Heike Makatsch

Heike Makatsch is a German actress who was born on 13 August 1971 in Düsseldorf, West Germany. She is the daughter of former German national ice hockey team goaltender Rainer Makatsch. She spent several months in New Mexico in 1988 to improve her English, and later studied politics and sociology at the University of Düsseldorf for four semesters. Following her university studies, she completed an apprenticeship as a dressmaker until 1994.

Makatsch began her television career in 1993 when she was hired by the music channel VIVA to host shows including Interaktiv and Heikes Hausbesuche. On 13 August 1995, she became the host of the RTL II chart show Bravo TV, a position she held until the summer of 1996. In 1997, she hosted her own weekly late night program, Heike Makatsch Show, which was canceled after eight episodes due to low ratings.

Her film debut occurred in 1996 when she starred in Detlev Buck's film Männerpension (Jailbirds). For her performance in the film, she was awarded the Bavarian Film Award for most talented young actor. She subsequently appeared in various German and English language productions. Her prominent screen roles include Lisa Addison in the 2002 video game-based film Resident Evil, Mia in the 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually, Liesel's mother in The Book Thief in 2013, and Carlotta Klatt in Where's Wanda? in 2024. Additionally, she provided the voice for the character Terk in the German dub of Disney's Tarzan.

In addition to her acting work, Makatsch became a face for the French cosmetics company L'Oréal in 2012. She also served on the jury of the Goldene Kamera awards in 2017.

In her personal life, Makatsch was in a seven-year relationship with British actor Daniel Craig until 2004. She has three daughters, born in 2007, 2009, and 2015. Her first two children are with musician Max Martin Schröder from the German indie band Tomte. She has been in a relationship with actor Trystan Pütter since 2017. As of 2022, Makatsch resides in Berlin-Zehlendorf.