Background
Knauer grew up in the Sasel quarter of the borough of Wandsbek with her younger brother, Tim.
Knauer grew up in the Sasel quarter of the borough of Wandsbek with her younger brother, Tim.
After completing her abitur in Hamburg, Knauer studied film and literature at the Free University of Berlin.
She joined a child modelling agency after being spoken to in the Alstertal-Einkaufszentrum, a shopping centre, when she was 15. Anja"s brother Tim also works as an actor, but is better known for his work as a synchroniser. In 1996, when she was 17, Knauer gained her first role in Martin Gies’s ZDF television film Kleine Einbrecher.
Knauer works as a set designer, and has also worked on the design of rooms in the Michelberger Hotel in Berlin.