Diane Kruger

Diane Kruger (born 15 July 1976) is a German actress and former fashion model. She is known for roles such as Helen in Troy, Dr. Abigail Chase in National Treasure and its sequel, and Bridget von Hammersmark in Inglourious Basterds.

Early life

Kruger was born as Diane Heidkrüger in Algermissen, Germany, near Hildesheim. She is the daughter of bank employee Maria-Theresa and computer specialist Hans-Heinrich Heidkrüger. She was raised Roman Catholic and attended a Catholic school. Diane did not drink alcohol until she was 20, because she saw the negative influence of alcohol on her father. She was raised in Germany with her younger brother, Stefan. Her mother sent her to student exchange programs when she was a teenager to improve her English. As a child, Kruger wanted to become a ballerina and successfully auditioned for the Royal Ballet School in London. However, after an injury ended her ballet career prematurely, Kruger moved to Paris and turned her energy toward modeling.

Acting career

Kruger soon became interested in acting and took lessons at the Cours Florent. She landed some small appearances in several French films.

She made her onscreen debut in 2002 opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert in The Piano Player, a TV-movie by Jean-Pierre Roux. Her first major role was the same year when she starred in her then husband's directorial debut Mon Idole. She played Julie Wood in 2003's Michel Valliant and Lisa in Wicker Park (2004), alongside Josh Hartnett and Rose Byrne. One of her most notable roles to date is her portrayal of Helen of Sparta in Wolfgang Petersen's epic Troy. She was ranked 50th on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2005.

In 2004, Kruger starred with Nicolas Cage and Sean Bean (who co-starred with her in Troy) in the popular film National Treasure, going on to appear in movies such as Joyeux Noël (2005) and Copying Beethoven (2006). She reprised her role as Dr. Abigail Chase in National Treasure: Book of Secrets, released in December 2007.

Kruger was the hostess of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2009, she co-starred as a German actress turned saboteur in Quentin Tarantino's filmInglourious Basterds. Kruger starred in 2011 in the Liam Neeson film Unknown alongside January Jones.

In December 2009, she announced the nominations of the 67th Golden Globe Awards and also picked up nominations from the Screen Actors Guild for Best Supporting Actress and Outstanding Performance by a Cast of a Motion Picture for her role in Inglourious Basterds.

Kruger made a cameo appearance in an April 2010 episode of the Fox show Fringe, in which her boyfriend, actor Joshua Jackson is a star.

In 2010, Kruger also appeared in Mark Ronson's music video for "Somebody to Love Me", where she plays Boy George.

In 2011, it was announced that she had replaced Eva Green in the role of Marie Antoinette in the French-language movie, Les Adieux à la Reine.

Endorsements

Kruger is a brand ambassador for watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre. In December 2009, she was announced as the global spokesmodel for L'Oréal. Most recently, she has become the latest face for Calvin Klein's newest fragrance line, Beauty.

Personal life

She married French actor and director Guillaume Canet on 1 September 2001. They divorced in 2006, but acted alongside one another inJoyeux Noël. She has been in a relationship with Joshua Jackson since 2006. Besides her native German, Kruger speaks English and French fluently. She is a friend of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Kruger divides her time between Paris and Vancouver.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Point de lendemain		Short subject
2002	Duelles	Sabine	TV episode, Mauvaise conduite
2002	The Piano Player	Erika
2002	Ni pour ni contre (bien au contraire)	The call-girl
2002	Mon Idole	Clara Broustal
2003	Michel Vaillant	Julie Wood
2004	Troy	Helen
2004	Wicker Park	Lisa
2004	Narco
2004	National Treasure	Abigail Chase	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005	Joyeux Noël	Anna Sorensen
2005	Frankie	Frankie
2006	The Tiger Brigades (Les Brigades du Tigre)	Constance Radetsky
2006	Copying Beethoven	Anna Holtz
2007	Goodbye Bafana	Gloria Gregory
2007	Days of Darkness	Véronica Star
2007	The Hunting Party	Mirjana
2007	National Treasure: Book of Secrets	Abigail Chase	Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Action, Adventure
2008	Anything for Her	Lisa
2009	Inglourious Basterds	Bridget von Hammersmark	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Golden Camera for Best International Actress Nominated—Italian Online Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
2010	Mr. Nobody	Anna
2010	Inhale		post-production
2010	Fringe	Miranda Green	TV episode
2010	Somebody to Love Me	Boy George	Music video by Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. featuring Boy George and Andrew Wyatt
2010	Pieds Nus Sur Les Limaces	Clara
2011	Unknown	Gina
2011	National Treasure 3	Abigail Chase	pre-production

Awards

• 2003: Cannes Film Festival, Chopard Trophy for Female Revelation – Won
• 2004: Bambi Award for Career – Won
• 2005: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for National Treasure – Nominated
• 2010: Golden Camera for Best International Actress for Inglourious Basterds – Won

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