Maria Schrader

Acclaimed German actress Maria Schrader is best known for her starring role in the lauded 1999 period drama "Aimée & Jaguar," but she is also an accomplished screenwriter and director. After studying in Vienna, Schrader began appearing in German films and television shows, notably leading the cast of the 1992 comedic feature "I Was on Mars," a slice-of-life movie that she wrote with director and co-star Dani Levy, her boyfriend at the time.

In 1994, she was featured in two notable independent films, the dark comedy "Nobody Loves Me" and the playful crime movie "Burning Life," productions that cemented her status as a prominent figure in German cinema. She subsequently collaborated again with Levy as both an actress and co-writer on the romantic drama "Stille Nacht" and appeared briefly in "Flirt," a globe-spanning 1995 indie film by American auteur Hal Hartley. Working once again with Levy, Schrader starred in the New York City-set thriller "Meschugge," which also featured established Hollywood actors Jeffrey Wright and David Strathairn.

Her signature role as Felice "Jaguar" Schragenheim arrived in 1999, with the World War II-set lesbian love story winning international accolades. Later, Schrader appeared in the decades-spanning drama "Rosenstrasse" and opted to work behind the camera for "Love Life," a tale of forbidden romance that marked her directorial debut. Continuing to act, she turned up in the family film "The Crocodiles," a hit that led to two sequels, and also was featured in the Oscar-nominated war drama "In Darkness."