WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - JULY 17: Miss Germany, Natalie Ackermann, one of the 2006 Miss Universe Contestants attend the unveiling of the Miss Universe Billboard and VIP Reception at the Key Club on the Sunset Strip on July 17, 2006 in West Hollywood, California (Photo by John M. Heller/Getty Images) (2006 John M. Heller)
Natalie Ackermann was crowned Miss Universe Germany in 2006. But to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress she relocated to her mother’s home country of Colombia and got herself work on a few telenovelas.
Now she’s heading to Hollywood to try her luck in Tinseltown.
Ackermann's father is German, and she grew up there. As a teenager, her family moved to Spain, then later to Colombia.
She attended college at Dusseldorf University, where she studied medicine, but after she became Miss Germany, she decided to leave medicine behind and follow her dream of becoming an actress.
She moved back to Colombia and started getting bit roles in shows such as “Betty la Fea” and “Nuevo Rico, Nuevo Pobre,” which launched her career in Colombia.
She has also appeared in a celebrity gossip show in Mexico and performed in “Disney on Ice.”
The 36-year-old says she wants to focus all her attention on her budding film career – she had a small role in the U.S. horror film, "The Tenant."
Then she headed for Los Angeles to begin to hone her acting chops. She acknowledges that making it in the U.S. won’t be easy, but she’s determined to defy the odds. Ackermann told The Local, “people have told me again and again that I’ll never make it. But I’ll show them all."
She studied acting at the New York Film Academy in L.A. and trained privately with teachers in both Colombia and Cuba.
She’s betting on her sultry looks and her unique background to set her apart from other actors.
“I look like I'm a Latin American, but when I speak English I’ve got a German accent. That makes me somewhat special,” she told The Local.
Ackermann recently inked a deal with Hollywood producer Alan Glazier, best known for his work on "Three Kings," "Scooby-Doo" and "The Bank Job."
Her contract will mean that she won't have to audition for Glazier's projects and will have the chance to work with his newly developed production company.
Ackermann told The Local, being an actor was her biggest dream.
“I enjoy slipping into different roles that have nothing to do with me. For instance I’d love to play a junkie prostitute or a crazy woman,” she said.
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