Gabriela Maria Schmeide was raised in a bilingual household, the daughter of Sorbian parents in Bautzen. After finishing her school exams she wanted to study medicine, but was denied the chance in the former GDR, because her father previously fled to the West. Instead she got her first job as a prompter in Bautzen and following singing and violin lessons she turned to acting, studying at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. Shortly after, she was awarded a scholarship by the Academy of Arts. After drama school she initially stayed in Berlin and joined the Berliner Ensemble. In 1992 she was voted Newcomer of the Year by ‘Theaterheute’ magazine. In 1994 she then moved to Bremen, where she performed with the Theater Bremen ensemble until 2009, firstly as a regular member and then as a guest. She worked with directors including Konstanze Lauterbach, Karin Henkel, Andrej Woron and Peter Palitzsch. She played roles including Lady Macbeth in ‘Macbeth’ and Blanche in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.
She is well known for her TV and film roles, most notably her recent title role in Andreas Dresen’s film ‘Die Polizistin’, for which she was awarded the Adolf Grimme Prize. Her credits also include ‘Halbe Treppe’ (Director: Andreas Dresen), ‘Der Aufstand’ (Director: Hans-Christoph Blumenberg), ‘Leben wäre schön’ (Director: Kai Wessel), ‘Das weiße Band’ (Director: Michael Haneke), ‘Patchwork’ (Director: Franziska Buch) as well as ‘Polizeiruf 110’, ‘Tatort’ and countless other films. She has also starred in TV programmes, including taking the lead role in Doris Dörrie’s 2010 show ‘Die Friseuse’. She played the role of Hete Häberle in the premiere of Luk Perceval’s production of ‘Jeder stirbt für sich allein (Alone in Berlin)’, which was invited to the 2013 Berlin Theatertreffen.
Gabriela Maria Schmeide joined the Thalia ensemble as a regular member during the 2009/2010 season.