Leonie Benesch (born 22 April 1991) is a German actress who has played roles in major productions including Babylon Berlin and The Crown, as well as Around the World in 80 Days and The Teachers' Lounge.
2009
In 2009, Benesch played the role of Eva in the film The White Ribbon, which won the Golden Palm.
Film critics singled out her performance as "a discovery".
She received the American "Young Artist Award" for her work, as well as a "New Faces Award".
2010
In 2010, she performed in Philip Koch's drama Picco and in Sophie Heldman's film Colors in the Dark (Satte Farben vor Schwarz), where she worked alongside Senta Berger and Bruno Ganz.
2017
In 2017, Benesch performed in Babylon Berlin as Greta Overbeck, winning the "German Acting Prize".
Benesch also performed in The Crown as the sister of Prince Philip, Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark.
2020
In 2020, she was cast in the BBC miniseries Around the World in 80 Days, alongside David Tennant as Phileas Fogg and Ibrahim Koma as Passepartout.
In 2023, she won the German Film Award for her leading role as an idealistic teacher (Carla Nowak) in the German drama "Das Lehrerzimmer" (The Teachers’ Lounge) cowritten and directed by İlker Çatak, in the category Best Female Leading Role.
She was also nominated for the European Film Award, and a year later, the work received an Oscar nomination for Best International Film.
Benesch grew up in Tübingen as the oldest of four children, and attended the Freie Waldorfschule and the Rudolf-Steiner-Schule in Bielefeld-Schildesche.
She also attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
