Helena Zengel is a German child actor, known for starring in the German film System Crasher (2019) and the American film News of the World (2020).
Wiki/Biography
Helena Zengel was born on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 (age 13; as of 2021) in Berlin, Germany. Her zodiac sign is Gemini.
Helena Zengel’s childhood photos
As a toddler, Helena was an energetic and lively child. Therefore, her parents enrolled her in ice skating lessons and encouraged her to try acting to channel her energy into something meaningful. In an interview, Helena’s mother, Anne Zengel, said,
She has to function in society, so we have to find ways to redirect her energy.”
Helena got her start in acting through a friend of her mother who owned and operated an acting agency, which helped her get small roles in several films and television shows. Surprisingly, Helena has never taken any acting classes and claims that she was born with the skill. In an interview, she said of her acting ability,
Acting was actually very normal for me… I never took acting classes or anything, so it was just something I enjoyed doing.”
appearance
Hair color: honey blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Family and Race
Helena’s parents are both musicians. Her mother, Anne Zengel, is a professional singer and a former radio presenter for German broadcaster B2.
Helena Zengel and her mother
Profession
Helena Zengel began her acting career at the age of five, when she played a little girl in the music video for the song “Streets” by the Berlin alternative rock band Abby. Since then, she has starred in numerous projects by film students at prestigious universities across Germany.
Movie
She made her screen debut as Lily in the drama film Looping (2016), which tells the story of three women who end up in a psychiatric clinic in search of safety.
At the age of eight, she played her first lead role as Luca in the 2017 German drama film The Blue Girl. In the film, Luca is a seven-year-old girl who turns her parents against each other, prevents them from reuniting, and reclaims the top spot in her father’s life.
Dark Blue Girl (2017)
She came to the spotlight with the 2019 German drama film System Crashers, in which she played the lead role of Bernadette (Benny), a neurotic, aggressive and uncontrollable nine-year-old girl who loses her temper whenever anyone (except her mother) touches her face. In the film, Benny’s temper stems from a childhood trauma, when, according to a social worker, she had her face held down by a diaper. For the role of Benny, Helena won the German Film Award (2020) for Best Actress, Germany’s equivalent of the Oscars.
System Crasher (2019) starring Helena Zengel
She rose to fame with the 2020 American Western drama News of the World, in which she played the lead role of Joanna. In the film, Helena co-stars with famous American actor Tom Hanks, who plays Civil War veteran Kyle Kidd. Kidd discovers a little girl named Joanna who was stolen as a baby by the Kiowa tribe of Native Americans. He then takes it upon himself to bring Joanna to her surviving family.
Helena Zengel, News of the World (2020)
For her performance in News of the World (2020), Zengel was nominated for several honors, including a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress.
television
In 2014, she made her television debut in the German crime drama Spreewaldkrimi (Spreewald Thrillers), playing the role of Johanna in the episode titled “Mörderische Hitze”.
She appeared in two episodes of the ZDF Enterprises police drama Die Spezialisten – Im Namen der Opfer (It’s Never Too Late for Justice), Flowerpower (2016) and Sommermärchen (2017), playing the roles of Anja Rothmann and Lilly Weyer respectively. The series tells the story of passionate forensic scientist Dr. Katrin Stoll and her Detective Chief Inspector, who investigate unsolved cases based on newly discovered clues or evidence, striving to uncover the truth on behalf of the victims’ families and friends.
In 2017, she played the role of Fabienne in the TV crime film Der gute Bulle. The drama tells the story of Fredo Schulz, an alcoholic and former police officer who is called back to investigate the case of a wanted sex offender.
podcast
In addition to being a skilled actor, she is also a podcaster. In July 2021, she started a podcast called “Ein großes Z und ein kleiner Engel” (Big Z and Little Angel).
Awards/Honors
- Winner of the Creative Energy Award at the Emden-Norderney International Film Festival (2019) for the film “System Crasher” (2019)
- Best Actress at the San Diego International Film Festival (2019) for System Crasher (2019)
- Best Actress at the Palm Springs International Film Festival (2020) for System Crasher (2019)
- German Film Award (2020) for Best Actress for the film System Crasher (2019)
- Phoenix Film Critics Association Award for Best Youth Performance (2021) for the film News of the World (2020)
Favorites
- Movies: What Dreams May Come (1998), Forrest Gump (1994)
- Songs: “Shallow” (2018), “Poker Face” (2008)
- Food: Sushi with lots of wasabi
Facts/Trivia
- In 2021, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her first English-speaking role. When she auditioned for the role in News of the World (2020), her English was not very good. After getting the role in the film, she improved her English.
- During the filming of News of the World (2020), Helena played an orphan girl raised by the Kiowa people who developed a deep bond with Dorothy Whitehorse, an elderly Kiowa language teacher. Dorothy taught Senger the language and customs of the Kiowa tribe. When Whitehorse first met Senger, she gave the child actor a beaded cross, and when she met Senger a second time, she gave her a small doll.
Helena Zengel with her Kiowa teacher Dorothy WhiteHorse
- She is an overzealous person who believes in living life to the fullest. In an interview, speaking about her fearless attitude, she said,
I would jump from a thousand feet into the water. I would be scared, but if you don’t do it, you can never say you did it.”
- Her podcast website has a capital Z with wings at the top. In one of her podcasts, she explains that the capital Z and the wings together mean Z+angel or Zengel.
- To help Zengel distinguish herself from her traumatized character in the film System Crasher (2019), the film’s director, Nora Finscheidt, simulated a short scene with Zengel after filming, in which Nora holds her hand like a shower head and the child actor pretends to wash it to show that she has returned to herself.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education