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Lilian Klebow was born in Munich, Germany, and has lived for 12 years in Vienna, Austria, as well as 2.5 years in Berlin, along with stays in other European cities like Rome. Having traveled extensively, she considers the world her home. A true European, she also has family roots in the United States, specifically San Francisco and Ohio, where part of her family emigrated. Her name is originally Russian; her great-grandfather emigrated from White Russia through Poland to Berlin, where he met Lilian’s Italian-rooted grandmother. On her mother’s side, there is French influence. Lilian is married to Slovenian-Austrian actor Erich Altenkopf.
Many renowned actors such as Romy Schneider and Senta Berger from Austria, Hildegard Knef from Germany, and various filmmakers have captivated cinephiles worldwide. More recently, Austrian-German actor Christoph Waltz achieved international success in Hollywood, inspiring many European actors. Lilian greatly admired the three iconic German-Austrian actresses—Berger, Schneider, and Knef. She watched all their films and spent much of her childhood attending Munich’s Kammerspiele theatre, enjoying major productions like "King Lear" and "King Edward II" from the age of eight. She never imagined becoming an actress herself, as she did not come from a family of actors.
Lilian’s father was a teacher at her school, and her mother worked as a secretary in a real estate office. She was raised modestly in a working-class neighborhood in Germany. Dancing was her first passion; she began classes at seven and trained nearly every afternoon. Her professional career started at age ten in the children’s choir of the State Opera Munich, and at sixteen, she became a singer in the German band All About Angels.
While completing her studies at the Willi-Graf Gymnasium in Munich—where German actress Natasha Kinski also studied—Lilian developed a strong love for acting, thanks to her acting teacher, renowned German actress and singer Christine Goerner, who encouraged her to apply to the University of Performing Arts Vienna and the Performing Arts Studios Vienna, a primarily American-style institution.
From 1997 to 2001, she studied acting and musical theatre at both schools in Vienna and Munich. In Berlin, she attended film training classes at the Actors Lodge Berlin, where she was introduced to Stella Adler’s acting methods. In 1999, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival (1999–2001). This was followed by numerous engagements in Germany and Austria, including performances at the Volkstheater and Raimundtheater in Vienna, Gruppe 80, Waldviertler Hoftheater, Metropol, and Stadttheater Klagenfurt.
After more than six years on stage, Lilian began appearing in films and on television. In 2005, she secured two leading roles in the same year: the German TV mini-series "Stadt, Land, Mord" and the Austrian-German co-production "Soko Vienna/Soko Wien/Soko Donau." Playing female police officers in these roles was especially meaningful to her, as her grandfather was a sergeant in Munich’s homicide department. These roles brought her recognition in both Germany and Vienna.
From 2005 to 2008, she portrayed Detective Rebecca Lerchinger, a Bavarian countryside cop with a complicated love life, in the successful TV mini-series "Stadt, Land, Mord," which also aired in France under the title "Au fil de l'Enquête."
Since 2005, she has played Inspector Penny Lanz in the popular TV series "Soko Donau." She was nominated for the Austrian Film Award Romy in 2009 and 2010 for her work in "Soko Donau" and "Stadt, Land, Mord." The Romy Award is Austria’s equivalent of the Emmy.
The 2009 film "Das große Glück sozusagen" ("The Big Bliss As It Were") was screened at several film festivals and received national and international awards. Lilian has appeared in various other films for cinema and television, including three TV movies directed by Austrian star director and cinematographer Xaver Schwarzenberger, former director of photography for Rainer Werner Fassbinder. One of her first international roles was a small part in the French film "Marie and Freud" (2003), directed by Benoît Jacquot and starring Catherine Deneuve.
Additionally, Lilian hosted the 2008 Undine Film Award ceremony, is a member of the Austrian Film Academy, and performs with several music groups. In 2008, she performed with the Soko Loco Band at the Austrian Film Award ROMY ceremony, named after Romy Schneider, and in 2011, she appeared alongside colleague Gregor Seberg at the Viennese Song Festival Wean Hean.
She also works in ADR dubbing and narration for documentaries, radio, and audiobooks. Lilian co-produced two short films with Nicole Weber and is developing two solo theatre projects as a writer.
Lilian Klebow serves as an ambassador of honor for the renowned activist, chimpanzee expert, and UN ambassador Dr. Jane Goodall. She collaborates with the Jane Goodall Institute Austria on numerous projects in Europe and Africa. In August 2011, Lilian, FairSoul Communications, and the Jane Goodall Institute produced an appeal for financial support for JGI Austria, which was broadcast on several major Austrian TV and radio channels.
Lilian’s latest endeavor is working with FairSoul Communications as an executive producer for German-language documentary film projects.
In February 2012, a documentary about the Jane Goodall Institute Austria’s projects and Jane Goodall’s important work was filmed in Uganda, Eastern Africa. Lilian spent two weeks there and made her first appearances on Ugandan television.
She still dreams of receiving acting training in the United States and is a great admirer of American drama series.
