Hannah Herzsprung is a German actress best known for her role as Helga Rath in the acclaimed Sky crime drama Babylon Berlin, which ran from 2017 to 2020.
She trained through private acting lessons rather than a conventional drama school, building a career that spans film, television, and international co-productions since her debut in 1997.
Hannah Herzsprung Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Hannah-Rebecca Herzsprung |
| Born | September 7, 1981, Hamburg, West Germany |
| Age | 45 |
| Nationality | German |
| Profession | Actress |
| Known For | Babylon Berlin, The Reader, Weissensee |
| Spouse | Henrik Siemers |
| Net Worth | $5 million (as of 2026) |
Who is Hannah Herzsprung?
Hannah-Rebecca Herzsprung is a German actress who has spent nearly three decades working across film and television in Germany and internationally.
She is the daughter of German actor Bernd Herzsprung and fashion designer Barbara Engel, and grew up immersed in creative and artistic worlds from childhood.
Her film breakthrough came with Four Minutes (2005), directed by Chris Kraus, where she played a gifted but troubled pianist in a prison setting.
That role earned her the Bavarian Film Award and launched a run of critical roles across German cinema.
Since then, she appeared in The Baader Meinhof Complex (2007), The Reader (2008) alongside Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, the television series Weissensee (2010-2013), and Babylon Berlin (2017-2020).
In 2025, she became Chanel’s first German brand ambassador.
Early Life of Hannah Herzsprung
Hannah Herzsprung was born on September 7, 1981, in Hamburg, West Germany.
Her father, Bernd Herzsprung, is a well-known German actor best recognized for his role in the long-running series SOKO.
Her mother, Barbara Engel, is a fashion designer who also appeared on German reality television.
Growing up with an actor father and a fashion designer mother placed Herzsprung at the intersection of two creative fields from an early age.
Her sister Sara shared her interest in media: the two took over the music clip show on the Musicbox channel (now Tele 5) together at the end of 2002.
Herzsprung attended Hurtwood House, a boarding school in England, until 1998.
That experience gave her exposure to British culture and the English language while still in her teens.
Hannah Herzsprung Age / Birthday
Hannah Herzsprung is 45 years old as of 2026, born on September 7, 1981.
Her zodiac sign is Virgo, a sign often linked with precision, craft, and a methodical approach to creative work.
As of 2026, she remains one of Germany’s most active film and television actresses, with new projects released that year.
Hannah Herzsprung Ethnicity and Nationality
Herzsprung holds German nationality, born and raised in Hamburg.
Her ethnic background is German, with family roots on both her father’s and mother’s sides in the German-speaking world.
Her schooling at Hurtwood House in England added an international dimension to her upbringing.
Hannah Herzsprung Height and Weight
Hannah Herzsprung stands at 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m). Her weight is not publicly confirmed.
She has a slim, athletic build that has suited the wide range of roles she has taken on across her career.
Hannah Herzsprung Education
After returning from Hurtwood House in England, Herzsprung began studying Communication Sciences at the University of Vienna in late 2002.
She left her studies early to relocate to Berlin and pursue the two film roles that became her breakthrough: Four Minutes and Das wahre Leben (Life, Actually), both in 2005.
She trained in acting through private lessons, which she began in 1999 and continued for over 20 years.
That sustained private training, rather than formal drama school, shaped her technical approach to the craft.
Hannah Herzsprung Career
Herzsprung made her screen debut in 1997 in the Bavarian broadcaster’s series Aus heiterem Himmel, playing Miriam “Mimi” Pauly in the fourth and final season.
That early role gave her on-set experience while still in her mid-teens.
Breakthrough Role (2005–2009)
Her film career began in earnest in 2005 with two very different projects. In Chris Kraus’s Four Minutes, she played Jenny, a gifted but unstable pianist held in a women’s prison.
The performance won her the Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Actress in 2007.
That same year, Alain Gsponer’s Das wahre Leben (Life, Actually) cast her as a rebellious, self-destructive teenager.
That role brought her the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2007, followed by the Adolf Grimme Award in 2009, one of the most respected television and film prizes in the German-speaking world.
In 2007, she played real-life terrorist Susanne Albrecht in the historical drama The Baader Meinhof Complex, directed by Uli Edel.
The following year, Stephen Daldry cast her as Julia in The Reader (2008), an international co-production featuring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes.
Notable Film and Television Roles (2010–2020)
From 2010 to 2013, Herzsprung starred as Julia Hausmann across 12 episodes of the acclaimed family saga Weissensee, a drama set in divided East and West Germany.
Her work in that series earned her a Bambi Award, Germany’s most prestigious entertainment prize.
She followed that with roles in Hell (2011), Habermann (2010), Ludwig II. (2012, playing Empress Sissi), Beloved Sisters (2014), and the comedy Who Am I (2014).
In 2019, she starred in Sweethearts, directed by Karoline Herfurth, playing a novice bank robber on the run.
Her most internationally visible television role began in 2017 with Babylon Berlin, the SKY/ARD noir series set in Weimar Republic-era Berlin. She played Helga Rath across 21 episodes through 2020.
The show reached audiences worldwide through Netflix and became one of the most expensive German-language television productions ever made.
She also appeared in Dogs of Berlin (2018), a Netflix crime series, as Trinity Sommer.
Recent Work (2021–2026)
Herzsprung has remained active into the mid-2020s with a steady run of projects. She appeared in Monte Verità (2021) as Lotte Hattemer, a historical drama about an early 20th-century artists’ colony.
In 2022, she starred in Cloud Under the Roof.
In 2023, she played Principal Kreuzkamm in The Flying Classroom, a new adaptation of Erich Kästner’s beloved children’s novel, which carried additional resonance given that the 1973 film version starred her father, Bernd Herzsprung.
That same year she received a Bavarian Film Award nomination.
She took the role of Anna Ralston in Woodwalkers (2024), a German fantasy film based on the bestselling novel series. She reprised the role in Woodwalkers 2 (2026).
Also releasing in 2026 are Ein Münchner im Himmel: Der Tod ist erst der Anfang, in which she plays Kathi Brunner, and the upcoming Corpus Delicti.
Hannah Herzsprung Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Four Minutes | Jenny |
| 2005 | Das wahre Leben | Rebellious daughter |
| 2007 | The Baader Meinhof Complex | Susanne Albrecht |
| 2008 | The Reader | Julia |
| 2009 | Lila, Lila | Anna |
| 2010–2013 | Weissensee | Julia Hausmann |
| 2011 | Hell | Hannah |
| 2012 | Ludwig II. | Empress Sissi |
| 2014 | Beloved Sisters | Lotte von Lengefeld |
| 2017–2020 | Babylon Berlin | Helga Rath |
| 2018 | Dogs of Berlin | Trinity Sommer |
| 2019 | Sweethearts | Anne |
| 2021 | Monte Verità | Lotte Hattemer |
| 2023 | The Flying Classroom | Principal Kreuzkamm |
| 2024 | Woodwalkers | Anna Ralston |
| 2026 | Woodwalkers 2 | Anna Ralston |
Hannah Herzsprung Awards and Recognition
Herzsprung’s career awards include the Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Actress (2007) for Four Minutes, the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress (2007) for Das wahre Leben, and the Adolf Grimme Award (2009), also for Das wahre Leben.
Her work in Weissensee brought her a Bambi Award, and she received a Jupiter Award for Best German Actress.
In 2025, she was named Chanel’s first German brand ambassador, a recognition that extended her profile beyond the film industry.
Hannah Herzsprung Brand Endorsements
In 2025, Chanel appointed Herzsprung as their first German ambassador.
The appointment made her a representative of the French luxury house in Germany and tied her image to the brand’s cultural campaigns.
The role placed her at fashion events and editorial shoots, adding a fashion dimension to her public profile.
Her mother Barbara Engel’s background as a fashion designer adds a family connection to that world.
Hannah Herzsprung Husband
Hannah Herzsprung is married to Henrik Siemers.
The couple appeared publicly together at the Bambi Awards in 2013, one of the earliest confirmed public appearances as a couple.
Herzsprung has kept the details of her private life largely out of the press.
No further details about how or when they met, or the date of their marriage, have entered the public record.
Hannah Herzsprung Net Worth
Hannah Herzsprung’s estimated net worth is $5 million as of 2026.
Her income comes primarily from her acting career across German film and television, covering nearly three decades of consistent work.
Her roles in international co-productions, including The Reader and Babylon Berlin, represent the higher-value end of her film work.
The Weissensee series, Babylon Berlin, and Dogs of Berlin all involved significant production budgets and gave her sustained screen time across multiple seasons.
Her 2025 appointment as Chanel’s German brand ambassador also adds a high-profile endorsement stream to her income.
Hannah Herzsprung Social Media
Herzsprung does not maintain a public presence on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), or other platforms.
She has kept her personal life and online activity private throughout her career.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Hannah Herzsprung?
Hannah Herzsprung is 45 years old, born on September 7, 1981, in Hamburg, West Germany.
What is Hannah Herzsprung’s net worth?
Her estimated net worth is $5 million as of 2026, built primarily from nearly three decades of work in German film and television.
Who is Hannah Herzsprung married to?
She is married to Henrik Siemers. The two appeared publicly together at the Bambi Awards ceremony in 2013.
What is Hannah Herzsprung best known for?
She is best known for playing Helga Rath in the crime drama Babylon Berlin (2017-2020) and for her earlier breakthrough in the film Four Minutes (2005).
Who are Hannah Herzsprung’s parents?
Her father is German actor Bernd Herzsprung, known for SOKO 5113 and other German film and television roles. Her mother is fashion designer Barbara Engel.
What was Hannah Herzsprung’s most recent project?
In 2026, she appeared in Woodwalkers 2, reprising her role as Anna Ralston, and in Ein Münchner im Himmel: Der Tod ist erst der Anfang, playing Kathi Brunner.
Conclusion
Hannah Herzsprung built her career on the strength of roles that ranged from a tortured young pianist in Four Minutes to a Cold War family matriarch in Weissensee to a noir-era housewife in Babylon Berlin, each one well removed from the last.
Her 2025 appointment as Chanel’s first German ambassador brought international brand recognition to a body of work already distinguished by two of German cinema’s most respected awards.