Ursula Strauss

Austrian actress Ursula Strauss grew up intending to become a kindergarten teacher. During her country childhood, her first major theatrical role came when playing Lady Macbeth in a local production. After the acclaim for her performance, Strauss abandoned the thought of following in the footsteps of her housewife mother and began studying drama full time. Following four years with a Vienna theater company, she rose to prominence in that city's dramatic circles. In 2003, she had her first major part in Barbara Alpert's 2003 drama "Free Radicals" as a woman who has an affair with her best friend's husband. Strauss would reunite with Alpert for the equally feel-bad 2006 film "Falling," which like their previous collaboration received praise at many international festivals without making a commercial impression at home. In 2008 Strauss appeared as a prostitute in the crime film "Revanche," which once again was acclaimed abroad without achieving financial success in Austria. Despite no previous regular TV series roles, in 2009 Strauss rocketed to national fame as Angelika Schnell, the relatably flawed detective anchoring the crime procedural "Fast Forward." Alongside her television commitments, Strauss continued appearing in films, including the 2011 World War II comedy "My Best Enemy" as the endangered lover of a Jewish art dealer.