Lea van Acken

Known for ActingBorn 1999-02-22 (age 27)Lübeck, Germany

Van Acken grew up in Schleswig-Holstein, where she still lives today in a small village. As a child, she was interested in horseback riding and dancing. She first took the stage in 2011 as an extra in a production of *Der Ölprinz* at the Karl May Festival in Bad Segeberg. She did not undergo formal training as an actress; instead, she studied other actors by watching them in films. In 2014, Van Acken played the lead role—that of the deeply religious teenager Maria—in the drama *Kreuzweg* (Stations of the Cross), directed by Dietrich Brüggemann. The film won a Silver Bear at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival. In Brüggemann’s next film, *Heil*—a satire about neo-Nazis—Van Acken portrayed a teenager. She also played a small role in Bernadette Knoller’s RBB television film *Ferien*. In 2015, she appeared in a supporting role in the fifth season of the US series *Homeland*, which was filmed entirely in Germany. She also appeared in the SWR television film *Sag mir nichts* and in the *Spreewaldkrimi* installment *Das Duell im Moor* (ZDF). In the film adaptation of *The Diary of Anne Frank*, Van Acken played the title role of Anne Frank. To prepare for the role of the Jewish girl who became famous through her diary, she wrote fictional letters to Anne Frank. For the final scene—which takes place in a concentration camp—the actress had her hair cut off to ensure an authentic portrayal.Read more

Movies & web series

Dark

Wer weiß denn sowas?

Homeland

Windstorm 3

The Diary of Anne Frank

Call Me Levi

Stations of the Cross

The Island

ZIBB

Spreewaldkrimi

Kölner Treff

Blackout: Tomorrow Is Too Late

Suck Me Shakespeer 3

Cracks

Ferien

Scene of the Crime

German Genius

Bibi & Tina: Perfect Pandemonium

Two Sides of the Abyss

Sag mir nichts

The Privilege

All My Loving

Morgenmagazin

4 Days to Eternity

Heil

Abikalypse

Wovon sollen wir träumen

Drop

Liebesbesuch

5 Finger sind 'ne Faust

Und keiner geht hin

Hitlerputsch 1923: Das Tagebuch der Paula Schlier

Abikalypse

Bavarian Film Awards