Cosma Shiva Hagen, born May 17, 1981, in Los Angeles, is the daughter of punk rock singer Nina Hagen, granddaughter of actress Eva-Maria Hagen, and the foster-daughter of songwriter Wolf Biermann. Hagen grew up in Hamburg, Berlin, London, Paris, Ibiza, and attended a boarding school in Lunenburg. After finishing school, Cosma Shiva Hagen lived with her grandmother in Hamburg and started a career as an actress without any former training. However, Hagen soon made her breakthrough with significant performances in "Das merkwürdige Verhalten geschlechtsreifer Großstädter zur Paarungszeit" ("Love Scenes From Planet Earth", 1998) and in the TV mini series "Der Laden" ("The Store", 1998).

In 1999, Hagen won the "New Faces Award" as "best young actress". In the following years, Hagen was seen in several supporting roles, mainly in TV series such as "Tatort", "Die Rosenheim Cops", or in the award-winning "Bella Block" episode "Schuld und Sühne", a performance that won her the German TV award. Hagen also caused a stir with her performances in the comedies such as "7 Zwerge – Männer allein im Wald" ("7 Dwarves") or in the hospital satire "Die Aufschneider".

Besides her movie work, Cosma Shiva Hagen regularly performs at the theatre. Furthermore, she manages the event-planning agency "Galaxina".