Lena Klenke

Klenke's entry point was genuinely unusual. Most actors don't land their first role in an award-winning drama directed by someone who'd go on to create the Netflix phenomenon Dark — but that's exactly what happened when Baran bo Odar cast her in The Silence (2010). She was 13, playing a girl whose disappearance drives the film's central mystery. It's a quiet, unsettling performance that set a tone for the kinds of roles she'd gravitate toward. The Suck Me Shakespeer trilogy (Parts 1–3, released between 2013 and 2017) gave her mainstream visibility in Germany. Her recurring role as Laura Schnabelstedt across all three films meant audiences grew up watching her, and the franchise's commercial success translated into real industry standing. The Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Actress in 2016 — specifically for the second film — confirmed what the box office already suggested. She wasn't just along for the ride; she was a reason people came back. During the same period, she appeared in Victoria (2015), Beck's Last Summer (2015), Rock My Heart (2017), and The Silent Revolution (2018), building a filmography that leaned into character-driven material without being confined to a single genre. Her current period is defined almost entirely by How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), the Netflix series she joined in 2019 as Lisa and stayed with through its 2024 conclusion — a run long enough that the character became genuinely associated with her name internationally. The show's darkly comic tone suits her range in ways that are hard to pin down but easy to feel watching it. Since wrapping that series, she's moved into ARD drama territory: The Doubters (2023–2024, as Alex) won her the Hessian Film and Cinema Award in 2024, and The Wedding (2024, as Simone Streuble) added another broadcast credit to an already dense slate. Hard to say if streaming or broadcast will claim more of her time going forward, but the 2023–2024 output alone suggests she's not slowing down.