There’s a very good chance you don’t know this actress’ name, but we bet you recognise her face.
She may have plenty of acting credits to her name, but Heike Makatsch will forever be remembered as the recipient of the necklace that broke Emma Thompson’s heart in Love Actually.
As Mia, the secretary and, ultimately, seductress to Alan Rickman‘s character Harry, the German actress became the Christmas film‘s “villain” of sorts, and still inspires strong opinions more than 20 years on from the movie’s release.
So, what is Makatsch up to these days?
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Love Actually may be Makatsch’s most recogniseable role, but she’d been on screens for a decade before it hit cinemas.
She got her start in TV presenting in her native Germany in 1993, eventually hosting her own late-night show Heike Makatsch Show.
Makatsch’s first film role came in 1996 with the German film Männerpension, but for Western audiences, it was 2002’s Resident Evil that marked her breakthrough role.
She played Lisa Addison in the sci-fi horror film, based on the video game of the same name.
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Her performance as Mia in Love Actually came a year later.
What viewers of the Christmas movie might not have known at the time is that Makatsch was in a relationship with another actor by the name of… Daniel Craig.
The actress dated Craig, known for being 007 and starring in the likes of Knives Out, for seven years from 1996 before their romance came to an end in 2004.
According to reports they split on amicable terms, having struggled with long periods of time apart due to their respective filming projects.
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Since starring in the iconic 2003 Christmas flick, Makatsch has continued acting.
She’s also been an ambassador for beauty company L’Oreal.
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One of her most memorable roles was in the 2005 movie adaptation of The Book Thief, in which she played protagonist Liesel’s mother.
Most recently she starred in the new television drama series called Where’s Wanda, which is Apple’s first German original series.
The show, which premiered in October 2024, follows 17-year-old Wanda Klatt who goes missing.
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Makatsch stars as the missing teen’s mother Carlotta Klatt, who is desperately trying to find her daughter.
“Thanks for this wonderful project with all this great talent!” she wrote on Instagram.
The actress attended the Berlin premiere for the series in September with her co-stars Axel Stein, Lea Drinda and Leo Simon.
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