Laura Tonke

Laura Tonke is a German actress known for her versatile performances in independent and mainstream German cinema and television. Born on April 14, 1974, in West Berlin, West Germany, she has built a prolific career since the early 1990s, appearing in over a hundred film and television productions. ^{[1] [2]} Tonke gained particular recognition for her role as Gudrun Ensslin in the historical drama Baader (2002), as well as for leading roles in films such as Hedi Schneider Is Stuck (2015), where she played the title character, and Pigs Will Fly (2002), which she also co-wrote. ^[2] Her work often spans dramatic and comedic genres, including notable supporting turns in The People vs. Fritz Bauer (2015) and more recent projects like Caveman (2023) and Amrum (2025). ^[1] Beyond acting, she has contributed as a writer and director on select projects, showcasing her multifaceted involvement in the industry. ^[2] Her extensive credits reflect a long-standing presence in German-language film, with collaborations across various directors and a consistent output into the 2020s. ^[2]

Early life

Family background and childhood

Laura Tonke was born Laura Maori Tonke on April 14, 1974, in West Berlin, West Germany. ^{[3] [4]} She is the daughter of set designer Michael Tonke and a painter. ^[5] She grew up in the Schöneberg district of Berlin, where her father's profession in film set design introduced her to the industry from an early age. ^[3]

Drama education

After graduating from high school in Berlin, Laura Tonke studied theater sciences in Berlin until 1996. ^{[6] [7]} She did not attend a formal acting school or drama academy, a decision she has expressed no regrets about, noting that while personality and talent are important, they are not sufficient on their own for the demands of the profession. ^[8] Her early familiarity with the film industry stemmed from her father's work as a set designer, which provided exposure to sets and productions during her youth. ^[6]

Film and television career

Debut and early roles (1991–1999)

Laura Tonke made her screen debut in 1991 at the age of 17, taking the lead role in Michael Klier's feature film Ostkreuz, where she portrayed Elfie, a young Hungarian girl who flees to West Berlin with her mother and ends up in a reception camp shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. ^{[6] [9]} While studying theater sciences in Berlin until 1996, she appeared in occasional television productions, including the TV film Mach die Musik leiser (Turn Down the Music, 1994) directed by Thomas Arslan. ^{[6] [10]} Her early film work continued with a supporting role as Jill in Tom Tykwer's Winter Sleepers (1997), followed by appearances in Rudolf Thome's Just Married (1998) as Frangipani and Rolf Peter Kahl's Angel Express (1999) as Jil. ^{[11] [12] [13]} These early credits, primarily in German independent and television cinema, established Tonke as a promising young actress navigating post-reunification themes and contemporary urban stories during her formative years in acting. ^[6]

Breakthrough and 2000s roles

Laura Tonke achieved her breakthrough in the early 2000s with two prominent roles in 2002 that brought her wider recognition in German cinema. ^[6] She starred in the lead role of Inga in Eoin Moore's Pigs Will Fly (2002), playing the new love interest of a violent policeman, and also contributed to the screenplay. ^{[14] [15]} In the same year, she portrayed Gudrun Ensslin in Christopher Roth's RAF drama Baader (2002). ^[6] These performances earned her the New Faces Award in 2003 and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Award) in 2003. ^{[6] [16]} In the following years, Tonke continued to appear in notable German productions. She played Karla in Farland (2004), ^[17] followed by roles in I Am Guilty (2005), Im Schwitzkasten (2005), and Tarragona – Ein Paradies in Flammen (2007). ^[6] These parts solidified her presence in independent and television films during the decade. ^[6]

Acclaimed performances in the 2010s

In the 2010s, Laura Tonke achieved some of the most significant critical recognition of her career, particularly through complex character portrayals that highlighted her range in both leading and supporting roles. ^{[3] [18]} A major highlight came in 2016 when she became the first actress to win both the Deutscher Filmpreis for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in the same year. ^[18] Tonke received rave reviews for her leading performance as the title character in Sonja Heiss's tragicomedy Hedi Schneider steckt fest (Hedi Schneider Is Stuck, 2015), where she played a young mother whose seemingly perfect family life unravels due to sudden panic attacks. ^[3] This role earned her the Deutscher Filmpreis for Best Actress in 2016. ^[3] That same year, she won the Deutscher Filmpreis for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Laura Lackmann's Mängelexemplar (Too Hard to Handle, 2016), further underscoring her ability to deliver nuanced performances across different character types. ^[3] Tonke also appeared in supporting roles in acclaimed films such as Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer (The People vs. Fritz Bauer, 2015) and held an important part in Axolotl Overkill (2017), contributing to ensemble pieces that gained attention for their thematic depth. ^[3] Her leading role in Zwei im falschen Film (2018) brought a nomination for the German Film Critics' Award, reflecting continued recognition of her work in character-driven projects during the decade. ^[18] These successes marked a resurgence following a period focused more on television, enabling Tonke to embrace increasingly challenging and mature roles. ^[18]

Recent work (2020–present)

In the 2020s, Laura Tonke has sustained a prolific acting career in German film and television, often portraying mothers and other family-centered characters in dramatic contexts. ^[2] She appeared in Caveman in 2023, followed by a notable performance as Iris Meyerhoff in Sonja Heiss's Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war (2023), where she played a mother figure and won the Günter Rohrbach Filmpreis for Best Female Actor in 2023. ^[19] In 2024, Tonke starred as Marion in Alles Fifty Fifty and took the leading role in the five-episode miniseries Sexuell verfügbar, portraying Miki, a forty-something ex-bestselling author and mother of two who faces a serious accusation after a one-night stand. ^{[2] [20]} For her performance in Sexuell verfügbar, she received the Best Actress in a Leading Role award from the German Television Academy in 2024. ^{[21] [22]} Her upcoming projects include Amrum (2025) as Hille Hagener and 22 Bahnen (2025) as the mother. ^[2] This period reflects her ongoing shift toward nuanced portrayals of parental and domestic roles. ^[2]

Theater career

Stage debut and Berlin performances

Laura Tonke made her stage debut in 2003 at the Volksbühne in Berlin. ^[3] In the following years, she performed frequently at the Volksbühne, contributing to its productions as part of her ongoing engagement with Berlin's theater scene. ^[3] This theater activity developed parallel to her growing film career during the 2000s. ^[3]

Writing and directing

Screenwriting and short film direction

Although primarily known for her acting career, Laura Tonke has made occasional contributions to screenwriting and short film direction. ^[2] She received a co-writing credit on the feature film Pigs Will Fly (2002), where the screenplay was attributed to Eoin Moore, Nadya Derado, Andreas Schmidt, Laura Tonke, Thomas Morris, and Kirsten Block. ^[23] In 2013, Tonke served as collaborating director and shared a story credit on the short film Elsbeth Maschke in Crashland, working alongside primary director RP Kahl, who also received the story credit. ^[24] These remain her principal credits in screenwriting and directing. ^[2]

Awards and recognition

Major awards and nominations

Laura Tonke has been honored with several major awards and nominations for her contributions to German film and television. ^[6] Early in her career, she won the New Faces Award for her performances in Baader (2002) and Pigs Will Fly (2002). ^[6] She received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the German Film Awards (Deutscher Filmpreis) in 2003 for her role in Pigs Will Fly (2002). ^[6] In 2016, Tonke achieved a notable double victory at the German Film Awards, winning the Lola for Best Leading Actress for Hedi Schneider steckt fest (2015) and the Lola for Best Supporting Actress for Mängelexemplar (2016). ^[6] She also won the Preis der deutschen Filmkritik for Best Actress for Hedi Schneider steckt fest. ^[19] She later received the German Screen Actors Award (Deutscher Schauspielpreis) for her performance in the Polizeiruf 110 episode Der Verurteilte (2020). ^[6] More recent accolades include the Günter Rohrbach Film Prize in 2023 for her role in Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war (2023). ^[6] In 2024, she shared the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role from the German Television Academy (Deutsche Akademie für Fernsehen) with Kim Riedle for Sexuell verfügbar (2024). ^[6] Tonke has also earned additional nominations, including from the German Film Critics Association (Preis der deutschen Filmkritik) for Zwei im falschen Film (2017) and the German Television Award (Deutscher Fernsehpreis) for Bist du glücklich? (2018). ^[6]