
) - 1983 ÉquateurÉquateur (film)Équateur is a 1983 French drama film directed by Serge Gainsbourg. It was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.About Timar's trip to black Africa and his unfortunate passion for Adele, a murderess whose amorality sends a disillusioned Timar back to Europe.- Cast :* Francis...
(Serge GainsbourgSerge GainsbourgSerge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
) - 1985 SpaceSpace (miniseries)Space is a television mini-series created by CBS in 1985. It is based on a novel of the same name by James A. Michener published in 1982. The program is also called "James A. Michener's Space". Like the novel, the mini-series is a fictionalised history of the United States space program...
(Lee Phillips and Joseph Sergeant} - 1986 Rosa LuxemburgRosa Luxemburg (film)Rosa Luxemburg is a 1986 West German drama film directed by Margarethe von Trotta. It was entered into the 1986 Cannes Film Festival where Barbara Sukowa won the award for Best Actress.-Cast:* Barbara Sukowa as Rosa Luxemburg...
(Margarethe von Trotta) - 1987 The SicilianThe Sicilian (film)The Sicilian is a 1987 action film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. It was directed by Michael Cimino and stars Christopher Lambert, Joss Ackland and Terence Stamp.-Plot:...
(Michael CiminoMichael CiminoMichael Cimino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and author. He is best known for writing and directing Academy Award-winning The Deer Hunter and the infamous Heaven's Gate. His films are characterized by their striking visual style and controversial subject...
) - 1987 Days to RememberDays to RememberDays to Remember is a 1987 German drama film directed by Jeanine Meerapfel. It was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Barbara Sukowa as Katharina* Horst-Günter Marx as Peter* Bata Živojinović as Onkel Savo...
- 1990 Europa (Lars von TrierLars von TrierLars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
) - 1991 Voyager (Volker SchlöndorffVolker SchlöndorffVolker Schlöndorff is a Berlin-based German filmmaker who has worked in Germany, France and the United States...
) - 1995 Johnny MnemonicJohnny Mnemonic (film)Johnny Mnemonic is a 1995 cyberpunk film, loosely based on the short story "Johnny Mnemonic" by William Gibson. The title character, a man with a cybernetic brain implant designed to store information, is played by Keanu Reeves. The film portrays Gibson's dystopian view of the future with the world...
(Robert LongoRobert LongoRobert Longo is an American painter and sculptor. Longo became famous in the 1980s for his "Men in the Cities" series, which depicted sharply dressed businessmen writhing in contorted emotion.-Early life and education:...
) - 1998 Lost SoulsLost Souls-Film, TV and radio:* Lost Souls , a special 2008 radio episode of the BBC TV series* Lost Souls , a 2000 movie directed by Janusz Kamiński and starring Winona Ryder and Ben Chaplin...
(Jeff Woolnough) - 1998 Cradle Will RockCradle Will RockCradle Will Rock is a 1999 drama film which chronicles the process and events that surrounded the production of the original 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein...
(Tim RobbinsTim RobbinsTimothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
) - 2001 Thirteen Conversations About One ThingThirteen Conversations About One ThingThirteen Conversations About One Thing is a 2001 American drama film directed by Jill Sprecher. The screenplay by Sprecher and her sister Karen focuses on five seemingly disparate individuals in search of happiness whose paths intersect in ways that unexpectedly impact their lives.-Plot:The film is...
(Jill SprecherJill Sprecher-Biography:A graduate from University of Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in philosophy and literature, Sprecher relocated to New York to study film....
) - 2004 Hierankl with Director Hans Steinbichler, Johanna WokalekJohanna WokalekJohanna Wokalek is a German stage and film actress. A student of Klaus Maria Brandauer, she received critical recognition and three newcomer awards for her performance in the play Rose Bernd. Wokalek is best known for her award-winning appearances in the German films Hierankl, Barfuss, and The...
, Josef BierbichlerJosef Bierbichler-Awards:* Adolf Grimme Award , best performance in the ZDF TV film Freier Fall* Adolf Grimme Award , best performance in Hierankl, along with Johanna Wokalek, Barbara Sukowa and Peter Simonischek* Theaterpreis Berlin -External links:...
and Alexander BeyerAlexander BeyerAlexander Beyer is a German actor.He was born in Erfurt, East Germany. He has appeared in such films as: Volker Schloendorff's The Legend of Rita , Leander Haussmann's Sun Alley , Johannes Kiefer's Gregor's Greatest Invention , which was nominated for an... - 2005 Romance & CigarettesRomance & CigarettesRomance & Cigarettes is a 2005 American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Turturro. The film stars an ensemble cast, including James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Christopher Walken,...
(John TurturroJohn TurturroJohn Michael Turturro is an American actor, writer and director known for his roles in the films Do the Right Thing , Miller's Crossing , Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the Transformers film series...
) - 2009 Vision (Margarethe von Trotta)