Ulrike Kriener was born on December 24, 1954, in Bottrop and spent her childhood and youth in Oberhausen. She trained at the Hamburg Drama School, where she was already cast for her first role in a television miniseries: in "Britta" (1977) by Berengar Pfahl, she played the best friend of the titular character. Over the following years, she continued to collaborate with Pfahl, resulting in TV productions like "Schnitzeljagd", "Chamäleon", and the sequel *Neues von Britta* (1985). Simultaneously, she performed on stage in Moers, Freiburg, and Munich. 

Kriener’s big break with a wider audience came with Doris Dörrie’s comedy film "Männer" ("Men," 1985), which was critically and commercially acclaimed and received several awards. For her portrayal of a woman who cheats on her unfaithful yuppie husband (Heiner Lauterbach) with a late-blooming hippie (Uwe Ochsenknecht), Kriener earned a nomination for the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. This and subsequent productions quickly established her reputation as a character actress. 

In 1991, Kriener won the Grimme Award for her role as the wife of Erich Rohloff—a character inspired by the real-life serial killer Norbert Poehlke—in the TV film "Der Hammermörder". She shared the honor with co-star Christian Redl, director Bernd Schadewald, and screenwriter Fred Breinersdorfer. She later appeared in films such as Gerhard Polt’s "Herr Ober!" and in a supporting role in Dennis Gansel’s "Mädchen, Mädchen" ("Girls on Top"). In the adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s "Justiz" ("Justice"), she acted alongside Maximilian Schell and Thomas Heinze. In 1998, she received the Telestar award for her performance as a Berlin social worker in Matti Geschonneck’s TV drama "Reise in die Nacht". 

Kriener also appeared in numerous television series, including "Ein Fall für zwei", "Das Traumschiff", "Polizeiruf 110", and an episode of "Tatort". For her supporting role in the comedy "Männer häppchenweise", she won the German Television Award in 2003. 

From 2003 to 2023, she played the lead role as a tough chief detective in the crime series "Kommissarin Lucas", which aired as part of the public broadcaster ZDF's Saturday crime lineup. For this portrayal, she received the Bavarian Television Award in 2005. 

In 2006, Kriener gained attention for her supporting role in Oskar Roehler’s film adaptation of Michel Houellebecq’s "Elementarteilchen" ("The Elementary Particles"), starring Moritz Bleibtreu and Christian Ulmen. She also appeared in the successful comedy "Stellungswechsel" ("Special Escort," 2007), about five men starting an escort service. In Doris Dörrie’s Grimme Award-winning series "Klimawechsel", Kriener played one of four teachers grappling with the challenges of menopause, a performance that earned her another German Television Award. 

In 2016, she starred in Simon Verhoeven’s hit comedy "Willkommen bei den Hartmanns" ("Welcome to Germany"), which tackled Germany’s refugee crisis. She also had a supporting role in Jens Wischnewski’s critically acclaimed directorial debut, "Die Reste meines Lebens" ("What's Left Of My Life"). In 2018, Kriener appeared in the two-part TV film "Bier Royal", about the uncertain future of a regional brewery. 

Further television roles followed, including portraying the head of a financially struggling newspaper in Jens Wischnewski’s thriller "Gefährliche Wahrheit", about an investigative journalist (Lisa Maria Potthoff) uncovering the truth behind a housing project fire. 

In the winter of 2022, Kriener returned to the big screen in Karoline Herfurth’s comedy "Einfach mal was Schönes", playing a mother skeptical of her daughter’s plan to have a child on her own. For this role, she was nominated for the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2023 and won the German Acting Award. 

Around the same time, Kriener filmed her next project, the drama "Eine Million Minuten" ("A Million Minutes"), starring Karoline Herfurth and Tom Schilling. The story of a family inspired by their daughter’s dream journey premiered in February 2024. 

In 2024, she also starred in the satirical TV comedy "Alle nicht ganz dicht" and played a cunning political consultant in the highly praised political series "Wo wir sind, ist oben" ("Public Affairs"). 

Ulrike Kriener has been married to actor and director Georg Weber since 1992. She is deeply committed to charitable causes: in 2005, she became the patron of the Maltese Children’s Hospice in Munich. Additionally, she supports the organization Costura!, which helps Brazilian women and children in challenging situations, and serves as an ambassador for the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. In recognition of her work, Kriener was awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit in 2012.