Actress Nastassja Kinski: what happened to Roman Polanski's 'muse?'

Nastassja Kinski: A magnetic marvel of the silver screen, entrancing audiences with her performances in cinematic gems like 'Paris, Texas' (1984) and 'Tess' (1979). Her life, rich with personal and professional drama, kept her in the headlines until she chose to step away from the spotlight. Let's delve into the current life of Roman Polanski's muse (and/or victim) and walk through her artistic journey.

Nastassja Kinski, born in 1961, comes from a lineage of talent. Her father, the famed German actor Klaus Kinski, known for 'For a Few Dollars More' (1965) and 'Who Knows?' (1966), played a significant, albeit dark, role in her life. In her autobiography, Nastassja's sister, Pola, paints their father as a tyrant who ab-used her from the ages of 5 to 19.

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Nastassja Kinski has never publicly claimed to be a victim of her father. However, in an interview with Corriere della Sera, just before her appearance at the Venice Film Festival in 2015, she said, "I am proud of my sister, for her courage in writing such a book. I know the content; I've read her words."

Nastassja has always preferred to keep her family matters private. According to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, following her parents' split, she, her mother, and her sister faced tough times, living in a Munich commune under financial strain.

Nastassja Kinski's artistic journey began early, first as a model, then as an actress. Her cinematic debut came with Wim Wenders' 'Wrong Move' (1975), kicking off a series of collaborations with renowned directors.

n the mid-70s, she took roles in films such as 'To the Devil a Daughter' (1976) alongside Christopher Lee and 'Stay As You Are' (1978) with Marcello Mastroianni, both under now-fugitive Roman Polanski's wing during this period.

In 1977, just as they were working together, Polanski was arrested for drugging and violently violating a minor. He pled guilty to a lesser charge, but before sentencing he fled to Europe and remains a fugitive from US justice.

When it comes to the romantic sphere of Nastassja Kinski, according to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, Roman Polanski admitted in a 1994 interview to having had a relationship with the young actress when she was just 15 and he was 43. She denied it in a 1999 interview with the Guardian.

Under the direction of the Franco-Polish filmmaker, Kinski starred in 'Tess' in 1979. Her performance won her the Golden Globe for New Star of the Year, cementing her status as an international star.

The 1980s marked the zenith of the Berlin-born actress's career, a time dotted with numerous hits, including 'The Cat People' (1982) directed by Paul Schrader and 'One from the Heart' (1982) by Francis Ford Coppola.

1984 heralded another landmark role making her a cinematic star: 'Paris, Texas,' once again under Wim Wenders' direction. The movie clinched the Palme d'Or at that year's Cannes Film Festival.

Toward the late '80s, Nastassja decided to move to Italy. In the land of beauty, she collaborated with celebrated directors, including Lina Wertmüller, who cast her in the exquisite film 'Summer Night with Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and Scent of Basil' (1989); and Francesco Maselli, who selected her for 'Dawn' and 'The Secret,' both released in 1990.

In Italy, Nastassja Kinski starred in 'The Sun Also Shines at Night' (1990) by brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, and in 'The Blonde' by Sergio Rubini.

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In 1993, she answered the call of Wim Wenders to star for the third time in one of his films: 'Faraway, So Close!' Subsequently, the actress decided to move back to the United States. This period marked the beginning of a slow decline in her stardom.

Nevertheless, in the United States, Kinski kept busy with numerous productions, albeit less impactful ones, including 'Somebody Is Waiting' (1997), 'One Night Stand' (1997), 'Your Friends & Neighbors' (1998), 'Town & Country' (2001), 'Paradise Found' (2003), and 'Sugar' (2012). Her extensive filmography boasts over 60 titles.

Beyond cinema, Nastassja Kinski has also ventured into television, albeit sporadically. She appeared in episodes of series like 'The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century' (1996), 'The District' (2001), 'Les liaisons dangereuses' (2003), and recently took a minor role in 'Poquelin & de Beaumont' (2022).

Post-2010, the actress gradually stepped away from the limelight. In 2016, she made a comeback attempt by participating as a contestant on 'Let's dance,' the German version of the well-known format, and in 2017 as a guest on the Italian vresion of 'Dancing with the Stars.'

In 1984, she married the Egyptian director Ibrahim Moussa, with whom she had two daughters, Aljosha and Sonja Kinski, both now models.

After her divorce from Moussa, Kinski began a relationship with the legendary music producer Quincy Jones. From their relationship, Kenya Julia Miambi Sara was born in 1993, who is also now a model.

Subsequently, she has been linked to numerous other flings and relationships, including, as reported by famousfix.com, with Gérard Depardieu and actor Rick Yune.

In 2015, in Italy, during the Venice Film Festival, Nastassja Kinski was back on the covers of major international magazines for throwing red wine, in a sign of disapproval, at a journalist from Corriere della Sera, to whom she had given an email interview in the weeks prior.

The reason for this behavior was never fully clarified. The journalist, Valerio Cappelli, claims to have never understood the reason behind the act. Later, he would reveal in an article that he was contacted by the actress's manager as a gesture of peace.

Despite the many years since Nastassja Kinski has chosen to stay away from the limelight, her allure seems to have paused in time, preserving her status as an undisputed international film star.

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