Lea van Acken

Birthday: 1999-02-22
Birthplace: Lübeck, Germany
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

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.

Credits

	Year	Title	Character
	2026-02-19	Wovon sollen wir träumen	Julia
	2026-01-22	Drop
	2026-01-21	Liebesbesuch	Nathalie
	2025-12-20	Und keiner geht hin	Matea
	2025-01-07	5 Finger sind 'ne Faust	Maria
	2023-11-07	Hitlerputsch 1923: Das Tagebuch der Paula Schlier	Paula Schlier
	2023-04-27	4 Days to Eternity	Idilia Dubb
	2022-02-09	The Privilege	Lena
	2020-09-26	Cracks	Iris
	2019-07-25	Abikalypse	Hannah
	2019-07-25	Abikalypse	Hannah
	2019-05-23	All My Loving	Tinka
	2017-10-26	Suck Me Shakespeer 3	Amrei Keiser
	2017-07-27	Windstorm 3	Samantha
	2017-02-23	Bibi & Tina: Perfect Pandemonium	Aladin
	2016-07-07	Ferien	Lea
	2016-03-03	The Diary of Anne Frank	Anne Frank
	2016-01-22	Sag mir nichts	Sasanna
	2015-07-16	Heil	Teenager
	2014-03-20	Stations of the Cross	Maria