Maria Schrader was born in Hanover and studied at the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar in Vienna.
She is especially well known from the film Aimée & Jaguar, as well as the acclaimed Liebesleben ("Love life"), in which she wrote, acted, and produced. She has also written other films: RobbyKallePaul; I was on Mars; Stille Nacht and Meschugge. She co-directed I was on Mars with Dani Levy, whom she dated until 1999.
Schrader was part of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2000.
Maria Schrader has one child with director Rainer Kaufmann, a daughter named Felice, whose name was inspired by Schrader's character in the film Aimée & Jaguar.
