Biografia
Natalia Wörner, born in Stuttgart, Germany, studied acting at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in New York before beginning her stage career in Hamburg upon returning to Germany. She debuted in film in 1992 with the feature LENI, portraying a young Jewish woman fleeing Germany during World War II. That year, she also appeared in Sherry Hormann's Frauen sind etwas Wunderbares (Women are Wonderful) and Dominik Graf's police thriller Die Sieger (The Invincibles), alongside other TV productions. Fluent in multiple languages, Natalia starred alongside Gérard Depardieu in the 1994 French suspense thriller La Machine, directed by François Dupeyron. She further gained international attention for her French-speaking role in the Cannes-premiered 2000 film 20 Nuits et un Jour de Pluie (20 Nights and One Rainy Day). However, it was her acclaimed performance in the 1995 TV series Um die Dreißig (About 30) that earned critical and national acclaim, establishing her as a leading actress with over 50 national and international film credits. Natalia won her first award, the GOLDEN GONG, in 1996 for her outstanding work in Tatort's (Crime Scene) episode "Perfect Mind." That same year, she starred in the romantic comedy Irren ist Männlich (Father's Day), again directed by Sherry Hormann. Balancing drama and comedy, in 2000 she received two Best Leading Actress honors for Bella Block's episode "Blinde Liebe" (Blind Love), for which she also wrote the screenplay, and the TV movie Frauen lügen besser (Women Lie Better), adapted from Annemarie Schoenle's novel. Natalia's dedication to acting is also evident in her theater work. In 2001, she performed in David Hare's The Blue Room and David Auburn's Proof at Hamburger Kammerspiele. She returned to the stage in 2005 for the world premiere of Ulrich Waller's Ein Stück vom Himmel (A Piece of Heaven) at Deutsches Theater Berlin, and again in 2009 at Berlin's Renaissance Theatre in Patrick Marber's Closer (Hautnah), directed by Ulrike Jackwerth. Alongside numerous TV roles, in 2006 Natalia portrayed an investigator in the crime series Unter anderen Umständen (Under Different Circumstances), directed by Judith Kennel, and appeared in subsequent annual installments. She also starred in the German adaptation Das Kindermädchen by Carlo Rola and played the villainous stepmother in Christian Duguay's international Cinderella film series. In 2009, Natalia's international career flourished with roles in the English-German co-production Four Seasons, alongside Senta Berger, Tom Conti, and Michael York, and in Hungary for Ridley Scott and Tandem Communications' adaptation of Ken Follett's bestselling novel The Pillars of the Earth. She portrayed Ellen, a wild forest woman, in this eight-hour series, which aired worldwide in 2010 to critical acclaim, earning awards such as the Austrian ROMY, Golden Globe nominations, and the German BAMBI. In 2012, Natalia completed the German film Die Kirche bleibt im Dorf (The Church Stays in the Village) by Ulrike Grothe, where her humorous portrayal of a Swabian dialect showdown attracted over half a million viewers. She also finished the sequel to Unter anderen Umständen and starred in the culture clash comedy Kückückskind. Subsequent projects included lead roles in the film adaptation of Goethe's drama Götz von Berlichingen (2013), the sequel Die Kirche bleibt im Dorf II (The Church Stays in the Village II), Carlo Rola's thriller Die Mutter des Mörders (Mother of the Murderer, 2014), Der gute Göhring, and the political TV series Die Diplomatin (The Diplomat), which premiered in 2016. For Die Diplomatin, Natalia accompanied Germany's former Secretary of State Frank-Walter Steinmeier on official trips to Indonesia and South Korea to prepare for her role. She also starred in a new adaptation of Mata Hari (2016) and appeared in the internationally cast American series Berlin Station (2017), produced by Studio Babelsberg. Beyond her acting career, Natalia is deeply committed to charity work, especially causes close to her heart. After experiencing the 2004 tsunami in Thailand firsthand, she founded Tsunami Direkthilfe e.V., aimed at rebuilding coastal fishing communities. In 2006, she became an ambassador for the international children's aid organization Kindernothilfe e.V., supporting numerous projects focused on children's protection, health, safety, education, and well-being. In recognition of her sustained dedication, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 2016.
