Hanna Schygulla (1943) is a German actress, an iconic figure and preferred muse of New German Cinema, particularly of director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Her career is inextricably linked to him, as she appeared in over twenty of his films.

Her most memorable roles include those in *The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant* (1972), *Effi Briest* (1974), *Berlin Alexanderplatz* (1980) and, above all, *The Marriage of Maria Braun* (1979), which brought her international fame and cemented her status as an icon.

Schygulla excelled at portraying complex and resilient women: figures often tormented and vulnerable on the surface, but endowed with remarkable inner strength. Her acting style is subtle yet profoundly expressive, characterized by a melancholic and penetrating gaze. After Fassbinder's death, she continued to work with international directors such as Ettore Scola, Wim Wenders, and Jean-Luc Godard, consolidating her position among the greatest European actresses.