Biography:

Cox (Cornelia) Habbema, actress, writer and director, was born in Amsterdam on March 21, 1944. After two semesters of law school, she decided to study performing arts and directing. After her stage debut in 1967, she worked in London, Paris, Italy, and Berlin, where she was an ensemble member of the Deutsche Theater for over 15 years. Her debut as a director—the first production directed by a woman at the Deutsche Theater—was the premiere of “Seneca’s Death,” by Peter Hacks, in 1980. 

After playing smaller parts in Dutch films, Habbema was cast by Rainer Simon for the leading role in the comedic fairy-tale film, Wie heiratet man einen König. During filming she met actor Eberhard Esche. The two later married and acted together in many East German movie and television productions. In Germany, as well as in the Netherlands and Belgium, Habbema has most often been cast as impressive, self-confident female characters.

Since 1984, Habbema has lived predominantly in the Netherlands. In 1986, she became the manager of the Stadsschouwburg of Amsterdam, where she also acted. She is one of the most creative personalities in the theater and cultural life of the Netherlands today. In 2004, Habbema published Mein Koffer in Berlin oder Das Märchen von der Wende, in which she gives a wry, perceptive description of her experience as a commuter between the East and West; in 2006, she also published Die neue Leichtigkeit. Erfolgreich in der Öffentlichkeit auftreten.

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