Childhood & Early Life
Nastassja Kinski was born Nastassja Aglaia Nakszynski on January 24, 1961, in West Berlin, West Germany. Her father, Klaus Kinski, was a renowned German actor, while her mother, Ruth Brigitte Tocki, was an actress. Kinski is of German and Polish ancestry. She has a half-sister, Pola Kinski, and a half-brother, Nikolai Kinski.
Her parents divorced when Kinski was a child. After their divorce, she lived with her mother in a commune in Munich. Kinski started working as a model to support herself and her mother.
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Career
In 1975, Nastassja Kinski made her film debut with the German road movie, ‘The Wrong Move.’ It was directed by Wim Wenders. She played ‘Mignon,’ a mute acrobat.
In 1976, Kinski was cast as ‘Catherine Beddows,’ in the German horror movie ‘To the Devil a Daughter.’ The movie focused on black magic and occult practices.
In 1978, Kinski starred in the lead role in the Italian erotic drama movie, ‘Stay as You Are.’ It was the story of a romantic affair between a young college student, and a middle-aged man. Kinski portrayed the student, ‘Francesca,’ in the film. The film was released in the United States, too, and helped Kinski in gain recognition.
In 1976, Kinski met film director Roman Polanski. This association proved to be a turning point in her career. As per Polanski’s advice, Kinski learned method acting. In 1979, Polanski cast her in his film ‘Tess.’ It was based on the novel ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles,’ written by Thomas Hardy. Kinski portrayed the protagonist, ‘Tess,’ an English peasant girl. To prepare for the film, Kinski underwent a thorough training process so as to perfect the Dorset accent of speaking. To become familiar with their way of living she lived in English countryside for some time. This film was a huge success. For her performance in this movie, Kinski was nominated for the ‘Golden Globe Award’ for ‘Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama’ category.
In 1982, Nastassja Kinski performed as ‘Leila’ in the romantic film ‘One from the Heart.’ In the same year, she was seen as the protagonist in the American erotic horror movie, ‘Cat People.’ It narrated the story of two siblings who could change their human form, and turn into panthers. Kinski portrayed ‘Irena Gallier’ in the film. For her performance in the film, she was nominated for the ‘Saturn Award’ for Best Actress.
In 1984, Kinski performed as the protagonist, ‘Maria,’ in the drama movie, ‘Maria’s Lovers.’ In the same year, she was seen in the road movie ‘Paris, Texas.’ She played the role of ‘Jane Henderson.’ The movie won several awards and accolades.
In 1984, Kinski played a major role in the comedy film ‘The Hotel New Hampshire.’ In the movie, Kinski portrayed ‘Susie,’ who was forced to live most of her life in the costume of a bear. In 1985, Kinski appeared in the lead role in the French romantic drama movie ‘Harem.’ She co-starred with renowned actor Ben Kingsley.
In 1989, Kinski starred in the British-Italian drama movie ‘Torrents of Spring.’ She portrayed a Russian seductress, ‘Maria Nikolaevna Polozov.’ In 1990, she starred in the Italian drama film ‘The Secret.’ In 1993, she starred in the German fantasy movie ‘Faraway, So Close!’ It was directed by Wim Wenders. In the movie, Kinski portrayed an angel named ‘Raphaela.’
In 1994, Nastassja Kinski starred as ‘Chris Morrow,’ in the American action movie ‘Terminal Velocity.’ She appeared alongside Charlie Sheen. In the latter half of the 1990s, she performed in movies such as ‘One Night Stand,’ ‘Susan’s Plan,’ and ‘Your Friends & Neighbors.’
In 2001, Kinski starred in the Hungarian-American biographical film ‘An American Rhapsody.’ The film is about a teenaged girl belonging to a Hungarian-American family. In the movie, Kinski performed as ‘Margit Sandor,’ who was forced to flee from Hungary to the United States. In 2013, Kinski acted in the film ‘Sugar.’
Family & Personal Life
It was rumoured that Nastassja Kinski was romantically involved with director Roman Polanski, but the actress denied this in an interview saying, ‘there was flirtation but there was no affair.’
In 1984, she married Egyptian filmmaker Ibrahim Moussa. The couple has two children, Aljosha, and Sonja. They parted ways in 1992. From 1992 to 1995, Kinski lived with musician Quincy Jones. Together, they have a daughter, Kenya Kinski-Jones.
Kinski is a supporter of the ‘International Red Cross.’ She is fluent in German, English, French, Italian, and French languages. She suffers from a sleep disorder, narcolepsy.
