Franka Potente was born on 22 July 1974 in the German town of Dülmen. After her graduation in 1994, she went to the Otto-Falckenberg-Schule, a drama school in Munich, but soon broke off to study at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York. After a notable debut in Nach Fünf im Urwald, the role of the heroine in Run, Lola, Run, directed by her then longtime companion Tom Tykwer was her national breakthrough. After some other successful movies in Germany, she starred in several Hollywood productions, most prominently The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy and lived one year in Los Angeles. After her return to Berlin, she continues working with German and international directors.



The Bourne Supremacy (2004): $1,000,000

Her last name "Potente" (pronounced Poe-ten-teh) means "powerful" in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Her father is a teacher. Says she was discovered as an actress in a public restroom. She was in a bar when she noticed she was constantly stared at by some woman. She decided to leave but went to the restroom before. The woman followed her and again stared at her through the mirror. Suddenly she asked "How would you describe yourself in one sentence?". Turns out she was a casting agent. Tom Tykwer wrote Lola rennt (1998) specifically for her, with the intention of casting her as Lola. Knows how to fence. Has occasionally shaved off her hair after filming movies because she has wanted time to get her "real" hair back (as it is dyed or bleached so often for roles). Plays the violin and the flute. 1998: Named as one of European films 'Shooting Stars' by European Film Promotion. Shares birthday with Danny Glover, Terence Stamp and John Leguizamo. Member of jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2005 Wrote her first book "Los Angeles - Berlin. One Year." together with her good friend, the actor Max Urlacher 2005. During the shooting of Blow (2001), she was so impressed by Johnny Depp that she always blushed in his presence.