Angela Winkler, born January 22, 1944, in Templin (Uckermark), finished her training as a medical technician in Stuttgart before going to Munich to start a career as an actress. In Munich, she attended actor"s training at Ernst Fritz Fürbringer"s. After several engagements at smaller theatres, Winkler played the leading role in Peter Fleischmann"s 1969 movie "Jagdszenen aus Niederbayern" ("Hunting Scenes from Bavaria"). Her multi-faceted performance as a sympathetic village prostitute in Fleischmann"s drama drew theatre director Peter Stein"s attention to Winkler. Stein engaged her for Berlin"s Schaubühne where Winkler became a cast member for six years.

It was not before 1975 that Winkler played her second role in a movie. Again, it happened to be in a movie that was to become a German auteur cinema classic. Volker Schlöndorff"s "Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum" ("The lost Honor of Katharina Blum"), an adaptation of Heinrich Böll"s novel of the same name, was Winkler"s breakthrough performance with critics and moviegoers alike. Her powerful portray of a woman who is unjustly defamed as a terrorist won her the German film prize and the Filmband in gold. In 1979, Winkler played Oskar Matzerath"s (David Bennent) mother in the Oscar-winning adaptation "Die Blechtrommel" ("The Tin Drum") of Günter Grass"s novel of the same name, which was once more directed by Volker Schlöndorff.

Despite this worldwide success, Winkler has always focused on her theatre career. Yet, her few appearances on the big screen include parts in important films such as Andrzej Wajda"s "Danton", Hans W. Geissendörfer"s "Ediths Tagebuch" und Michael Haneke"s "Bennys Video". Her major performances on stage during the last couple of years include the title role in Peter Zadek"s 1999 production of "Hamlet" and the role of the mother in the 2004 production of "Peer Gynt", again directed by Zadek. In 2006, Winkler stars in her first movie for eleven years and is seen as "Madame" in Vadim Glowna"s "Das Haus der schlafenden Schönen".