Marie Bäumer: The Woman Behind the Screen – and What Horses, Courage, and Authenticity Have to Do with Leadership

There are moments when an actress stops acting – and begins to simply be.

For Marie Bäumer, one of those moments took place in Brittany. In a small seaside resort called Quiberon. In the role of a woman who had accompanied her her entire life – and who, at the same time, represented her greatest risk.

“I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to get inside the icon that is Schneider.”

She did it anyway. And in doing so, she won the German Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, a nomination for the European Film Award – and the hearts of millions of viewers.

Marie Bäumer – A Career That Knows No Shortcuts

Marie Bäumer was born in Düsseldorf in 1969, grew up in Hamburg, and began her training not at a traditional acting school, but at the Scuola Teatro Dimitri in the Swiss canton of Ticino – an institution that focuses on the body, movement, and expression. Later, she studied at the Hamburg University of Music and Theater, under the great Jutta Hoffmann, among others.

While still a student, she was cast in Detlev Buck’s comedy *Männerpension*. This was followed by Michael Bully Herbig’s *Der Schuh des Manitu* – one of the most successful German films of all time, with over twelve million theatergoers.

But Marie Bäumer is not an actress who is content with success alone. She seeks depth.

The Roles That Endure

For Oskar Roehler’s psychological drama “Der alte Affe Angst,” she received the Bavarian Film Award and the German Film Critics’ Award. For Dominik Graf’s miniseries “Im Angesicht des Verbrechens,” she won the Grimme Prize and the German Television Award. For “Das Adlon – Eine Familiensaga,” she received the Romy Award for Most Popular Actress. France honored her with the Chevalier de l’Ordre National des Arts et des Lettres – one of the highest honors for cultural achievements.

Each of these roles tells the same story: Marie Bäumer does not shy away from the difficult. She dives right in.

Quiberon – a role that required courage

She had been offered the role of Romy Schneider several times. She had turned them down several times. Until director Emily Atef came along with “3 Days in Quiberon” – and an approach that won her over:

“3 Days in Quiberon is not an interpretation of the actress or the myth of Romy Schneider, but a portrayal of a woman at the end of her life, condensed into three days.”

The film, shot in black and white, celebrated its world premiere in 2018 in the Berlinale competition and swept seven awards at the German Film Awards. Director Emily Atef simply said during editing: “That’s Romy.”

Provence, the horses – and a method all her own

If you really want to understand Marie Bäumer, you have to travel to Provence – to a small village near Avignon, where she has lived for many years. And where a lifelong passion has given rise to a unique offering.

“The horse must have been sitting somewhere in my womb when I was born,” she says – and she means it. Since her early childhood, her connection to horses has been not a hobby, but the very core of her being.

Today, she works with her three Lusitano stallions in liberty dressage – and has developed a personal development program from this experience that is truly one of a kind: the Atelier ESCAPADE. Three intensive days in Provence, during which participants – most of whom have no prior experience with horses – work with the animals in freedom. No reins, no constraints. Just presence, body language, and a genuine connection.

“Horses instinctively gravitate toward places where they find protection and strength, and where there is someone who makes good plans. It’s not much different with people,” explains Bäumer. What makes this special is that horses don’t lie. They immediately reflect who their counterpart truly is – not who he or she pretends to be.

“I also admire that horses communicate much more clearly than humans; their verbal and physical expressions don’t contradict each other – as is often the case with us.”

For leaders, this is not a pleasant experience, but it is an extremely effective one.

The Book: An Invitation to Your Own Freedom

What Marie Bäumer conveys in her seminars and on stage, she has also put down on paper as an author. Her book *Escapade – The Journey to Freedom* (Gräfe und Unzer, 2019) is a personal plea against inner blockages – and for the power that lies within each of us.

Her message is clear: “The positive power lies within us; we just need to unleash it!”

It is not a traditional self-help book. It is an invitation – to greater presence, greater authenticity, and greater courage to embrace one’s true essence. And it is proof that Marie Bäumer is not only at home on stage and on screen, but also has a distinctive, compelling voice as a speaker, trainer, and author.

What Acting, Horses, and Leadership Have in Common

In her work, Marie Bäumer brings together three worlds that, at first glance, seem to have nothing to do with one another – but on closer inspection, have everything in common: acting, horses, and personal development.

All three revolve around the same thing: the willingness to let go of filters and be truly present. She sums it up herself:

“In our profession, talent also means being willing to set aside filters and shed your outer layers.”

That sounds like a movie set. But it sounds just as much like any leadership conversation that’s ever taken place.

Who is Marie Bäumer the right speaker and trainer for?

Marie Bäumer is the ideal choice for events and companies that want more than just entertainment. For leaders who want to understand what genuine presence, empathy, and authenticity mean in communication. For teams that want to learn why vulnerability isn’t a weakness, but a prerequisite for trust. And for anyone who wants to be inspired by a woman who has never shied away from challenges throughout her life – on screen, at the stud farm, and on stage.

“You always have to be as alert as possible and stay true to yourself” – this quote from Marie Bäumer isn’t an acting lesson. It’s a life lesson. And she lives by it.

Book Marie Bäumer for talks, workshops or masterclasses: +1 (704) 804 1054 or marie.baeumer@premium-speakers.com