Daniela Rodler

Born

1976-01-01

Birthplace

Munich, Germany

Biography

Daniela Rodler (born 1976 in Munich) is a German veterinarian, author, actress, and underwater performer. Since 2009, she has been known as a professional mermaid under the stage name "Münchens Nixe" (Munich's Mermaid). During her veterinary studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU), Rodler gained her first acting experience through minor roles in film and television productions. Concurrently, she pursued an academic career in veterinary medicine. Following her doctoral dissertation in 2009, she completed her habilitation at LMU Munich in 2017 and published several scholarly papers in veterinary science. In 2019, she received the Zietzschmann-Preuss Award from the World Association of Veterinary Anatomists. Artistically, she specialized in combining acting, ballet, and underwater performance. Inspired by Daryl Hannah in the film *Splash*, she completed numerous scuba diving and freediving courses to be able to portray mermaid roles authentically. In 2021, she performed an underwater stunt as a mermaid in the feature film *t=E/x²*, appearing alongside Götz Otto and Jasmin Wagner. She also garnered international attention through underwater photo shoots, advertising campaigns, and performances at major aquariums across Europe, the USA, and Australia. In 2017, Rodler published *Mermaids – Kleines Handbuch für Meerjungfrauen und Nixen* (Mermaids: A Small Handbook for Mermaids and Water Nymphs)—one of the first German-language guidebooks specifically for aspiring mermaids. Her work was also featured in the academic publication *Aquarium Mermaids: Multiskilled Entrepreneurs in the Creative Community*. In the gangster drama *Rheingold* (2022), she played one of the three Rhine Maidens in an underwater scene. In 2023, she released the photographic fairy tale *Der Angler und die Maarjungfrau* (The Angler and the Maar-Mermaid), which she published in collaboration with underwater photographer Claudia Weber-Gebert. In the same year, she won the title "Sea Queen of Germany 2023" at the King and Queen of the Seas competition.