Polish GROM special forces troops at Umm Qasr during the 2003 invasion of Iraq

Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe highy-trained military units trained to perform unconventional, often high-risk missions.

Evolution[link]

Special forces, as they would now be recognised, emerged in the early 20th century, with a significant growth in the field during the Second World War.

Capabilities[link]

Special forces capabilities include the following:

• Reconnaissance and surveillance in hostile environments
• Training and development of other states' military and security forces
• Offensive action
• Support to counter-insurgency through population engagement and support
• Counter-terrorism operations
• Sabotage and demolition
• Hostage rescue

History[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

Special forces have played an important role throughout the history of warfare whenever the aim has been to achieve disruption by "hit and run" and sabotage, rather than more traditional conventional army combat. Other significant roles lay in reconnaissance, providing essential intelligence from close to or among the enemy, and increasingly in combating terrorists, their infrastructure and activities.

Chinese strategist Jiang Ziya, in his Six Secret Teachings, describes recruiting talented and highly-motivated men for serving in specialized elite units with such functions as commanding heights and making rapid long-distance advances.^[1] Hamilcar Barca in Sicily (249 BC) had specialized troops trained to launch several offensives per day. In the late Roman or early Byzantine period, Roman fleets used small, fast camouflaged ships crewed by selected men for scouting and commando missions. Similarly, Muslim forces also had several naval special operations units, including one which used camouflaged ships to gather intelligence and launch raids, and another which consisted of soldiers who could pass for Crusaders who would use ruses to board enemy ships and then capture and destroy them.^[2] While more commonly known as spies and assassins, Japanese ninja were sometimes used as assault troops or fortress guards, or otherwise fought alongside more conventional soldiers.^[3] During the Napoleonic wars, rifle and sapper units were formed who held more specialised roles in reconnaissance and skirmishing and were not committed to the formal battle lines.

British Army scouts in South Africa (1893): Frederick Russell Burnham (middle); Hon. Maurice Gifford (right)

For the British Army, it was during the Second Boer War (1899–1902) that the need for more specialised units became most apparent. Scouting units such as the Lovat Scouts, a Scottish Highland regiment made up of exceptional woodsmen outfitted in ghillie suits and well practised in the arts of marksmanship, field craft, and military tactics filled this role. This unit was formed in 1900 by Lord Lovat and early on reported to an American, Major Frederick Russell Burnham, the Chief of Scouts under Lord Roberts. After the war, Lovat's Scouts went on to formally become the British Army's first sniper unit.^[4] Additionally, the Bushveldt Carbineers, formed in 1901, can be seen as an early unconventional warfare unit.

During World War I the Australian and Canadian divisions deployed amongst British forces in France quickly came to be regarded as the best shock troops in the Allied ranks due to their ferocity in battle and their unconventional warfare techniques, and were employed accordingly. The successes during trench raids, and kill or capture missions can be seen as early forerunners of special operations.^{[5][6][page needed]}

World War II[link]

Australia[link]

The Z Special Unit was an Australian Commando unit which sank several Japanese ships in Singapore Harbour as part of Operation Jaywick.

Germany[link]

The German army had the Brandenburger Regiment, which was originally founded as a special forces unit used by the Abwehr for infiltration and long distance reconnaissance in Fall Weiss of 1939 and the Fall Gelb and Barbarossa campaigns of 1940 and 1941. Later during the war the 502nd SS Jäger Battalion, commanded by Otto Skorzeny, also conducted many special operations. On October 21, 1944 Adolf Hitler — inspired by an American subterfuge which had put three captured German tanks flying German colours to devastating use at Aachen — summoned Skorzeny to Berlin and assigned him to lead a Panzer brigade. As planned by Skorzeny in Operation Greif, about two dozen English speaking German soldiers, most of them in captured American army Jeeps and disguised as American Military Police officers, penetrated American lines in the early hours of the Battle of the Bulge and sowed disorder behind the Allied lines by mis-directing convoys away from the front lines. A handful of his men were captured by the Americans and spread a rumour that Skorzeny was leading a raid on Paris to kill or capture General Dwight Eisenhower. Although this was untrue, Eisenhower was confined to his headquarters for weeks and Skorzeny was labelled "the most dangerous man in Europe".

Italy[link]

In Italy, the Decima Flottiglia MAS were responsible for the sinking and damage of considerable Allied tonnage in the Mediterranean. After the division of Italy in 1943, those fighting with Germany retained the original name and those fighting with the Allies retitled as the Mariassalto. Also there were other Italian special forces like A.D.R.A. (Arditi Distruttori Regia Aeronautica). This regiment was used in raids on Allied airbases and railways in North Africa in 1943. In one mission they destroyed 25 B-17s.

Japan[link]

The Imperial Japanese Army developed an airborne paratroop force in the late 1930s, but the program did not receive much attention by the Imperial General Headquarters until review of the success of similar German paratroop units during the Blitzkrieg of 1940.

Army paratroops were first deployed in combat during the Battle of Palembang, on Sumatra in the Netherlands East Indies, on 14 February 1942. The operation was well-planned, with 425 men of the 1st Parachute Raiding Regiment seizing Palembang airfield, while the paratroopers of the 2nd Parachute Raiding Regiment seized the town and its important oil refinery. Paratroops were subsequently deployed in the Burma campaign.

Following this success, in July 1943, the 1st Glider Tank Troop was formed, with four Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks. This unit was eventually expanded to battalion size, with a tank company using 14 Type 2 Ke-To light tanks, an infantry company, and a motorized transport company.

The paratroop brigades were organized into the Teishin Shudan as the first division-level raiding unit, at the main Japanese airborne base, Karasehara Airfield, Kyūshū, Japan. It was commanded by a major general, and was organized as follows:

• headquarters company (220 personnel)
• aviation brigade
• raiding brigade
• two glider infantry regiments
• raiding artillery company (120 personnel)
• raiding signals company (140 personnel)
• raiding engineer company (250 personnel)

The unit had an estimated 5,575 personnel.

However, as with similar airborne units created by the Allies and other Axis powers, the Japanese paratroops suffered from a disproportionately high casualty rate, and the loss of men who required such extensive and expensive training limited their operations to only the most critical ones. For the most part, the Teishin Shudan was deployed as elite light infantry.

Two regiments of Teishin Shudan were formed into the 1st Raiding Group, commanded by Major General Rikichi Tsukada under the control of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group, during the Philippines campaign. Although structured as a division, its capabilities were much lower, as its six regiments had manpower equivalent to a standard infantry battalion, and it lacked any form of artillery, and had to rely on other units for logistical support. Its men were no longer parachute-trained, but relied on aircraft for transport.

Some 750 men, mainly from the 2nd Raiding Brigade, of this group were assigned to attack American air bases on Luzon and Leyte on the night of 6 December 1944. They were flown in Ki-57 transports, but most of the aircraft were shot down. Some 300 commandos managed to land in the Burauen area on Leyte. The force destroyed some planes and inflicted numerous casualties, before they were annihilated.

The remainder of Teishin Shudan remained based in the Philippines until the end of the war.

Russia[link]

The Russian Spetsnaz GRU, or Russian army special forces, are considered the best trained units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The Spetsnaz have created a fierce reputation as one of the best special forces in the world today due to the very harsh standards of their training. They are controlled by the GRU. The units of Spetsnaz GRU have no official names, such as the case with units of MVD Spetsnaz. They are generally referred to by unit numbers, for example, "16th Separate Brigade of Spetsnaz", much like any other military unit.

Few details are actually known about the operations of Spetsnaz GRU, but it is known that the units were heavily involved in operations in Afghanistan and Chechnya. Spetnaz GRU teams usually wear standard-issue Russian Airborne Troops uniforms, light blue VDV berets and unit patches in order to avoid identification. However, they can also wear different uniforms, for instance, they would wear the uniform of a unit which is stationed nearby, in order to blend in.

United Kingdom[link]

British SAS in North Africa (1943), in jeeps with mounted heavy machine guns

During World War II, in 1940, the British Commandos were formed following Winston Churchill's call for "specially trained troops of the hunter class, who can develop a reign of terror down the enemy coast."^[7] The Commandos were selected from volunteers among existing servicemen and went on to spawn a number of other specialist units including the Parachute Regiment, the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service.^[8][9][10] Another multi-national unit was formed around the same time the Long Range Desert Group for service in the western desert. In the Burma Campaign, the Chindits, whose long range penetration groups were trained to operate from bases deep behind Japanese lines, contained commandos (King's Regiment (Liverpool), 142 Commando Company) and Gurkhas. Their jungle expertise, which would play an important part in many British special forces operations post war, was learnt at a great cost in lives in the jungles of Burma fighting the Japanese.

The British No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando was formed with complete troops of men from France, Belgium, Norway, The Netherlands and Poland. Most of these troops formed the foundation for their own countries special forces after the war.^[11][12][13]

United States and Canada[link]

The United States formed the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII under the Medal of Honor recipient William J. Donovan. This organization was the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and was responsible for both intelligence and special forces missions. The CIA's elite Special Activities Division is the direct descendant of the OSS.^[14] In mid-1942, the United States formed the Rangers. The United States and Canada also formed a sabotage ski brigade for operations in Norway who became known as the Devil's Brigade, officially known as the First Special Service Force, during their eventual service in Italy. Merrill's Marauders were modelled on the Chindits and took part in similar operations in Burma. In late November 1943, the Alamo Scouts were formed to conduct reconnaissance and raider work in the Southwest Pacific Theater under the personal command of then Lt. General Walter Krueger, Commanding General, Sixth U.S. Army. Krueger envisioned that the Alamo Scouts, consisting of small teams of highly trained volunteers, would operate deep behind enemy lines to provide intelligence-gathering and tactical reconnaissance in advance of Sixth U.S. Army landing operations. In 1988, the Alamo Scouts were individually awarded the Special Forces Tab^{[citation needed]} for their services in World War II and included in the lineage of today's U.S. Army Special Forces.

Late 20th and early 21st century[link]

Throughout the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century, special forces have come to higher prominence, as governments have found objectives can sometimes be better achieved by a small team of anonymous specialists than a larger and much more politically controversial conventional deployment. In both Kosovo and Afghanistan, special forces were used to co-ordinate activities between local guerrilla fighters and air power. Typically, guerrilla fighters would engage enemy soldiers and tanks causing them to move, where they could be seen and attacked from the air.

Special forces have been used in both wartime and peacetime military operations such as the 1971 Indo-Pak War, Vietnam War, Portuguese Colonial War, Falklands War, The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Jaffna University Helidrop the first and second Gulf Wars, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, the first and second Chechen Wars, the Iranian Embassy siege (London), the Air France Flight 8969 ( Marseille), Operation Defensive Shield, Operation Khukri, the Moscow theater hostage crisis, Operation Orchard, the 2006 Lebanon War, the Japanese Embassy hostage crisis (Lima), in Sri Lanka against the LTTE, and the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan involved special forces from several coalition nations, who played a major role in removing the Taliban from power in 2001–2002. Special forces have continued to play a role in combating the Taliban in subsequent operations.

Bangladesh[link]

Bangladeshi SWADS instructor, photographed in undisclosed location, demonstrating with an M-4 Carbine equipped with M68 CCO and AN/PVS-4 night vision.

Special operations units in Bangladesh include Special Security Forces (SSF), President Guard Regiment (PGR), Special Warfare Diving and Salvage (SWADS), Para-commando Regiment, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Special Weapons and Tactics (DMPSWAT). SSF, a special agency formed with extensively trained personnel from all three service divisions (army, navy and air force) of Bangladesh Armed Forces, is generally tasked with physical security of heads of the government and the state, as well as visiting heads of governments, incumbent or former, and VVIPs in general. SSF agents make up the closest circle of Prime Minister's protection team. The PGR is responsible for security of the President only. SWADS is the elite unit of Bangladesh Navy whereas Para-commando Regiment comprises the elite paratroopers of Bangladesh Army. RAB, formed with personnel from all service divisions of the armed forces and Bangladesh Police, is originally a counterterrorism and crime prevention unit. It is also tasked with internal search and rescue. DMPSWAT, formed with Dhaka Metropolitan Police officers and operating under the Detective Branch, acts as a tactical unit for special counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and law enforcement situations.

India[link]

Special Forces of India include the MARCOS, National Security Guards and Para Commandos (India). All these Forces have been constantly active since the past decade operating against counter insurgents and terrorists from neighbouring countries.^{[citation needed]} The NSG backed up by the MARCOS successfully neutralised all the gunmen in the 2008 Mumbai Attacks, which is considered one of the biggest Terrorist attacks of the 21th century.^{[citation needed]} The Para Commandos (India) and MARCOS also saw success during Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and Kargil War^{[citation needed]}. Today the Indian Special Forces are considered some of the finest Special Forces in the World.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

• SWAT Team

References[link]

Bibliography

• Breuer, William B. (2001). Daring missions of World War II. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-40419-4.
• Haskew, Michael E (2007). Encyclopaedia of Elite Forces in the Second World War. Barnsley: Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-84415-577-4.
• Molinari, Andrea (2007). Desert Raiders: Axis and Allied Special Forces 1940–43. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-006-2.
• Otway, Lieutenant-Colonel T.B.H (1990). The Second World War 1939–1945 Army – Airborne Forces. Imperial War Museum. ISBN 0-901627-57-7. 

Notes

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2011)

External links[link]

• Media related to Special forces at Wikimedia Commons

Djimon Hounsou
Hounsou arrives at the premiere of Push, Mann Theater, Westwood, USA 2009
Born	Djimon Dia Hounsou (1964-04-24) April 24, 1964 (age 48) Cotonou, Benin
Occupation	Actor/Model
Years active	1990–present

Djimon Diaw Hounsou (pronounced [dʒimɔ̃ hũsu];^{[need tone]} born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese actor and model. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two Academy Awards.^[1]

Early life[link]

Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in 1964, to lbertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook.^[2] He emigrated to Lyon in France at the age of thirteen with his brother, Edmond. In 1987, he became a model and established a career in Paris. He moved to the U.S. in 1990.^[2][3]

Career[link]

In 1989 he appeared in a music video of Straight Up by Paula Abdul.^[4] Hounsou's film debut was in the 1990 Sandra Bernhard film Without You I’m Nothing, and he has had television parts on Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER and a guest starring role on Alias, but received a larger role in the science fiction film Stargate. His first on-screen appearance was in the 1990 Janet Jackson video “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” from Rhythm Nation 1814, which co-starred Antonio Sabàto, Jr. He also starred in a 2002 Gap commercial directed by Peter Lindbergh, dancing to a rendition of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" by Arrested Development's Baba Oje.

He received wide critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role as Cinqué in the 1997 Steven Spielberg film Amistad. He gained further notice as Juba, in the 2000 film Gladiator. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for In America, in 2004, becoming the fourth African male to be nominated for an Oscar (along with Basil Rathbone, Cecil Kellaway and Omar Sharif). That same year, Charlize Theron, a South African actress, was nominated for Best Actress and won for her work in Monster, and was the first time that one African man and one African woman were nominated for an Oscar in the same year. In 2006, he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Blood Diamond; he received Broadcast Film Critics Association, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award nominations for this performance.

On February 24, 2007, it was announced that Hounsou would be the new Calvin Klein underwear model. Starting with the Fall 2007 season, he was featured in the brand’s global print advertising campaign including the launch of their new Calvin Klein Steel product line.

Hounsou also acted in a supporting role in the 2009 science fiction film Push, as Agent Henry Carver.

In 2010, Hounsou was featured as the narrator in ESPN's running series of "32 teams, 1 dream" commercials for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Director Tim Story recently mentioned to IGN that if he was to do a third Fantastic Four movie, he would like to have Hounsou as the Black Panther. In November 2008, it was announced that Hounsou will be providing the voice of the Black Panther in the upcoming animated series of the same name.^[5] David Jaffe, Game Director of God of War, expressed interest in seeing Hounsou portray the hero and main character, Kratos, in a possible upcoming movie based on the hit video game of the same name.^{[citation needed]} However, it is believed that plans for the movie have been scrapped because nothing has been said of the movie since 2005.^{[citation needed]} He has signed on to play Abdiel in the film version of John Milton's Paradise Lost with Benjamin Walker and Bradley Cooper.

Personal life[link]

Hounsou became a naturalized American citizen in 2007, and currently resides in Los Angeles. He was reluctant to renounce his Beninese citizenship and therefore opted to become a dual citizen of both Benin and the United States, effectively rendering him a Beninese-American. Hounsou is one of just twenty-seven people in the world today to be officially recognized by this nationality, a list which also includes Sheffield Wednesday footballer Reda Johnson.

In 2007, Hounsou began dating model/CEO of Baby Phat, Kimora Lee Simmons.^[6] On May 30, 2009, Simmons gave birth to their son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, reportedly named because Kenzo means 3 (Kimora's third child). Hounsou and Simmons visited Hounsou's family in his native Benin in the summer of 2008, where the two participated in a traditional commitment ceremony. The couple were adorned in traditional clothing and used the ceremony, in the presence of Hounsou's family, to solidify that they are "dedicated to each other 100%." The two, however, emphasized that the ceremony was not a wedding. As of April 2010, the pair are not engaged. However, in the début of Kimora Lee Simmons' show, "Life in the Fab Lane", he was billed as her husband.^[7]

Hounsou spoke at the Summit on Climate Change at the United Nations on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.^[8] On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, Hounsou told French media that developed countries “need to be held accountable” for their contribution to climate change.^[9]

Filmography[link]

Awards/nominations[link]

• Academy Awards
  • 2004 Best Supporting Actor: In America (Nominated)
  • 2007 Best Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Nominated)

• Black Reel Awards
  • 2004 Best Supporting Actor: In America (Winner)
  • 2007 Best Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Winner)

• Broadcast Film Critics
  • 2007, Best Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Nominated)

• Golden Globes
  • 1998, Best Actor-Drama: Amistad (Nominated)

• Independent Spirit Awards hon
  • 2004, Best Supporting Male: In America (Winner)

• NAACP Image Awards
  • 1998, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Amistad (Winner)
  • 2004, Outstanding Supporting Actor: In America (Nominated)
  • 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Winner)

• National Board of Review
  • 2006, Best Supporting Actor: Blood Diamond (Winner)

• Screen Actors Guild
  • 2001, Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture: Gladiator (Nominated)
  • 2004, Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture: In America (Nominated)
  • 2007, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Blood Diamond (Nominated)

See also[link]

• List of male underwear models

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Djimon Hounsou

• Djimon Hounsou at the Internet Movie Database
• Punching Up His Career Courant.com (March 10, 2008)
• Djimon Hounsou: The Push Interview with Kam Williams

Diane Kruger
Diane Kruger at Cannes Film Festival, 2010
Born	Diane Heidkrüger (1976-07-15) 15 July 1976 (age 35) Algermissen, Germany
Occupation	Actress and Model
Years active	2001–present
Spouse	Guillaume Canet (m. 2001–06; divorced)
Partner	Joshua Jackson (2006-present)

Diane Kruger (born 15 July 1976) is a German actress and former fashion model. She is known for roles such as Helen in Troy, Dr. Abigail Chase in National Treasure and its sequel, Bridget von Hammersmark in Inglourious Basterds, Anna in Mr. Nobody, and Gina in Unknown.

Early life[link]

She was born as Diane Heidkrüger in Algermissen, Germany, near Hildesheim, the daughter of a computer specialist Hans-Heinrich Heidkrüger, and his wife, Maria-Theresa, a bank employee.^[1] She was raised Roman Catholic^[2] and attended Catholic school.^[3]

She was raised in Germany with her younger brother, Stefan. Her mother sent her to student exchange programs when she was a teenager to improve her English.^[4] As a child, Kruger wanted to become a ballerina and successfully auditioned for the Royal Ballet School in London. However, after an injury ended her ballet career prematurely, Kruger moved to Paris and turned her energy toward modeling and learning French.

Acting career[link]

Kruger soon became interested in acting and took lessons at the Cours Florent. She landed some small appearances in several French films. She made her onscreen debut in 2002, opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert in The Piano Player, a TV-movie by Jean-Pierre Roux. Her first major role was the same year when she starred in her then husband's directorial debut Mon Idole.

She played Julie Wood in 2003's Michel Valliant and Lisa in Wicker Park (2004), alongside Josh Hartnett and Rose Byrne. One of her more high-profile roles to date is her portrayal of Helen of Sparta in Wolfgang Petersen's epic Troy. She was ranked 50th on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2005.^[5] In 2004, Kruger starred with Nicolas Cage and Sean Bean (who co-starred with her in Troy) in the film National Treasure, going on to appear in movies Joyeux Noël (2005) and Copying Beethoven (2006). She reprised her role as Dr. Abigail Chase in National Treasure: Book of Secrets, released in December 2007.

Kruger at the 2009 Venice Film Festival

Kruger was the hostess of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.^[6]

Kruger at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival

Kruger was a jury member of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008. The festival is chaired by Costa Gavras.

In 2009, she co-starred as a German actress turned Axis saboteur in Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds. Kruger starred in 2011 in the Liam Neeson film Unknown alongside January Jones.^[7]

In December 2009, she announced the nominations of the 67th Golden Globe Awards and also picked up nominations from the Screen Actors Guild for Best Supporting Actress and Outstanding Performance by a Cast of a Motion Picture for her role in Inglourious Basterds.^[8]

Kruger played Anna in Jaco Van Dormael's Mr. Nobody, which was mostly funded through European financiers, and was given limited release in certain countries in 2010.^[9] Critical response has praised the film's artistry and Kruger's acting.^[10] She was nominated the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 66th Venice International Film Festival for her performance.^{[citation needed]}

Kruger made a cameo appearance in an April 2010 episode of the Fox show Fringe, in which her boyfriend, actor Joshua Jackson is a star. In 2010, Kruger also appeared in Mark Ronson's music video for "Somebody to Love Me", where she plays Boy George. In 2011, it was announced that she had replaced Eva Green in the role of Marie Antoinette in the French-language film, Les Adieux à la Reine.^[11]

In 2012, she was named as a member of the Jury for the Main Competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.^[12]

Endorsements[link]

Kruger is a brand ambassador for watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre.^[13] In December 2009, she was announced as the global spokesmodel for L'Oréal.^[14]

It was announced in May 2010 that she would become the latest face for Calvin Klein's newest fragrance line, Beauty.^[15]

Personal life[link]

She married French actor and director Guillaume Canet on 1 September 2001. They acted together in 2005's Joyeux Noël, but divorced in 2006. She has been in a relationship with Joshua Jackson since 2006.^[16] During an interview with magazine Glamour, she said, "Without sounding pessimistic, I learned that I don't believe in marriage. I believe in a commitment that you make in your heart. There's no paper that will make you stay. A guy friend of mine said, and it made a lot of sense, that people should get married at the end of the road, not the beginning."^[17]

Besides German, Kruger speaks English and French fluently. She is a friend of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.^[18] Kruger divides her time between Paris and Vancouver.

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

• 2003: Cannes Film Festival, Chopard Trophy for Female Revelation – Won
• 2004: Bambi Award for Career – Won
• 2005: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for National Treasure – Nominated
• 2010: Golden Camera for Best International Actress for Inglourious Basterds – Won

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diane Kruger

• Diane Kruger at the Internet Movie Database
• Diane Kruger at the Fashion Model Directory
• Diane Kruger at Fascination
• Diane Kruger at AskMen