Veronica Maria Cäcilia Ferres (; born 10 June 1965) is a German film, television, and stage actress. Her 2007 portrayal of Sara Bender in ''Die Frau vom Checkpoint Charlie'', based on the true story of Jutta Fleck, earned her the award for Best Actress at the ''

Deutscher Fernsehpreis The Deutscher Fernsehpreis (''German Television Award'') is an annual German award for television programming, created in 1999 by German television channels Das Erste, ZDF, RTL and Sat.1. It was created to be an equivalent to the Emmy Awards, ...

'' (German Television Awards).

Early life

Ferres was born in

Solingen Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366 ...

. She grew up as the youngest child and only daughter of Peter Ferres, a coal and potato merchant, and his wife Katharina. She completed her '' Abitur'' at the Gymnasium Schwertstrasse in Solingen, and then completed a German,

theatre studies Theatre studies (sometimes referred to as theatrology or dramatics) is the study of theatrical performance in relation to its literary, physical, psychobiological, sociological, and historical contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field which also e ...

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

degree at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

Career

In Germany, Ferres's breakthrough came with the title role in the 1996 comedy film '' The Superwife'', followed by starring roles in films such as the ''

Schtonk! ''Schtonk!'' (subtitled ''Der Film zum Buch vom Führer''; "The film accompanying the ''Führer's'' book") is a 1992 German satirical film which retells the story of the 1983 ''Hitler Diaries'' hoax. It was written and directed by Helmut Dietl. ...

'', ', '' Klimt'' (alongside

John Malkovich John Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

) and ', making her a household name in Germany. Her TV productions include '' The Manns'', ', ', ', ', and ', among others. Her awards include the

Grimme-Preis The Grimme-Preis ("Grimme Award"; prior to 2011: Adolf-Grimme-Preis) is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme.German Television Award, the

Bavarian TV Award Bayerischer Fernsehpreis (the Bavarian TV award) is an award presented by the government of Bavaria, Germany since 1989. The prize symbol is the "Blue Panther", a figure from the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory. The prize money is €10,000 (Spec ...

, the

Golden Camera Award The International Cinematographers Film Festival "Manaki Brothers" (known short as Manaki Film Festival) is an annual international film festival organized by the Macedonian Film Professionals Association (MFPA). The festival is held in Bitola, ...

, and the

Bambi Award The Bambi, often called the Bambi Award and stylised as BAMBI, is a German award presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television to personalities in the media, arts, culture, sports, and oth ...

. She played the female lead in '' Jedermann'' (''Everyman''), the traditional opening play of the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

, considered the highest honor in German stagecraft. In 2013, Ferres shot the international feature '' ''Hector and the Search for Happiness'''' with

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...

and

Jean Reno Jean Reno () (born 30 July 1948), is a French actor. He has worked in American, French, English, Japanese, Spanish and Italian movie productions; Reno appeared in films such as '' Crimson Rivers'', ''Godzilla'', '' The Da Vinci Code'', '' Mission ...

, and played the main role in the feature film ''

Casanova Variations ''Casanova Variations'' is a 2014 French-Austrian-German fantasy historical drama film written and directed by Michael Sturminger and starring John Malkovich. It is based on '' Histoire de ma vie'' by Giacomo Casanova, who is played by Malkovic ...

'', again with John Malkovich. Her 13th international production, ''

The Devil's Violinist ''The Devil's Violinist'' is a 2013 film based on the life story of the 19th-century Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini. The film had its US premiere on 10 March 2014 at the Miami International Film Festival. Plot Niccolo Paga ...

'', was released theatrically in late 2013. In 2015, she starred opposite

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...

in the thriller '' Pay the Ghost'', directed by

Uli Edel Ulrich "Uli" Edel (; born 11 April 1947) is a German film and television director, best known for his work on films such as ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' and '' Body of Evidence.'' His '' Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny'' won a Golden Globe for ...

. In 2016, she had the leading role in

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...

's film ''

Salt and Fire ''Salt and Fire'' is a 2016 thriller film written and directed by Werner Herzog. The film stars Michael Shannon, Veronica Ferres, and Gael García Bernal. It tells the story about a hostage-taking situation set against an ecological disaster in ...

'', co-starring

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theater director. He is an off beat actor known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas. He became known for his frequent ...

and

Gael García Bernal Gael García Bernal (; born 30 November 1978) is a Mexican actor and producer. He is best known for his performances in the films '' Bad Education'', '' The Motorcycle Diaries'', '' Amores perros'', ''Y tu mamá también'', ''Babel'', '' Coco'', ...

. Ferres also co-starred in '' The Comedian'', her 17th English feature film, along with Robert De Niro,

Leslie Mann Leslie Jean Mann (born March 26, 1972) is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous films, including ''The Cable Guy'' (1996), ''George of the Jungle'' (1997), '' Big Daddy'' (1999), '' Knocked Up'' (2007), '' 17 Again'' (2009), '' Funn ...

, and

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...

. In November 2022, Ferres was cast in the upcoming ''

Red Sonja Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. Marvel Comics p ...

'' remake, as Ashera and the mother of

. Ferres founded her own production company, Construction Film GmbH, in 2012.

Personal life

Veronica Ferres und Carsten Maschmeyer Berlinale 2010

Ferres was in a relationship with

Helmut Dietl Helmut Dietl (; 22 June 1944 – 30 March 2015) was a German film director and author from Bad Wiessee. Work After leaving grammar school in 1958, Dietl completed a degree in theatre studies and history of art. He then became head of photogra ...

from 1990 to 1999. They collaborated on movies like ''

'' (1991), ' (1997), ' (1999) and many others. In February 2000, they announced their separation.''Helmut Dietl und Veronica Ferres getrennt''.
In: ''Rhein-Zeitung'', 10. Februar 2000. She has one daughter,

Lilly Krug Lilly Krug (born 5 June 2001 in Munich) is a German film and television actress and social media personality. Early life and family Lilly Krug was born in Munich, Germany to actress Veronica Ferres and marketing manager Martin Krug. After her p ...

, with her ex-husband Martin Krug. The marriage lasted from 2001 until their divorce in 2010. In 2014, Ferres married

Carsten Maschmeyer Carsten Jens Maschmeyer (born 8 May 1959) is a German billionaire businessman, investor, and panel member of the German investment television series ''Die Höhle der Löwen'' ("The Lions' Den"). He is the founder and owner of the Maschmeyer Gro ...

Filmography

Television

Film

Awards

* 2013: Hadassah-Award "Citizen of the World" for longstanding engagement for Hadassah * 2013: Cinema for Peace Award against anti-Semitism and hatred of foreigners * 2013: Oldenburg Film Festival - Star of Excellence - Walk of Fame * 2011: Boston Jewish Film Festival - ''Saviors in the Night'' - Winner of Audience Award * 2011: Premio Bacco * 2010:

SIGNIS SIGNIS (official name: World Catholic Association for Communication) is a Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement for professionals in the communication media, including press, radio, television, cinema, video, media education, internet, and new ...

Award at the International Film Festival DC in Washington for ''Saviors in the Night'' * 2009: Steiger Award in the category ''Film'' * 2008: Jupiter in the category ''Best TV-production'' for ''Die Frau vom Checkpoint Charlie'' * 2008:

in the category ''Best actress'' for ''Die Frau vom Checkpoint Charlie'' * 2007: "Hans-Rosenthal-Ehrenpreis" for her encouragement for her charity project "Power-Child" * 2007: Book of the Month - The book ''No, I don't go with strangers!'' was chosen as "Book of the month" of March 2007 by the "Deutsche Akademie für Kinder-und Jugendliteratur e.V." * 2007: "Bad Iburger" Children's Literary PrizeE for her book ''No, I don't go with strangers!'' * 2006: "Bavarian Merit Award" for her extraordinary achievements and dedication for Bavaria * 2006: "Goldene Feder" Award, best actress * 2005: Best Actress Award "Bambi" in Germany for her excellent career in movies, on television and on stage * 2005: "DIVA - HALL OF FAME - German Award" * 2004: "Bavarian TV Award" for ''Anna's Return'', ''Forever Lost'' and ''Stronger than Death'' * 2002: EMMY - Best film/serial for ''The Manns'' * 2002: "Golden Grimme" Award for ''The Manns'' * 2002: "Golden Camera" Award, best actress of feature film and TV movie in Germany * 2002: "Bavarian TV" Award for ''The Manns'' * 2002: "ROMY" Award, most popular actress in Austria * 1999: Best Actress Award for ''The Bride'', 9th International Film-Festival, Pescara, Italy * 1998: "Golden Camera" Award, best actress of feature film and TV movie in Germany for ''Rossini'' * 1992: Best Actress Award "Bambi" in Germany for ''Schtonk''

Nominations

* 2009: German Television Award - Best mini-series for ''The Godmother'' * 2008: German Television Award - Best TV-movie for ''The Woman from Checkpoint Charlie'' and ''The Miracle of Berlin'' * 2008: Emmy - TV-movie for ''The Miracle of Berlin'' * 2008: Festival in Canada/BANFF - Best foreign language film for ''The Woman from Checkpoint Charlie'' * 2007: German Television Award for best actress in a leading role and best TV-movie ''Snow in December'' * 2007: Goldene Henne Award for best actress * 2007: Golden Camera Award - Best German TV-movie for ''Destined to witness'' * 2007: Bambi - For the TV-event of the year 2007 for ''The Woman from Checkpoint Charlie'' * 1998: Adolf Grimme Award for her role in ''The Naughty Woman'' and in ''The Chaos Queen'' * 1998: Tele Star - Best actress in a movie made for TV – ''The Naughty Woman'' * 1992: Oscar - Best foreign language film for ''Schtonk'' (role: Martha)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferres, Veronica German television actresses German film actresses 1965 births Living people People from Solingen 21st-century German actresses 20th-century German actresses Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni