Biography:

Carmen-Maja Antoni was born in Berlin on August 23, 1945. She joined the cabaret show Blaue Blitze (Blue Thunderbolts) that aired on East German television when she was 11 years old. From 1962 to 1965, she studied at the Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen “Konrad Wolf ” in Potsdam-Babelsberg (now Film University Potsdam), and she received her first engagement before graduation at the Hans Otto Theater in Potsdam. In 1970, she became a member of the Volksbühne in Berlin, where she worked with renowned directors such as Benno Besson and Matthias Langhoff, and where she became known for her comic and sometimes grotesque performances. In 1975, she joined the Berliner Ensemble, the famous Bertolt Brecht theater, where she became known for her character roles—especially her breeches roles—in performances from Shakespeare to Brecht. Antoni received praise for her outstanding title performance as Mother Courage—which she played over 150 times—in Claus Peymann‘s 2005 Brecht production of Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder (Mother Courage and Her Children).

Antoni has also acted on screen for film and television. After playing supporting roles, as in the comedy Der Reserveheld, she played leading roles in two films that were banned in 1965: Denk bloß nicht, ich heule and Fräulein Schmetterling. She has often played 'whimsical' characters and has been cast in children's films.

Antoni worked with director Andreas Dresen in his film Nachtgestalten. More recently, she was in the 2009 Oscar-winning film Der Vorleser and the 2010 Oscar-nominee, Das weiße Band, by Michael Haneke. She has performed as Irmtraut Schäffer, a caring mother, in Mord mit Aussicht, one of the most successful German TV crime series, as well as its feature film version, Ein Mord mit Aussicht.

Antoni lives in Berlin. She published her autobiography, Im Leben gibt es keine Proben (You Can’t Rehearse Life), in 2013. She has also staged solo programs and readings with her daughter, the actress Jennipher Antoni.