Heidi Philipsen Actress

Heidi Elizabeth Philipsen-Meissner first began acting, writing and directing in college while a student at the Residential College of the University of Michigan, focusing academically on an independent concentration liberal arts degree in Film, Theatre & German Literature.
However, it wasn’t until she moved to Berlin, Germany, that she truly began to act, produce and direct on a more professional scale.
She apprenticed at the politically astute and artistically acclaimed Theatre 89 in Berlin – a collaborative, independent theatre combining actors/directors from such theatres as the Maxim Gorki Theatre, the Berliner Ensemble, and the Brecht Theatre, before acting and directing in the ReActors’ Studio at the Friends of Italian Opera – Berlin’s only English-speaking theatre.
When not in theatre, Ms Philipsen-Meissner was involved in a variety of endeavors: speaking to a group of American study-abroad graduate students about "Careers in Germany" at the American Consulate General in Hamburg, acting as one of the first, two co-Managing Editors of the American Academy in Berlin's Literary Journal, "The Berlin Journal," and doing voice-over work at the legendary Grundy Ufa Studios in Babelsberg for American films.

Furthermore, Heidi made her first mark as a journalist abroad, reporting, translating and associate producing for a worldwide audience (over 28 million viewers a week) at the English language office of the internationally broadcast and globally focused television station, Deutsche Welle TV, where she worked on the international news program “The Journal” as well as the cultural and social events program “Germany Today.”

Her first film, Angel Inside, a short shot on 16 mm in Berlin, which she wrote, co-produced, 1st assistant directed and was the lead actress, won the prize of “Best First Film” at the Calgary $100 Independent Film Festival in 2000.
In 2000, Heidi returned stateside to assist at the American branch office of The American Academy in Berlin and begin her studies in International Media & Communications at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs in New York City – by day. In the evenings, she took Scene Study acting classes at Terry Schreiber Studios in Chelsea and wrote/performed in such Off-off Broadway productions as Angry Jello Bubbles.
Motivated by a desire to "think globally, direct locally," in 2003, Heidi returned to her roots in Michigan and started writing, producing, acting in and directing her own pieces for both film and theater, while working as an understudy and taking classes at Oscar-winning Actor Jeff Daniel’s professional theatre company in Chelsea, Michigan, The Purple Rose Theatre.

She enrolled in film school at the Motion Picture Institute of Michigan, in 2006, and wrote, produced and directed her thesis short, “A FORK IN THE ROAD” for which she received “Best Screenplay” and was nominate for “Best Director” at the MPI Student Film Festival.

“A Fork in the Road” was a part of the official of the Reel Women International Film Festival in Burbank, C.A., on March 8, 2006; the Electric City Film Festival at the G.E. Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y. in the fall of 2008; the New Filmmakers Film Series at the Anthology Film Archives on June 10th, 2009; and a part of the official program at the Manhattan International Film Festival July 21, 2010.
In 2007, Heidi moved to Schenectady, N.Y., where she continued to work as a freelance writer, producer and director of diverse media (commercials, testimonials, company visual profiles, as well as short films and documentaries), largely in tandem with renown and established Upstate, N.Y. cinematographer, photojournalist and producer, Bob Shenise of Shenise Productions.
She also continued with acting and presenting all throughout this time, and got her Screen Actors Guild card, driving in the Core Stunts Unit in Albany, NY on the film SALT. Since then, she worked on a bevy of films, both upstate and in NYC, such as The Other Guys, Premium Rush, and Tower Heist, just to name a few.
Her film HER TELLING HEART, a short, adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Telltale Heart” marked her post-film school premiere and was a project of the official Motion Picture Institute’s Alumni Directors’ Club. It received fiscal sponsorship from New York Women in Film & Television’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program and was shot in upstate, New York in three days on the Red One camera with Patrick Elliot as the film’s Director of Photography.

“Her Telling Heart” went on to screen in multiple film festivals during its film fest tenure, winning Best Performance and Experimental Film at the Park City Film Music Film Festival in 2012 and Best Sound at the ReachOut Film Festival in Kingston, NY. It screened officially at the Salty Horror Film Festival in Salt Lake City, UT, the Hygienic Screening Room in New London, CT, New Collaborations in Detroit, MI, the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI, was an official part of the NYWIFT Summer Shorts Program and kicked off the PBS TV Film series in 2013.

In the spirit of community and industry service, Heidi served and represented Upstate Independents -- Upstate New York's Ultimate Indie Film and Media member organization -- as board member and Programming Chair, fulfilling another passion: bringing dynamic industry professionals together to exchange experiences, trade secrets and talk about the past, present and future of film, media and communications.

She resigned from her Chair in Programming at UI in January of 2013 and held the first, charter meeting for a new chapter of WOMEN IN FILM & TELEVISION, a project under New York Women in Film and Television, called UPWIFT, or Upstate Women in Film & Television, for women professionals in the industry living and working in upstate New York.

Now in its ninth year, UPWIFT is going strong with new leaders, while Heidi serves on its Advisory Board as President Emeritus and Founder.

Since then, Heidi has moved on to producing, directing and acting in the feature film, Darcy, as well as developing the feature film (to direct), Love & Vodka, and penning her first rom com feature film, Kidnapping Love.
She also moved back to Germany in 2018, living a year in Hamburg before relocating to Berlin, where she now holds official residency.

She is a member of the The Director List, Producer’s Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, Actors Equity Association, New York Women in Film & Television, Chicago Women in Film & Television, Upstate New York Women in Film & Television, the University of Michigan Entertainment Coalition and Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs Alumni Club and is a Representative for WIFT, Germany.

Heidi holds a B.A. in Film, Theatre & German Literature from the University of Michigan's Residential College, a Certificate in German Fluency from the Goethe Institute, a Masters in International Media & Communications with a Regional Focus on the European Union from Columbia University's School of International & Public Affairs, a Graduate Training Certificate in Directing, Screenwriting and Cinematography from the Motion Picture Institute, a Certificate of Completion from the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce’s Spring 2011 Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for her company Personae Entertainment and, as of May 2021, an MBA in Management from Eastern Michigan University.
She continues to act, direct, write and produce and lives in Berlin, Germany and, Stateside, frequents between New York, LA and Detroit/Chicago.

Overview

NationalityUnited States of America

LanguagesEnglish (mother tongue), English – American (mother tongue), English – British (fluent), German (fluent), French (basic)

Born1976, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America

Age range38 - 51

Height178 cm

Ethnic typesMiddle Europe/Caucasian, Northern European / Scandinavian, Slavic/Eastern European

Place of residenceBerlin - Berlin (Germany), Ypsilanti, Michigan (United States of America)

Possible accommodationHamburg - Hamburg (Germany), New York, NY (United States of America), Chicago, Ill. (United States of America), Los Angeles, CA (United States of America), Atlanta, Georgia (United States of America), Cologne - North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany)

Real nameHeidi Elizabeth Johnson-Philipsen

MembershipsActors Equity Association (United States of America)
SAG-AFTRA (United States of America)
NYWIFT - New York Women in Film & Television (United States of America)
Pro Quote Film (Germany)
Women in Film and Television Germany e.V. (Germany)

Skills/Talents

Languages English (mother tongue), English – American (mother tongue), English – British (fluent), German (fluent), French (basic)

Dialects Hamburg (good)

Accents American (native accent), American Midwest (native accent), American Southern States (very good), American Western States (very good)

Dance Dance training (very good), Free dance (very good), Polka (very good), Rock 'n' roll (very good), Choreography (good), Classical (good), Country dance (good), Dance improvisation (good), Dance theatre (good), Dancehall (good), Disco (good), Funky (good), Gogo (good), Hip hop (good), Interpretive dance (good), Jazz dance (good), Line dancing (good), Musical (good), Stage dance (good), Standard dance (good), Swing dance (good), Ballet (basic), Ballroom (basic), Ballroom (basic), Cabaret dance (basic), Dance competition (basic), Foxtrot (basic), Modern dance (basic), Period ballroom dance (basic), Period dance (basic), Quick step (basic), Striptease (basic), Urban dance (basic), Vogue (basic), Waltz (basic)

Singing. Ballad (very good), Blues (very good), Cabaret (very good), Chanson (very good), Choral Singing (very good), Classical (very good), Country (very good), Folk (very good), Gospel (very good), Musical (very good), Pop (very good), Pop song (very good), Rock (very good), Stage singing (very good), Traditional folk (very good), A Cappella (good), Funk (good), Jazz (good), Lieder (good), Modern (good), Hip hop/rap (basic), Opera (basic), Punk (basic), Rap (basic)

Vocal pitch / Dubbing voice Alto

Musical instruments Keyboards (good), Piano (good), Trumpet (good), Harmonica (basic), Horn (basic)

Sports Athletics (very good), Canoe (very good), Cycling (very good), Gym (very good), Jogging (very good), Pool (very good), Rafting (very good), Swimming (very good), American Football (good), Badminton (good), Baseball (good), Basketball (good), Bowling (good), Darts (good), Fishing (good), Horseback Riding (good), Ice Skating (good), Ice Skating (good), Kayak (good), Marathon (good), Parachuting (good), Rollerskating (good), Spinning (good), Table Tennis (good), Tennis (good), Volleyball (good), Weights (good), Yoga (good), Billiards (basic), Fencing (basic), Juggling (basic), Kick Boxing (basic), Mountain Biking (basic), Pilates (basic), Roller Blading (basic), Rowing (basic), Sailing (basic), Skiing (basic), Soccer (basic), Stage fighting (basic), Water Skiing (basic)

Driving licences / Other permits Driver’s licence car, Driver’s licence van/truck

Other Skills Alexander Technique, Artistic Director, Director, Improvisation, Journalist, Narration, Poet, Storytelling, Translator, Workshop Director

Appearance

Training

Awards/Nominations

2021 Best Actress (United States of America) - Award
for Mama / Keep Your Head Up, Sweet Pea

2018 Best Ensemble "Socially Relevant Film Festival" DARCY (United States of America) - Award

CV CV - Television & Streaming CV - Film CV - Theatre CV - Commercials CV - Audio CV - Other

CV - Film

2019

Keep Your Head Up, Sweet Pea

Personae Entertainment Pictures

Short film

Young adult

Sophie Meissner
Directed by

Mama
Supporting Lead

2018

Asher

Wing and a Prayer Productions

Network/Distributor: Momentum Pictures

Michael Canton-Jones
Directed by

Rafi's Wife
Small Role

2018

Marcy

Feature film (cinema)

Drama, Thriller

Daniel Freudenberger
Directed by

Viola
Supporting Actor

2018

DARCY

Personae Entertainment Pictures

Feature film (cinema)

Drama, Thriller, Young adult

Eli Meissner, Jon Russell Cring
Directed by

Toni
Ensemble Leading Part

2016

Hobo Heyseus

Feature film (cinema)

Drama, Family

Jon Russell Cring
Directed by

Florence
Supporting Lead

2016

Thirsty

Feature film (cinema)

Comedy, Drama, Theatrical comedy

Margo Pelletier
Directed by

Carol
Supporting Actor

2015

Unfinished Business

Feature film (cinema)

Comedy

Ken Scott
Directed by

German Car Rental Clerk
Small Role

2015

Behind the Mirror

Feature film (cinema)

Film noir, Thriller

Minos Papas
Directed by

Linda Telford
Supporting Actor

2012

Her Telling Heart

Personae Entertainment Pictures

Short film

Horror, Period drama, Thriller

Eli Meissner
Directed by

Angeline
Lead

2010

Salt

Columbia Pictures

Network/Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Feature film (cinema)

Drama, Thriller

Philip Noyce
Directed by

Precision Driver
Special Extra

CV - Commercials

2018 - 2021

Visiting Angels

Roger Tully Productions

Commercial

Commercial, Educational, Family, Informative

Roger Tully
Directed by

Speaker/narrator

2016 - 2018

Visiting Angels

Roger Tully Productions

Commercial

Commercial, Educational, Family, Informative

Roger Tully
Directed by

Lead

2013

National Running Training Video *

Shenise Productions

Commercial

Bob Shenise
Directed by

Host/presenter

2007

Sanare Health *

In Motion Studios

Commercial

Brett Donnely
Directed by

Host/presenter

2007

CozMedic Plastic Surgery Associates

Commercial

Terry Packer
Directed by

Host/presenter

CV - Audio

2023 - 2023

"Breaking Glass“

Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg

Dubbing

Adventure, Biography, Period drama

Nicolas Bori
Directed by

English Voice of Lead Character, Bonnie
Lead

1998

The Mall - Flutkatastrophe im Shopping-Center

UFA Babelsberg

Network/Distributor: FOX

Voice-over

Action

Norberto Barbara
Directed by

Reporter
Bit Player

1995 - 1996

The Journal

The Journal

Network/Distributor: Deutsche Welle TV

Voice-over

Educational, Informative, Journalism

unknown
Directed by

Speaker/narrator

CV - Other

2014

Critical Thinking Challege

Aurora Studios

Network/Distributor: Cengage

Corporate/industry film

Garrett Nantz
Directed by

Registered Nurse
Ensemble Leading Part

2014

Critical Thinking Challenge

Aurora Studios

Network/Distributor: Cengage

Corporate/industry film

Garrett Nantz
Directed by

Karen
Ensemble Leading Part

2013

Critical Thinking Challenge

Aurora Studios

Network/Distributor: Cengage

Corporate/industry film

Garrett Nantz
Directed by

Dr. Rachel MacNamara
Ensemble Leading Part