Diane Kruger

Diane Kruger (born Diane Heidkrüger; 15 July 1976) is a German actress and former fashion model. She is known for roles such as Helen in the epic war film Troy (2004), Dr. Abigail Chase in the adventure/heist film National Treasure (2004) and its sequel (2007), Bridget von Hammersmark in the Quentin Tarantino-directed war film Inglourious Basterds (2009), Anna in the sci-fi drama Mr. Nobody (2011), and Gina in the psychological thriller film Unknown (2011). She plays the Seeker/Lacey in the romantic sci-fi thriller The Host (2013). As of July 2013, she stars as Detective Sonya Cross in the FX television crime drama series The Bridge. In 2005, she was ranked 50th on the Maxim Hot 100 Women. Early life She was born as Diane Heidkrüger on 15 July 1976 in Algermissen, Germany, in the west near Hildesheim, the daughter of computer specialist Hans-Heinrich Heidkrüger, and his wife, Maria-Theresa, a bank employee. She was brought up Roman Catholic and attended Catholic school. She has stated that one of her grandmothers was Polish. She was brought up in Germany with her younger brother, Stefan. Her mother sent her to student exchange programmes when she was a teenager to improve her English. As a child, Kruger wanted to become a ballerina and successfully auditioned for the Royal Ballet School in London. However, after an injury ended her ballet career prematurely, Kruger moved to Paris and turned her energy toward modelling and learning French. Modelling In 1992, Kruger represented Germany in the Elite Model Look and started modelling afterwards. Despite her relatively small frame for a model, she managed to add prestigious bookings such as advertisements from Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo, Giorgio Armani, Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Burberry and Louis Vuitton; runway shows from Marc Jacobs, D&G and Sonia Rykiel as well as appearances on the cover of Vogue Paris, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan to her modeling repertoire. She gradually stopped modelling after deciding to pursue a career in acting. Acting career Kruger soon became interested in acting and took lessons at the Cours Florent. She landed some small appearances in several French films. She made her film debut in 2002, opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert in The Piano Player, a TV film by Jean-Pierre Roux. Her first major acting 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 Valliant and Lisa in Wicker Park (2004), alongside Josh Hartnett and Rose Byrne. One of her more high-profile roles to date is her portrayal of Helen of Sparta in Wolfgang Petersen's epic Troy. She was ranked 50th on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2005. In 2004, Kruger starred with Nicolas Cage and Sean Bean (who co-starred with her in Troy) in the film National Treasure, going on to appear in films 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. Personal life In 1999, she began dating French actor and director Guillaume Canet. They were married on 1 September 2001. They acted together in 2005's Joyeux Noël, but divorced in 2006, though they remain friends. Kruger later said that the marriage was not successful because their careers had kept them occupied in different parts of the world. She has been in a relationship with actor Joshua Jackson since 2006. During an interview with magazine Glamour, she said, "Without sounding pessimistic, I learned that I don't believe in marriage. I believe in a commitment that you make in your heart. There's no paper that will make you stay. A guy friend of mine said, and it made a lot of sense, that people should get married at the end of the road, not the beginning." Besides German, Kruger speaks English and French fluently. She is a friend of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Kruger divides her time between Paris, Germany and Vancouver. As of May 2013, she was living in Los Angeles for her role in The Bridge. Kruger is a permanent resident of the United States.