# Birgit Minichmayr

Birgit Minichmayr (born 3 April 1977) is an Austrian actress born in Linz, Austria. She studied drama at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna. For her work in Maren Ade's film Everyone Else she won Silver Bear for Best Actress at 59th Berlin International Film Festival. She is the only Austrian actress to win this award in history of the festival and the first Austrian actress to win best actress award at a major European film festival (Cannes, Venice, Berlin) since 1956. She worked with several major European directors including Michael Haneke, Tom Tykwer and Jessica Hausner.

## Career

Minichmayr had her first break with the Burgtheater in Vienna, where she appeared in numerous plays, including Der Reigen by Arthur Schnitzler (staged by Sven-Eric Bechtolf), Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare (staging by Declan Donnellan) and Der Färber und sein Zwillingsbruder by Johann Nestroy (staged by Karlheinz Hackl). She made her cinema debut in 2000 as Barbara Brecht in Jan Schütte's Abschied, playing alongside Josef Bierbichler and Monica Bleibtreu. In 2000, Minichmayr appeared in Peter Sämann's television thriller (in the Tatort series), "Böses Blut". She was awarded the Austrian Nestroy Prize for "Best Young Talent" in 2000. In 2006 she played Mizzi Kasper, one of the lovers from Crownprince Rudolf in the movie Kronprinz Rudolfs letzte Liebe [de]. A year later, Minichmayr played the fool in Luc Bondy's acclaimed staging of Shakespeare's King Lear, always at the Burgtheater.
Minichmayr currently lives in Munich and Vienna. She speaks English and has acted in several international and English language productions. Among the directors she worked with were István Szabó, Götz Spielmann, Tom Tykwer, Oliver Hirschbiegel, Robert Dornhelm, and Doris Dörrie. She is also an accomplished vocalist, and has been recorded several times, though she has always made acting her primary focus.
At the 59th Berlin International Film Festival 2009 Minichmayr was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her performance in Maren Ade's Alle Anderen (Everyone Else).

## Filmography

| Date | Film | Role | Director | Notes |
| 2000 | Abschied | Barbara Brecht | Jan Schütte | |
| 2000 | Tatort – Böses Blut | Kathi | Peter Sämann | TV film – Awarded Nestroy Prize for Best Young Talent |
| 2001 | Taking Sides | Emmi Straube | István Szabó | |
| 2001 | Spiel im Morgengrauen | Steffi | Götz Spielmann | TV film |
| 2002 | Learning to Lie | Tina | Hendrik Handloeghten | |
| 2004 | Hotel | Petra | Jessica Hausner | |
| 2004 | Downfall | Gerda Christian | Oliver Hirschbiegel | |
| 2004 | Spiele Leben | Tanja | Antonin Svoboda | |
| 2004 | Daniel Käfer – Die Villen der Frau Hürsch | Mirz Schlömmer | Julian Pölsner | TV film |
| 2005 | Perfume: The Story of a Murderer | Grenouille's Mother | Tom Tykwer | |
| 2005 | Fallen | Brigitte | Barbara Albert | |
| 2006 | Krankheit der Jugend | | Students of Michael Haneke | |
| 2006 | Kronprinz Rudolfs letzte Liebe [de] | Mizzi Kasper | Robert Dornhelm | TV film |
| 2006 | Polizeiruf 110 – Kellers Kind | Aglaia | Titus Selge | TV film |
| 2007 | Midsummer Madness | Maja | Alexander Hahn | |
| 2008 | Kirschblüten – Hanami | Karolin Angermeier | Doris Dörrie | |
| 2009 | Der Knochenmann | Birgit | Wolfgang Murnberger | |
| 2009 | The White Ribbon | Frieda | Michael Haneke | |
| 2009 | Everyone Else | Gitti | Maren Ade | |
| 2012 | A Deal with Adele [de] | Adele Spitzeder | Xaver Schwarzenberger | TV film |
| 2012 | Mercy | Maria | Matthias Glasner | |
| 2014 | Madame Nobel [de] | Bertha von Suttner | Urs Egger | TV film |
| 2015 | Jack | Marlies Haum | Elisabeth Scharang | |
| 2017 | Animals | Anna | Greg Zglinski | |
| 2019 | The Goldfish | Magda Grabowski | Alireza Golafshan | |
| 2020 | My Wonderful Wanda | Sophie | Bettina Oberli |
| 2024 | Andrea Gets a Divorce | Andrea | Josef Hader |
| 2024 | Sleeping with a Tiger | Maria Lassnig | Anja Salomonowitz |

## Awards

* 2000: Nestroy Prize for Best Young Talent
* 2004/2009: Nestroy Prize for Best Actress
* 2009: 59th Berlin International Film Festival, Best Actress for Everyone Else
* 2010: German Film Awards, Nomination Best Actress for Everyone Else
* 2015: Blow-Up International Arthouse Film Festival, Nomination for Best Actress – Monica Vitti Award