Katja Herbers

Katja Mira Herbers was a Dutch actress who broke out in the United States in 2015 after simultaneously appearing on the critically acclaimed shows "Manhattan" (WGN, 2014-15) and "The Americans" (FX, 2013-). Born and raised in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Herbers was surrounded by music as a child. Her mother was an accomplished concert violinist, while her father made his living as a conductor. It was this early exposure to the arts that would later instill in Herbers the inspiration she needed to purse a career as an actress. Her parents divorced when she was still a young girl, and in the aftermath of it all, Herbers travelled with her mother to America. It was there that the young girl learned to speak English, while also absorbing all the new and exciting culture around her. The experience left Herbers with a burning desire to become an actress. So when it came time to enter college, she enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. Herbers eventually finished her degree, and before long was appearing in plays all throughout the Netherlands. She also started landing Dutch-language film and TV roles, including "Peter Bell" (2002), "Zinloos" (2004), and "Lieve lust" (2005). Herbers continued landing film and TV roles well into the 2010s, while also continuing to hone her acting craft in stage plays. Then in 2014 Herbers earned her big break in America when she was cast as a female scientist, Dr. Helen Princes, on the atomic bomb-themed series "Manhattan." Herbers' good fortune continued to change the following year when nabbed a recurring part on the FX spy series "The Americans." Despite each series airing simultaneously, Herbers was able to set up her schedule so that she could appear on both shows without any interference.