TV & Movies

Dear Child cast: All actors & characters in Netflix series

Daisy Phillipson
Jonathan and Hannah in Dear ChildNetflix

Below is your guide to the cast and characters of Dear Child, the thrilling new mystery-thriller series on Netflix, and where some may know the cast from.

Netflix has produced a wide range of original series based on books, and it’s not difficult to understand why. Though the concept is nothing new, the streaming platform’s deep pockets have allowed it to bring the pages of novels or comics to life on the screen, utilizing the already established rich storytelling while delivering a live-action retelling of the beloved characters. 

This year, Netflix’s book-based content has included the Heartstopper series, which stole the hearts of the Alice Oseman fanbase, as well as Lockwood & Co, The Chosen One, and even Painkiller, the latter being based on a non-fiction book titled Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic by Barry Meier.

Dear Child, translated from Liebes Kind, is a six-part German mini-series adaptation of Romy Hausman’s international bestselling novel of the same name. Here’s everyone you need to know about the cast, including the actors and the characters they play.  

Contents

Dear Child cast & characters

Before we get into it, here’s the official synopsis for Dear Child: “Lena lives in complete isolation in a highly secured home with the two children Hannah and Jonathan. They eat their meals, go to the toilet, and to bed at precisely prescribed times. 

“As soon as he enters the room, they line up to show their hands. They do everything he says. Until the young woman manages to escape. After a near-fatal car accident, she is hospitalized, accompanied by Hannah.

“Dear Child starts where traditional thrillers end: with redemption. But the true extent of this nightmare is revealed with the arrival of Lena’s parents at the hospital the same night. They have been desperately searching for their missing daughter for almost 13 years…”

Lena: Kim Riedle

Still from Dear Child on NetflixNetflix

Kim Riedle plays Lena, a mysterious woman who is held captive by an evil anonymous kidnapper and manages to escape. When she’s involved in a hit-and-run, police begin to dig into her past, leading to more questions than answers. 

Riedle has appeared in Back for Good, Cocoon, and Skylines. 

Hannah: Naila Schuberth

Still from Dear Child on NetflixNetflix

Naila Schuberth plays Hannah, a precarious young girl who is held captive with Lena and her younger brother Jonathan. When authorities rescue her at the hit-and-run scene, they soon discover that she’s incredibly smart and knowledgeable on a whole range of topics. 

As per Tudum, she’s “unscathed but beginning to reveal some disturbing, fragmented glimpses of their life back home.”

You may recognize Schuberth for her role as Sofia in Bird Box: Barcelona. The young star has also appeared in Blackout and Gefährliche Nähe.

Jonathan: Sammy Schrein 

Still from Dear Child on NetflixNetflix

Sammy Schrein takes on the role Jonathan in the Dear Child cast. Jonathan is Hannah’s younger brother, who has also been held captive and been cut off from the outside world. He’s shy and often allows his sister to take the lead. 

Alongside his role in the Netflix series, Schrein has starred in Billy Kuckuck, German Crime Story: Gefesselt, and Sankt Maik.

Aida Kurt: Haley Louise Jones

Haley Louise Jones in Dear Child as Aida KurtNetflix

Haley Louise Jones plays Aida Kurt, a police officer who is tasked with investigating the hit-and-run, only to realize the incident is linked to a missing persons case from 13 years ago. 

Jones’ other acting accolades include Paradise, Bones and Names, and Ivie Wie Ivie.

Gerd Buhling: Hans Low

Still from Dear Child on NetflixNetflix

Hans Low plays Gerd Buhling, a “CID officer who was in charge of the Lena Beck missing persons case 13 years ago.” He notifies her parents that a woman of the same name and description has been found following the accident. 

Low is best known for I’m Your Man, Toni Erdmann, In My Room, and All Is Well.

Matthias Beck: Justus von Dohnanyi

Still from Dear Child on NetflixNetflix

Justus von Dohnanyi takes on the role of Matthias Beck in the Dear Child cast. His life was thrown into disarray when his daughter Lena went missing all those years ago. 

Dohnanyi has also starred in Tatort, Das Experiment, Downfall, and The World Is Not Enough. 

Karin Beck: Julika Jenkins

Julika Jenkins in Dear Child as Karin BeckNetflix

Julika Jenkins plays Karin Beck, Lena’s mom who has a lot to deal with when her husband Matthias descends amid the news that there’s a lead in their daughter’s disappearance. 

Dear Child isn’t Jenkins’ first Netflix production, having starred in the popular German series Dark. She’s also appeared in A Thin Line, Tatort, Vitus, and The Lost Daughter, among others. 

Ruth: Birge Schade

Still from Dear Child on NetflixNetflix

Birge Schade plays Ruth, a kind and caring nurse who forms a bond with Hannah and is amazed by her knowledge. 

Schade has starred in The Never Ending Story II: The Next Chapter, Baader, and Katzenzungen.

Ines Reisig: Seraphina Maria Schweiger

Seraphina Maria Schweiger in Dear Child as Ines ReisigNetflix

Seraphina Maria Schweiger takes on the role of Ines Reisig in the Dear Child cast, a police officer who works for Aida. 

Schweiger’s other acting accolades include The End of Innocence, The Girl and the Spider, and Lion’s Cage.

Dr. Hamstedt: Özgür Karadeniz 

Özgür Karadeniz in Dear Child as Dr. Hamstedt.Netflix

Dr. Hamstedt was introduced in Dear Child after Hannah begins to exhibit odd behavior while in nthe hospital. He’s a child psychologist in the series.

Actor Karadeniz is known for a few on-screen works like Smuggling Hendrix, Brother and Sister, and Unbroken.

Lars Roger: Christian Beermann

Christian Beermann in Dear Child seriesNetflix

Dear Child’s has a big bad at the heart of its story and whose responsible for the kidnapping. The series reveals it to be Lars Roger, played by actor Christian Beermann. He’s responsible for tormeting Hannah, Jonathan, and Lena, as well as the kidnapping.

Some may know him for hus work on German television with Hotel Mondial, Cologne P.D., and Police Call 110.

Florian: Max Woelky

Max Woelky in Dear Child as FlorianNetflix

Florian is one of the suspects in the kidnapping, but it goes nowhere as he was living in France for 12 years. He’s Lena’s ex-boyfriend who appears in Episode 5 to ask for a DNA test to see if he’s Lena’s and Joanthan’s father.

Max Woekly has had roles in The Old Fox, Lockpickers, and many more German series.

Salli Kurt: Eskindir Tesfay

Eskindir Tesfay in Dear Child as Salli KurtNetflix

Salli Kurt is Aida’s husband, the detective in charge of Lena’s case. He appears as her support in Dear Child as she tries to overcome the emotional stress of the kidnapping.

Actor Eskindir Tesfay has appeared in the Tom Holland movie Uncharted and Hitman: Agent 47. He’s appeared in series like Blackout, Sense8, and Wolf 2039.

That’s everything we know about the cast and characters in Dear Child, which is available to stream on Netflix now. You can also check out new series coming to streaming platforms and true crime documentaries.

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