Angela Winkler

Source: Ausser Atem Artists

Angela Winkler was born in Templin/Uckermark in 1944. In 1964, she began studying acting at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart, which she quit after just three months. After that she took acting lessons with Ernst Fritz Fürbringer and Hanna Burgwitz in Munich. Her first engagement brought her to the Westfälisches Landestheater in Castrop-Rauxel. From 1971 to 1978 she was a member of the ensemble of the Berlin Schaubühne; since then she has worked as a freelance actress.

Angela Winkler has worked at theater a.o. with Peter Stein, Klaus Michael Grüber, Luc Bondy, Peter Zadek, Robert Wilson, Karin Henkel, Christoph Schlingensief, Romeo Castellucci and Simon Stone. Under the direction of Peter Zadek, she played the main part at the Burgtheater in Chekhov’s Ivanov (1990), The Cherry Orchard (1996), in Ibsen’s Rosmersholm (2000) and in 1999 at the Vienna Festival in his production of Hamlet the title role of Hamlet.

She has worked with Robert Wilson several times at the Berliner Ensemble, including  Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera and in Lulu after Frank Wedekind. From 2017 to 2021, she toured the world with his production of Oedipus, an Italian co-production that was shown at the Epidaurus Festival, among others. In November 2021, she premiered in Christian Kracht’s play Eurotrash alongside Joachim Meyerhoff in Jan Bosse’s dramatization and production at the Berliner Schaubühne.

In 1969, Angela Winkler made her film debut as Hannelore in Peter Fleischmann’s Hunting Scenes from Bavaria. In 1975, the title role in Volker Schlöndorff’s / Margarethe von Trotta’s film adaptation of Heinrich Böll’s story The lost Honor of Katharina Blum made her a star. Numerous other film roles followed, including in 1977 in Germany in Autumn and in 1978 with Edith Clever in The left handed woman by Peter Handke. In 1979, she played Oskar Matzerath’s mother in Volker Schlöndorff’s film adaptation of The Tin Drum, which was awarded the Palme d’Or and an Academy Award. 1983  Danton by Andrzej Wajda with Gérard Depardieu and Heller Wahn by Margarethe von Trotta. In 1992, she appeared in Michael Haneke’s Benny’s Video, in 2014 in The Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas, in 2017 in Matti Geschonneck’s feature film In Times of Diminishing Light and in 2018 in Suspiria by Luca Guadagnino with Tilda Swinton. Recently, she appeared in Frauke Finsterwalder’s film Sisi & I  in spring 2023. Angela Winkler has also appeared in various TV films and in the famous Netflix series Dark.

Angela Winkler performed as a singer with Max Raabe, Thomas Quasthoff and Udo Samel in a folk song program and released her debut album Ich liebe dich, kann ich nicht sagen in 2011, on which she interprets chansons by Barbara and Édith Piaf as well as songs by Sophie Hunger and Element of Crime, among others.

Angela Winkler has received numerous awards, including the German Film Award for “Best Actress” for The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum in 1976.

In 1996, she was awarded the Kainz Medal for the role of Ranevskaya in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. In 2001, she received the Gertrud Eysoldt Ring for her portrayal of Rebekka West in Rosmersholm. Most recently, Angela Winkler received the German Acting Award in 2019 for her role as Irina in Chekhov’s Three Sisters.

Angela Winkler first appeared at the Salzburg Festival in 1986 in Klaus Michael Grüber’s production of the world premiere of Peter Handke / Aeschylus’ Prometheus, Bound and again in 1998 in Else Lasker-Schüler’s The Journey to Jerusalem directed by Brigitte Landes and for a reading in the Poets series. 2022 and 2021 Angela Winkler played Jedermann’s Mother. In 2022, she also appeared in the marathon reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy and in summer 2023, she performed together with the delian::quartett with texts by Bertold Brecht and the Fourth String Quartet by Dimitri Shostakovich.

In fall 2019, her autobiography Mein blaues Zimmer was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch.