Maria Schrader, born September 27, 1965, in Hannover, as the daughter of two artists, made her stage debut at the age of 15 at Hannoversches Theater in a production of August Strindberg’s play "The Father". In the 1982/83 season, the autodidact became a cast member of Staatstheater Hannover. Then, in 1983, Schrader started professional actor’s training at Vienna’s Max Reinhardt Seminar. At this point of her career, Schrader had already played at theatres in Vienna, Venice (alongside Sammy Molcho), and Rome. After two years of training, she left Vienna and went to Berlin with her partner Dani Levy whom she had met in Vienna. At Berlin’s Schaubühne, Schrader then took singing lessons with Mirka Yemen Dzaris.

Maria Schrader made her movie debut in 1988 in Dani Levy’s debut film "RobbyKallePaul". Schrader also participated in writing the screen play to this film, a comedy about the every day problems in matters of life and love of three Berliners. During the following years, Schrader’s career was closely linked to Dani Levy’s, and the couple made six films (one of them a short film) together. For three of the films, Schrader apart from being the leading actress also became the co-author. Furthermore, she won the 1992 film festival "Max Ophuels Preis" as "Best new actress" for her performance as a dropout in Levy’s "I was on Mars".

After starring in a leading role in the well-received road movie "Burning Life" (1993) about two female bank robbers in the German Democratic Republic, Schrader made her breakthrough in 1994 in the leading role of Doris Dörrie’s melancholic comedy "Keiner liebt mich" ("Nobody Loves Me"). Her portrayal of an "ordinary woman" in a depressing and freakish environment won Schrader the 1995 Bavarian as well as the 1995 German film award. In the same year, Schrader and Levy finished the intimately played relationship drama "Stille Nacht" ("Silent Night") that was well-received by critics and movie goers alike.

Schrader’s acting style has never seemed artificial. On the contrary, Schrader does not show any mannerisms and does not tout for the sympathy of the audience but she is an actress who endows the characters she plays with rough edges. But that does not mean, on the other hand, that Schrader who is sometimes described by colleagues as a "difficult person" would only be "playing herself". Film magazine epd Film characterized Schrader as an actress who "associates her image as a star with the concept of a being intensely genuine in her film parts. Schrader considers her passion for acting that allows her to experience the identity of her characters far more important than a synthetic image."

Schrader’s career reached the next level in 1998/99 when she starred in three successful movies in a row, first, in Dani Levy’s highly praised thriller "Meschugge" ("The Giraffe"), then, in the award-winning and successful comedy "Bin ich schön" ("Am I Beautiful?"), and finally in the drama "Aimée und Jaguar" ("Aimée & Jaguar"). Her portrayal of a Jewish lesbian who becomes a member of the resistance in Berlin during the Third Reich in "Aimée und Jaguar" won Schrader several awards: the award as "Best actress" at the 1999 Berlinale as well as the Bavarian film award and (together with "Meschugge") the German film award.

During the following years, Schrader, who is known to be rather picky with her roles, appeared in films as diverse as the satire "Victor Vogel" ("Advertising Rules!"), the divorce drama "Väter" ("I’m the Father"), or the Third Reich drama "Rosenstraße". In 2007, Schrader finally made her debut as a director. Her first film, the drama "Liebesleben" ("Love Life", based on Zeruva Shalev’s novel) about the obsessive love affair between a young woman and a much older man premiered at the Rome film festival.