Lina Wendel was born in Ost-Berlin in 1965. From 1984 until 1989, she studied at the renowned Ernst Busch acting school in East-Berlin, and subsequently starred in stage productions of the Neue Theater Halle. Among her roles were the Gretchen in "Urfaust" and Ophelia in "Hamlet". Following stints at several theatres in Hamburg and her first TV appearances, she became a company player at the Staatstheater Cottbus. She stayed with the ensemble from 1996 until 2000, and among her roles during that time was Helena in "Midsummer Night's Dream".

From 2000 on, Lina Wendel appeared in numerous film and television productions, and also ran theatre workshops for children. Since 2008, she performs regularly in the "Kabarett Charly M" variety, where she has staged two solo programmes.

After already playing a role in Nico Sommer's "Solokind" (2010), she re-teamed with the director for "Silvi" (2013) and got rave reviews for her performance in the titular role. Her endearing portrayal of an unflappable woman in her late forties, who goes on a difficult search for Mr. Right, won her numerous laurels, including the Best Actress Awards at the festivals in Verona, Schwerin and Ludwigshafen.