Maria-Victoria Drăguș, often credited as Maria Dragus, is a Romanian-German actress born in 1994 in Dresden, Saxony, Germany.
She grew up in an artistic family with deep Romanian and German roots.
Her father, Silviu Dragus, is a Romanian-born professional cellist, and her mother, Jana, is a German dancer trained at the Palucca School of Dance in Dresden.
Drăguș holds dual Romanian and German nationality.
She trained rigorously in classical ballet at the Palucca University of Dance in Dresden from a young age, which instilled discipline and physical expressiveness that later complemented her acting work.
She is fluent in German, Romanian, English, French, and Greek, allowing her to work across multiple countries and languages.
Siblings
Maria-Victoria has two younger siblings: a brother named Josef, born in 1997, and a sister named Paraschiva.
The family maintained strong cultural ties to Romania, with the children baptized in the Romanian Orthodox tradition at their father’s insistence.
In 1997, when Maria-Victoria was three, the family briefly lived in Pechea, Romania, near Galați, before returning to Germany.
She is also the niece of the French writer Viorel Dragus.
Her siblings have remained relatively private, with public attention focused primarily on Maria-Victoria’s acting achievements rather than family details.
Also Read: Juliane Köhler Siblings: Getting to Know Barbara Köhler
Career
Dragus began her acting career as a child, securing early roles in German television productions around age 11 or 12.
She appeared in series such as Ein Engel für alle and episodes of SOKO Leipzig, often balancing these commitments with her ballet training.
Her feature film debut came in smaller roles before her major breakthrough.
In 2009, at age 14 or 15, she delivered a standout performance as Klara, the abused preacher’s daughter, in Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or-winning film The White Ribbon.
This role earned widespread acclaim for its subtlety and intensity, marking her as a promising talent in European cinema.
She went on to appear in notable films including If Not Us, Who? (2011), where she played the sister of Gudrun Ensslin, the lead in Kill Me (2012), and Summer Outside (2012).
Her career expanded with roles in acclaimed international projects, such as the doctor’s daughter in Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation (2016), which competed at Cannes, and a lead in Mademoiselle Paradis (2017), portraying the blind pianist Maria Theresia von Paradis.
She has also taken on English-language work, including a role in Mary Queen of Scots (2018), and appeared in television series like Dance Academy and various German productions.
Drăguș continues to work across Europe, with recent projects in France, the UK, and Greece, demonstrating her range from intimate dramas to more dynamic character studies.
Accolades
For her role in The White Ribbon, Maria won the German Film Award (Lola) for Best Supporting Actress in 2010 at a young age.
She earned additional Best Actress awards at the Romanian International Film Festival for Kill Me (2012) and at the Cinerama BC Film Festival for Summer Outside.
In 2014, she was selected as one of the European Shooting Stars at the Berlin International Film Festival, a prestigious accolade that highlights emerging acting talent across Europe.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
