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Diane Kruger
Kruger at the premiere of Goodbye Bafana at the Berlinalepalace, Potsdamer Platz, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz, Berlin, 2007
Born	Diane Heidkrüger July 15, 1976 (1976-07-15) (age 32) Algermissen, Germany
Years active	2002 – present
Spouse(s)	Guillaume Canet (2001-2006)

Diane Kruger (born July 15, 1976 in Algermissen near Hildesheim, Germany) is a German actress and former fashion model who gained international recognition from 2004 to 2005 for her performances in the films Troy, Wicker Park, National Treasure, and Joyeux Noël. She won the Cannes Film Festival Chopard Trophy in 2003.

Biography

Early life

Kruger was born Diane Heidkrüger in Algermissen, Germany, near Hildesheim. She is the daughter of bank employee Maria-Theresa and computer specialist Hans-Heinrich Heidkrüger ¹. 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 ².

In 1992, at the age of 16, 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, in addition to her mother tongue, German.

Career

Kruger soon became interested in acting and took lessons at the Cours Florent. She landed some small appearances in several French movies. She then shortened her surname to ease her movie career.

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. 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 ³.

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.

She was the hostess of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 60th Cannes Film Festival. She was also a member of the jury of the 59th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008.

Personal life

After having dated since 1999, she married French actor and director Guillaume Canet on September 1, 2001. They divorced in 2006, but acted alongside one another in 2005 film Joyeux Noël. She is currently dating Joshua Jackson.

Filmography

Awards

• 2003 Cannes Film Festival, Chopard Trophy, Female Revelation
• 2004 Bambi Award, Career
• 2005 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Nomination, Saturn Award, Best Supporting Actress for National Treasure (2004)

References

External links

• Diane Kruger at the Internet Movie Database
• Diane Kruger in the Fashion Model Directory
• Diane Kruger at AskMen