Senta Berger

actress and president of the German Film Academy, Berlin

Senta Berger was born in Vienna and studied acting at the Max Reinhard Seminar at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Her professional theatre career began at the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna. In addition to working in theatre, she started making films at the age of nineteen. Within a few short years she began landing roles in movies in England and the United States. She worked in Hollywood for six years, starring in major films that gained her international fame. After spending several years in France and Italy, she returned to Germany and her theatrical career. She performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna, the Thalia Theater in Hamburg and the Schiller Theater in Berlin.
Taking advantage of the popularity she gained from her highly acclaimed performance as "Buhlschaft" in the play Jedermann at the Salzburg Festival, she held numerous public readings at which she presented literary programmes.
Her television series, which include "Kir Royal" and "Die schnelle Gerdi" (The Fast Gerti), cemented her cult status. In 2006 she published her autobiography Ich habe ja gewußt, daß ich fliegen kann (I knew I could fly) which quickly became a bestseller.
With her husband, the director/writer Michael Verhoeven, she founded the film company "Sentana" which has produced a number of award-winning films.
Senta Berger was president of the German Film Academy from 2003 until 2010.
Today she lives with her family near Munich.