Diane Kruger - Fact Sheet

Profession: Actress

Diane Kruger was born Diane Heidkrueger in Algermissen, near Hildesheim, Germany, on July 15, 1976, and raised there with her younger brother, Stefan. When she was younger, Diane wanted to become a ballerina, so she traveled to London where she studied with the Royal Ballet. Unfortunately, an injury ended her career before it could really begin, and Diane turned to modeling instead. In 1992, Diane was a finalist in Elite's Look of the Year competition, at the age of 15. After returning to Germany, Diane became a successful model in both Germany and Paris, in the mid-1990s. Diane decided to pursue acting at the suggestion of celebrated French director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element), and she relocated to Paris. She married French actor and director, Guillaume Canet (from The Beach), in September 2001. After making her debut in 2002's made-for-TV movie The Piano Player, Diane took roles in a number of French films. She co-starred with her husband Guillaume Canet in his film, Mon idole (My Idol, 2002), and also appeared in the movies Ni pour, ni contre (bien au contraire) (Not For or Against) and Michel Vaillant (both in 2003). Diane beat out 2,000 women, including the likes of Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman, to be cast as the beautiful Helen in 2004's summer spectacular, Troy. Troy, being directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, Air Force One) and starring such big names as Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Peter O'Toole, Diane has certainly made the A list.