Biographie
Nicole Ansari began acting at the age of nine in her native Germany, landing her first major role in the German crime series Tatort alongside renowned actor Götz George. She later appeared in guest roles on TV shows such as Polizeiruf and Kommissar Rex. After studying Drama and Dance in Hamburg, she starred in two independent arthouse films: "Franta," directed by Matthias Allary and based on a World War I novel, and "Little King Eric" by Thomas Bahmann. Nicole then moved to Zurich to join the esteemed repertory company Theater am Neumarkt. There, she starred in Swiss-Iraqi filmmaker Samir's debut feature "Always and Forever," an adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's "The Game is Over." She also appeared in the TV series Eurocops, directed by Markus Imboden, and worked with director Thomas Jahn on the German feature "Kai Rabe gegen die Vatikankiller."
Pursuing further training in New York, Nicole auditioned for Uta Hagen and studied with her for two years, as well as for the Actors Studio under Susan Batson, becoming a temporary working member. Returning to Europe, she was selected from thousands of applicants during a rigorous three-month audition to join the renowned Théâtre du Soleil in Paris under director Ariane Mnouchkine, performing there and on tour for two and a half years. In Paris, she replaced French film star Maria Schneider and collaborated with Corine Bleu on the short film "Quand Fred rit," alongside Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi.
Following Paris, Nicole moved to Vienna, portraying Alma Mahler, the "Muse of the Four Arts," both on stage and in a TV miniseries for Arte. This marked the beginning of her collaboration with director Paulus Manker and writer Joshua Sobol. She took on numerous leading roles at the Public Theater, including Roxanne in Cyrano de Bergerac, Irma in Irma la Douce, Romy Schneider in Romy, ich..., and Bérénice in Bérénice. She starred in the TV movie "Two Women, a Man and a Baby," which addressed same-sex marriage, and played Desdemona in "Jago," a contemporary adaptation of Othello. During this period, she was a regular on the German crime series SK Kölsch.
After marrying Scottish actor Brian Cox and having two children, Nicole divided her time between the US and UK, continuing to work primarily in television. In the UK, she appeared in Philip Saville's "The Biographer," and in the US, she was a recurring character on HBO's Deadwood. She also co-starred in Scottish punk rocker Richard Jobson's feature "A Woman in Winter." Nicole originated the role of Lenka, a Czech philosophy student, in Tom Stoppard's "Rock 'n' Roll" at the Royal Court and the West End in London, later reprising the role on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
Back in New York, Nicole ventured into producing independent films, with credits including the thriller "As Good as Dead" starring Andie MacDowell and the comedy "Blumenthal," which she co-starred in alongside Brian Cox. She also directed and produced the short documentary "Padim," focusing on an arts program in a public school. As a working New York actor, she guest-starred as a transsexual in the first interactive TV show for Current TV, "Bar Karma," produced by Sims creator Will Wright and producer Abi Hecht, and appeared in the final season of the long-running soap opera "As the World Turns." Recently, she worked with Steven Soderbergh on "Side Effects," co-starred in the upcoming indie film "Maggie Black," and guest-starred on NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura.
