Wokalek was born in Freiburg, West Germany, daughter of a professor of dermatology from Mediaş, Romania. She attended the Friedrich-Gymnasium in Freiburg where she first tried acting in the school's drama group in 1991.
After her final exams in 1994 Wokalek intended to allow herself up to three applications at drama schools before choosing a different career. Her first application to study at the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar in Vienna was accepted, and she moved to the Austrian capital in 1995 to begin her four-year study as a student of Klaus Maria Brandauer. Brandauer, well known for his parts in Mephisto, Out of Africa and Never Say Never Again, started teaching at the seminar at the same time.
Still in her studies, 21-year-old Wokalek made her professional stage debut during the 1996 Wiener Festwochen in Joshua Sobol's play Alma, directed by Paulus Manker. Soon after, she played Polly in Brecht's The Threepenny Opera (also directed by Paulus Manker and with costumes by Vivienne Westwood), shown in Vienna's Burgtheater, one of the best-known stage theaters in the world.

Return to Johanna Wokalek Autograph Profile