Alexandra Maria Lara Biography: Height, Net Worth, Age, Movies & TV Shows, Husband, Children, Nationality

Alexandra Maria Plătăreanu, professionally Alexandra Maria Lara, is a German actress known for her poised intensity in both German arthouse films and Hollywood productions.

Born in Bucharest to actor parents, she moved to Berlin at age four. Her father’s theater background influenced her career.

She gained international recognition for playing Hitler’s secretary in Downfall and demonstrated versatility through work with Coppola, Tarantino, and Ron Howard.

Profile

• Full Name: Alexandra Maria Plătăreanu
• Stage Name: Alexandra Maria Lara
• Born: 12, November 1978
• Age: 47 years old
• Birthplace: Bucharest, Romania
• Nationality: German
• Occupation: Actress
• Height: 1.74m
• Parents: Valentin Plătăreanu, and Doina Plătăreanu
• Siblings: None
• Spouse: Sam Riley (married 2009)
• Children: 1
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: $4 million

Early Life and Education

Alexandra Maria Plătăreanu was born on November 12, 1978, in Bucharest, Romania, during Ceaușescu’s regime. Her father, actor Valentin Plătăreanu, and mother, Doina Plătăreanu, defected to West Germany in 1983 when Alexandra was four, settling in Berlin.

Raised as an only child in a bilingual household valuing performance and resilience, she graduated from the Französisches Gymnasium Berlin with a French baccalaureate. From 1997 to 2000, she trained at Theaterwerkstatt Charlottenburg, developing classical and contemporary acting skills. Of Romanian-German descent, Alexandra speaks German, Romanian, French, and English, and keeps her spiritual beliefs private.

Career

Alexandra Maria Lara debuted on German television at 16 in small roles, but her film breakthrough came with Fishtank (1998), a gritty Berlin tale that showcased her raw empathy.

She gained traction in youth-oriented dramas like Crazy (2000) and Honolulu (2001), yet it was Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Downfall (2004) that rocketed her to international acclaim—her nuanced Traudl Junge humanizing history’s darkest chapter and earning ensemble awards at festivals worldwide.

The late 2000s brought prestige projects: Francis Ford Coppola hand-picked her for the enigmatic Veronica in Youth Without Youth (2007), while Anton Corbijn cast her as Annik Honoré opposite Sam Riley in the Joy Division biopic Control (2007)—a role that mirrored her real-life romance.

She held her own alongside Kate Winslet in The Reader (2008), then joined Ron Howard’s Rush (2013) as Marlene Lauda. Later turns in Geostorm (2017) and the Netflix series The Collapse (2023) proved her blockbuster range, while German indies like 25 km/h (2018) kept her tethered to home audiences.

Alexandra Maria Lara selects roles with surgical care, favoring complex women over glamour. Recent work includes the historical drama Alfons Zitterbacke (2022) and voice duties for animated features.

Her legacy rests in performances that linger—quiet, layered, and unafraid of moral ambiguity—while her influence extends through mentorship at Berlin workshops and occasional jury duties at European festivals.

Social Media

• Alexandra Maria Lara has no verified social media handle.

Personal Life

Alexandra Maria Lara married English actor Sam Riley in a private August 2009 ceremony in the English countryside, shortly after meeting on the set of Control.

Their son was born in January 2014; the couple guards his name and image with ironclad discretion. They divide time between a restored Berlin apartment and a rural English retreat, cherishing anonymity on weekend hikes or at local markets.

Filmography

• Fishtank (1998)
• Crazy (2000)
• Downfall (2004)
• Youth Without Youth (2007)
• Control (2007)
• The Reader (2008)
• Rush (2013)
• Geostorm (2017)
• 25 km/h (2018)
• The Collapse (2023)

Net Worth

Alexandra Maria Lara commands an estimated net worth of $4 million, built on selective high-profile roles in Oscar-nominated films, steady German television residuals, and international distribution deals.

Key earnings stem from Downfall royalties, Rush backend points, and European co-productions, supplemented by voice work and occasional brand partnerships that align with her understated elegance.