Ina Holst

Biography

Ina Holst (born January 8, 1956, in Hamburg; died August 2, 2017, in Hamburg) was a German actress, director, and acting coach.

Ina Holst completed her acting training in Hamburg and Kiel and initially worked primarily on theater stages in Hamburg—including at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus—as well as performing her own solo and cabaret programs. From the mid-1980s onward, she increasingly worked in film and television, becoming particularly well known as a distinctive character actress in numerous German productions. She frequently portrayed everyday figures—such as landladies, shop assistants, nurses, or office workers—imbuing them with a high degree of memorability through her characteristic appearance and voice.

Her most notable film and television appearances include roles in Absolute Giganten, Buddenbrooks, Erbsen auf halb 6, Die Affäre Semmeling, and Herzversagen. Furthermore, she appeared in numerous television series, including Tatort, Ritas Welt, Die Pfefferkörner, Der Landarzt, Notruf Hafenkante, SOKO Wismar, Sesamstraße, and Großstadtrevier. From 2013 to 2015, she was a member of the main cast of the ZDF series Kripo Holstein, playing the role of snack-bar owner Heidi Lürsen.

In addition to her work in front of the camera, Holst worked for many years as an acting coach and directed her own theater projects. She lived in Hamburg and passed away in 2017 at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer.