Heike Makatsch

Heike Makatsch (German: [ˈhaɪkə ˈmakatʃ] (listen); born 13 August 1971) is a German actress. She is known for her roles as Lisa Addison in Resident Evil (2002), Mia in Love Actually (2003), and as Liesel's mother in The Book Thief (2013). Makatsch was born in Düsseldorf, West Germany, the daughter of former German national ice hockey team goaltender Rainer Makatsch. She spent several months in New Mexico in 1988 in an effort to improve her English, and later studied politics and sociology at the University of Düsseldorf for four semesters, which was followed by an apprenticeship as a dressmaker until 1994. Makatsch's television career started in 1993, when she was hired by music channel VIVA, hosting shows such as Interaktiv and Heikes Hausbesuche; two years later, on 13 August 1995, she became the host of the German chart show Bravo TV, aired by RTL II, a position she kept until summer 1996. In 1997, she started hosting her own weekly, late night show titled Heike Makatsch Show. However, due to bad ratings, it was canceled after only eight episodes.[citation needed]