Diane Kruger

Diane Kruger

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Birth name: Diane Heidkrueger
Date of birth: 15 July 1976
Place of birth: Algermissen, near Hildesheim, Germany
Nickname: Diane Kruger
Height: 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
Spouse: Guillaume Canet (1 September 2001 – 2006) (divorced)

Famous Quote: “I’m a little bit worried about this sudden success. I am quite independent and I’m afraid that this privilege could escape from me. I worry that if I don’t succeed I have nothing to fall back on. You get used to a level of independence, a way of life.”

Contact Address and Autograph: Addresses and fan mail information

Diane Kruger
Voyez Mon Agent
20, Avenue Rapp
Paris 75007, France 

Biography:  Diane Kruger (born July 15, 1976) is a German actress and former fashion model who gained international recognition with her performances in Troy (2004), Wicker Park (2004), National Treasure (2004), Joyeux Noël (2005), and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). She won the Cannes Film Festival Chopard Trophy in 2003. Plucked from relative obscurity to play the most beautiful woman in history, it’s no wonder that actress Diane Kruger was unsure of what to make of her celebrity. 

Though not a household name, Kruger managed to beat out the likes of Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman to play the woman whose face launched a thousand ships in the blockbuster epic, “Troy” (2004). After four months of interviews and screen tests, the virtually untested Kruger got a rare opportunity, even by Hollywood standards: to become a movie star overnight. 

Kruger was born Diane Heidkrüger in Algermissen, Germany, near Hildesheim, the daughter of Maria-Theresa, a bank employee, and Hans-Heinrich Heidkrüger, a computer specialist. She was raised in Germany with her younger brother, Stefan. As a child, Diane wanted to become a ballerina, so her parents sent her to London to study with the Royal Ballet. After an injury ended her ballet career prematurely, Diane moved to Paris, France and turned her energies toward modeling. Kruger moved to London at 11 years-old to study with the Royal Ballet, but a devastating knee injury at age 13 forced her to retire young. In 1992, Kruger won a national modeling competition and a contract with Elite, a top modeling agency. Kruger soon became a top fashion model in Germany, working for such industry heavies as Armani and Christian Dior. Then director Luc Besson convinced the young Kruger to move to Paris to pursue acting, which she did. 

In 1992, at the age of 15, Diane was a finalist in Elite’s “Look of the Year” competition. She returned to Germany and became a successful model in the mid-1990s in Germany as well as France. Her education in art led her to be able to speak near native English and French, added to her mother tongue, German. blue-eyed Kruger never dreamt of becoming an actress. Though her mom wanted her to be an accountant—if only because it had a certain future Kruger chose instead to pursue ballet. 

Kruger soon became interested in acting and took lessons at the Cours Florent. She landed some small appearances in several French movies. She then changed her last name to ease her movie career. Kruger made her film debut in “The Piano Player” (2002), starring Christopher Lambert and Dennis Hopper, and directed by Jean-Pierre Roux. The movie never saw a theatrical release, but did manage to find itself on video store shelves. 

Kruger then starred in “Mon Idole” (2002), helmed by her husband, French director Guillaume Canet (“The Beach”). In the black comedy about a Jerry Springer-like talk show host, Kruger played Clara, the wife of the show’s producer who gets romantically involved with the host. Kruger then appeared in “Ni Pour Ni Contra” (“Not For or Against”, 2003), directed by NYU grad Cedric Klapisch. Next Kruger had a starring role in “Michel Vaillant” (2003), a live-action take on a popular French comic strip from the 1950’s. 

Kruger made her onscreen début 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 début “Mon Idole”. She played Julie Wood in 2003′s Michel Vaillant and Lisa in Wicker Park (2004), alongside Josh Hartnett and Rose Byrne. Her most notable role to date is her portrayal of Helen in Wolfgang Petersen’s epic Troy. She was ranked #50 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2005. It wasn’t until being cast in “Troy” that Kruger got an opportunity to be exposed to American audiences. Though she was unknown to Hollywood, director Wolfgang Petersen knew that Kruger would be able to pull off the role. “Diane is not only a stunning beauty but a gifted actress with tremendous depth and presence,” he was quoted at the time she was cast. 

Petersen saw in her an ethereal, slightly melancholy quality that none of the other actresses possessed, which was perfect for her character, Helena, who is married off against her wishes to Menelaus, the king of Sparta, and spends much of her time brooding and weeping. At the time of the film’s release, Kruger was fast becoming a hot commodity. She was quickly signed to several new projects, including the steamy thriller “Wicker Park” (2004), a remake of the 1996 French film “L’Appartement,” opposite Josh Hartnett and her “Troy” co-star Rose Byrne; and “National Treasure” (2004), co-starring Nicolas Cage and Harvey Keitel. In a few short months, Kruger went from virtual unknown to the industry’s most sought-after actress. 

In 2004, she 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 host of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 60th Cannes Film Festival, in 2007. She was a member of the jury of the 59th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008.

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