Anja Antonowicz – a German TV star from Poland

During that time, Antonowicz also appeared in other German TV productions. In 2007, she was given a small role in “Nighwatching – Das Rembrandt-Komplott”, an international co-production directed by Peter Greenaway. There, she appeared as Rembrandt’s neighbour, who played a part in important events in the lives of the painter and his wife. As she explained in an interview, although she acted in just three scenes, she felt proud simply to have the opportunity to work with Peter Greenaway.[4] 

During her first years in Germany, Antonowicz was mainly cast in the role of an east European woman. She admits that “the scope of the roles offered was very narrow; it was either prostitutes, cleaning ladies, childminders or carers for the elderly.” She knows that she needs to speak perfect, accent-free German if she wants to play other roles. Thanks to special courses, pronunciation training with a speech therapist and her own work on her form of expression, she is now well on her way to achieving her goal.[5]

Contrary to the suggestion by her German agency that she should give up her Polish surname to improve her chances on the German market, she is determined to keep it. “I can’t imagine trying to hide my Polish roots”, she said in an interview.[6] She has agreed to a compromise, using the German first name “Anja”, which sounds like “Ania”, the Polish diminutive of “Anna”. 

Since 2014, Antonowicz has appeared in the German cult crime series “Tatort”, which has been broadcast on ARD every Sunday evening for over 50 years. She plays Dr Kroll, the forensic doctor who is part of the investigative team in Kiel led by commissioner Klaus Borowski (played by Axel Milberg). She also appears in many other TV productions, including the “SOKO” and “Das Traumschiff” series. In 2018, she joined the team for the third series of the US secret agent series “Berlin Station”. In 2019 and 2022, she even landed starring roles in two episodes of the ZDF film series based on the romantic stories of UK novelist Rosamunde Pilcher.

In some productions, she works with German director Christian Schwochow, such as in the TV series “Bad Banks”. Thanks to Schwochow, she was also given a part in the fifth season of the Netflix series about the British royal family, “The Crown”. There, Antonowicz plays the episodic role of Alexandra Fyodorovna, the wife of the last Russian czar, Nikolai II, and appears in the dramatic scene in which the czar’s family is shot by the Bolsheviks. Although the role is very small, she regards her participation in the series, which is a global hit, as a great success: “I had the honour of being part of a wonderful project. It was incredible to work there, and an unforgettable time.”

Today, Anja Antonowicz lives in Berlin with her 14-year-old son and her second husband, who is German. She stresses that she regards herself as an ambassador for Polish culture, working to make it better known. She also works to counteract German stereotypes about Poland, as well as Polish prejudice with regard to the Germans. She is convinced that Poland and Germany have a greater affinity with each other and have more in common than we think. In her view, both countries need each other. And although she has no intention of returning to Poland, she admits that she would love to play a role there again one day.[7] 

Anna Widzyk, January 2023

Anja Antonowicz website: https://anja-antonowicz.de/cinema/