Alexandra Maria Lara is a Romanian-German film and television actress, best known for her performances in films such as ‘Downfall,’ ‘Youth Without Youth,’ ‘Control,’ and ‘Rush.’ Born as the only child of Romanian actor Valentin Plătăreanu, Alexandra stepped into showbiz early and landed up playing lead roles in different television dramas by the time she was sixteen. Her critically acclaimed performance in the made-for-television film ‘Der Tunnel’ paved way for other notable roles, including that of Adolf Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge in the critically and commercially successful Oscar nominated historical war drama film ‘Downfall.’ Other Oscar nominated films featuring the diva include ‘The Reader’ and ‘Der Baader Meinhof Komplex.’ Over the years, Alexandra has worked in several noteworthy national and international projects. These include British biographical film ‘Control,’ Greek drama film ‘The Dust of Time’ and French historical miniseries ‘Napoleon’ among others. She also remained member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival and the Transylvania International Film Festival.