Gabriela Maria Schmeide

Gabriela Maria Schmeide, born in Bautzen in 1965, grew up bilingual as the daughter of Sorbian (a Slavic minority in Germany) parents. She studied drama at Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch in Berlin. In 1992, during her first engagement at Berliner Ensemble, she was voted Newcomer of the Year by specialist journal Theater heute. From 1994 to 2009, she was a member of the ensemble at Theater Bremen, where she worked with Andrej Woron, Karin Henkel and Peter Palitzsch, among others. In 1996, she received the Kurt Hübner Prize from the Friends of the Theater Bremen. Gabriela Maria Schmeide won the Adolf Grimme Award in 2001 for her title role in Andreas Dresen's film Die Polizistin (The Police Woman). Numerous other film and television productions followed, such as Das weiße Band (The White Ribbon, directed by Michael Haneke), and Systemsprenger (directed by Nora Fingscheidt), for which she received the 2020 German Film Award. In 2013, she was awarded the Hamburg Theatre Prize – Rolf Mares for her role as Zerlina in Antú Romero Nunes' Don Giovanni. Gabriela Maria Schmeide has been a member of the ensemble at Thalia Theatre since the 09/10 season.