Best living german actors
There some german actors that should be recognised even in other countries. Here are my favorites.
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Christoph Waltz is an Austrian-German actor. He is known for his work with American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, receiving acclaim for portraying SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds (2009) and bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz in Django Unchained (2012). For each performance, he won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Additionally, he received the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Landa.
Christoph Waltz was born in Vienna, Austria, into a theatrical family, his mother Elisabeth Urbancic, an Austrian-born costume designer, and Johannes Waltz, a German-born stage builder. He has three siblings. His maternal grandmother was Viennese Burgtheater actress Maria Mayen, and his step-grandfather was fellow Burgtheater actor Emmerich Reimers. His maternal grandfather, Rudolf von Urban, was a psychologist and psychiatrist who wrote the 1949 book "Sex Perfection and Marital Happiness".
Waltz attended the Theresianium and Billrothstrasse in Vienna. Upon graduation, he attended the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar before going to New York to the Lee Strasberg Institute. While in New York, Christoph met his first wife, and moved back to Vienna, then to London.
During the 80s, Christoph worked primarily in theatre, commuting from his home in London to Germany. Slowly Waltz began to work in TV, taking one-off roles in series, and TV movies. Film roles soon followed. Attempts to break into English-speaking film and TV were, however, unsuccessful. Waltz has expressed his gratitude to have been able to make a living and support his family through acting. For thirty years he worked steadily, tirelessly, in this manner.
It was not until he met Quentin Tarantino that his career in Hollywood took off. The role of Colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds (2009) catapulted Waltz from a lifetime working in German TV/film to the new life of an international superstar and Academy Award-winning actor. He won 27 awards for his performance as Hans Landa, including the Cannes prix d'interpretation Masculin for 2009, the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, the BAFTA Best Supporting Actor award, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (which he won again for 2012's Django Unchained (2012)).
He also has portrayed computer genius Qohen Leth in the film The Zero Theorem (2013), American plagiarist Walter Keane in the biographical film _Big Eyes (2014), and 007's nemesis and head of SPECTRE Ernst Stavro Blofeld in _Spectre (2015)_. In Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, Waltz portrayed SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa, aka "The Jew Hunter". Clever, courteous, and multilingual - but also self-serving, cunning, implacable, and murderous. Waltz played gangster Benjamin Chudnofsky in The Green Hornet (2011). That same year, he starred in Water for Elephants (2011), Roman Polanski's Carnage (2011), and a remake of The Three Musketeers (2011). He played German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012), a role Tarantino wrote specifically for Waltz.
Waltz resides in Berlin and Los Angeles. His wife is costume builder Judith Holste.- Actor
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Daniel Brühl was born in Barcelona, Spain. His father was German TV director Hanno Brühl (1937-2010), who was born in São Paulo, Brazil. His Spanish mother was a teacher. He also has a brother and a sister, Oliver and Miriam. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Cologne, Germany, where he grew up and attended the Dreikönigsgymnasium. Brought up in a fully multilingual home, he speaks fluent German, English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Catalan.- Actor
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Grimme-Preis award winner, Matthias Schweighöfer, is one of Germany's most successful actors and is quickly becoming an international phenomenon.
Schweighöfer was most recently seen in Christopher Nolan's film, "Oppenheimer," Netflix's "Heart of Stone" opposite Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan and "The Swimmers" for director Sally El Hosaini. Upcoming, Schweighöfer will be seen in Netflix's "Family Switch" opposite Jennifer Garner and "Girl You Know It's True," a film based on the incredible story of the R&B duo Milli Vanilli.
A talented multi-hyphenate, Schweighöfer also discovered his love for being behind the camera and has gone on to direct multiple projects. In addition, he founded his production company, Pantaleon Film, with his producing partner Dan Maag which continues to be one of Germany's preeminent production companies.
Born behind the Berlin wall, Schweighöfer's last 10 films have all reached #1 at the German Box office. He is best known for his films "Der Geilste Tag," "Der Nanny," "100 Dinge" and "Vaterfreuden," and his first English speaking role and international film, "Valkyrie" alongside Tom Cruise and Kenneth Branagh.
Schweighöfer has continued working on international projects and produced, directed and stared in the first German-language Amazon Original Series "You Are Wanted." The series launched in over 200 countries and in 6 different languages. He also starred in and produced "Resistance" for IFC Films which also stars Jessie Eisenberg, Ed Harris and Edgar Ramirez.
Most recently, Schweighöfer Directed, Produced, and Starred in "Army of Thieves," the prequel Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead," in which he also starred in. "Army of the Dead" was viewed in over 72 million households and quickly became one of Netflix's most viewed film of all time, and "Army of Thieves" became the Number 1 film on Netflix in 90-plus countries during its first week.- Actor
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Armin Mueller-Stahl is a German actor with a relatively long film career. He was once nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his role as an abusive father in the biographical drama "Shine" (1996).
In 1930, Mueller-Stahl was born in Tilsit, East Prussia. The town developed around the castle of Schalauer Haus, which had been founded by the Teutonic Knights. Tilsit was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945, and renamed to Sovetsk. It is currently part of the Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of Russia located in Central Europe. The town is located close to the Oblast's borders with Lithuania, and has long had an ethnic Lithuanian minority.
Mueller-Stahl's father was bank teller Alfred Müller (who later changed the family name to Mueller-Stahl) ,and his mother was university professor Editha Maaß. Editha was born to a Baltic German family from Estonia. During World War I, the Maaß lived in Petrograd (Saint Petersburg). They moved to Tilsit in 1918.
Mueller-Stahl was born in Germany's Weimar Republic period, and spend his childhood and early adolescence in Nazi Germany. In 1938, he moved with his family to the town of Prenzlau in Brandenburg. During World War II, Mueller-Stahl parted with his father. Alfred was drafted into military service, and later fought on the Eastern Front of World War II. In 1945, Alfred died in a military hospital in Schönberg , Mecklenburg.
In 1945, Editha briefly moved her family to Goorstorf, located near Rostock, the largest city of Mecklenburg. They returned to Prenzlau following the end of World War II. Armin continued his school education there. He graduated from school in 1948, at the age of 18.
Mueller-Stahl initially aspired to become a professional violinist. In 1948, he moved to Berlin. There he attended the city conservatory in West Berlin, where he studied violin playing and musicology. He graduated in 1949, and acquired qualifications to work as a music teacher. At this point, he decided to become an actor instead.
After a few years of studies, Mueller-Stahl made his professional debut at the "Theater am Schiffbauerdamm" of Berlin in 1952. In 1954, he started performing in the Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") , a prestigious theater in East Berlin. For the next 20 years, he was primarily a theatrical actor. During the 1960s, he started a side career as a character actor in East German films. By the 1970s, he repeatedly appeared in polls as East Germany's most popular actor.
From 1973 to 1976, Mueller-Stahl played the Stasi agent Werner Bredebusch in the spy thriller television series "The Invisible Visor" (1973-1979). Bredebusch was initially the series' main character, a Stasi agent who impersonates deceased fighter pilot Achim Detjen and infiltrates West Germany. The series achieved high ratings, and Mueller-Stahll received acclaim. He left the series in 1976, and its ratings soon declined.
In 1976, Mueller-Stahl signed an open letter, protesting against East Germany's decision to exile singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann (1936-). Consequenly, Mueller-Stahl found himself blacklisted in East Germany. After a few years of being unable to find roles in his country, Mueller-Stahl migrated to West Germany.
In 1981, Mueller-Stahl played Von Bohm, the male lead in the romantic drama "Lola" (1981). The film depicted Von Bohm as a building commissioner who struggles against widespread corruption in the town of Coburg, while falling in love with brothel-employed singer Lola (played by Barbara Sukowa). Following the film's relative success, Mueller-Stahl found steady work in West German cinema throughout the 1980s.
Although he barely spoke English at this point of his life, Mueller-Stahl was cast as General Petya Samanov in the American television miniseries Amerika. The dystopian series depicted a version of the United States which was under Soviet military occupation, and in which Soviet general Samanov is the de facto ruler of the occupied country. "Amerika" was the second-highest rated miniseries of the 1986-87 U.S. television season.
Mueller-Stahl decided to to seek more acting roles in the United States, and made his American film debut in the crime drama "Music Box" (1989). He was cast in the role of Mike Laszlo, a Hungarian-American family man, who is exposed as a wanted war criminal who killed numerous civilians during the Siege of Budapest (1944-1945). The film won the "Golden Bear" at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival.
Mueller-Stahl next received the primary role of Polish-Jewish immigrant Sam Krichinsky in the family drama "Avalon" (1990). The film concerned the gradual assimilation of Krichinsky's family into modern American culture. The film was critically praised, and its screenwriter won the "Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay".
In 1991, Mueller-Stahl played the role of Inspector Grubach in the mystery thriller "Kafka". The film depicted a conspiracy in 1910s Prague, and was loosely inspired by the works of Franz Kafka (1883-1924). The film under-performed at the box office, but gained a cult following.
During the same year, Mueller-Stahl played New York City-based taxi driver Helmut Grokenberger in the anthology film "Night on Earth". In the film, Helmut is an East German immigrant in the United States. He is a former professional clown, whose ineptness as a driver and ignorance of New York geography make him ill-suited for his new profession. The film was critically well-received.
In 1992, Mueller-Stahl played Meissen porcelain collector Baron Kaspar Joachim von Utz in the eponymous film "Utz". The film was an adaptation of a 1988 novel by Bruce Chatwin (1940-1989), concerning a passionate collector and his unwillingness to part with his collection, even at the offer of a better life abroad. For this role, Mueller-Stahl won the "Silver Bear for Best Actor" at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival.
In 1996, Mueller-Stahl played Peter, the abusive father of concert pianist David Helfgott (1947-). The film concerns the negative effects of long-term physical and mental abuse of David by his father. Mueller-Stahl's role was critically praised, and he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The award was instead won by rival actor Cuba Gooding Jr. (1968-).
In 1998, Mueller-Stahl played German scientist Conrad Strughold in the science fiction film "The X-Files", a spin-off of the then-popular television series "The X-Files" (1993-2002, 2016-2018). In the film, Strughold is a member of the Syndicate, a shadow government which collaborates with extraterrestrial would-be colonists. The film was a box-office hit, earning 189 million dollars at the worldwide box office.
In 2007, Mueller-Stahl played Semyon, a high-ranking member of the Russian mafia, in the gangster film "Eastern Promises". The film was critically praised, and appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.Mueller-Stahl won the "Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role".
In 2009, Mueller-Stah played former Stasi colonel Wilhelm Wexler in the action thriller "The International". In the film, Wexler works with a merchant bank that has secret ties to drug cartels, powerful corporations, corrupt governments, and terrorist organizations,. The film earned about 60 million dollars at the worldwide box office, and was considered notable for drawing inspiration from real-world banking scandals of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
Also in 2009, Mueller-Stahl portrayed Cardinal Strauss, Dean of the College of Cardinals and the Papal Conclave, in the mystery thriller "Angels & Demons". The film was an adaptation of a 2000 novel by Dan Brown (1964-). It concerns the assassination of fictional Pope Pius XVI, and a conspiracy trying to influence the election of his successor. The film earned about 486 million dollars at the worldwide box office, the highest-grossing film in Mueller-Stah's career.
In 2011, Mueller-Stahl received the "Honorary Golden Bear" at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival. His only film role in the 2010s was playing Fr. Zeitlinger in the experimental film "Knight of Cups ". The film uses images from tarot cards as a main theme, while elements of the plot were inspired by the "Hymn of the Pearl" (2nd century) and the "The Pilgrim's Progress" (1678) by John Bunyan.
By 2021, Mueller-Stahl was 90-years-old. He lives in semi-retirement in California, where he enjoys its pleasant climate. He has written a number of novels and short stories, and has taken painting as a hobby.- Actor
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Jan Josef Liefers was born on 8 August 1964 in Dresden, East Germany [now Saxony, Federal Republic of Germany]. He is an actor and director, known for Tatort (1970), The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008) and The Tower (2012). He has been married to Anna Loos since 5 August 2004. They have two children. He was previously married to Aleksandra Tabakova.- Actor
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His stepfather was a chief petty officer in the Navy. He spent his childhood and youth in Neustadt, Holstein. After secondary school, he attended secondary school, switched to vocational school and then to technical high school, where he completed his technical high school diploma. He then studied music and mathematics at the University of Education for five semesters. He dropped out of his studies without graduating. He then trained at the Kiel Drama School from 1982 to 1985. As a result, Prahl worked as a theater actor at the Schleswig-Holstein State Theater as well as in touring theater and other stages. The artist then moved to Berlin in the early 1990s, where he received engagements at the Renaissance Theater, the GRIPS Theater and the Kammerspiele of the German Theater.
Prahl then switched to film and television. In 1994 he got his first TV engagement in the television series Bella Block. With the multi-award-winning, episodic film "Nachtgestalten", in which Prahl plays a police officer, a closer collaboration with director Andreas Dresen developed from 1999 onwards. He also appeared under him in the productions "Halbe Stapel" (2002) and "Willenbrock" (2004) as a cheated husband and a resourceful used car dealer. He was awarded the Bavarian Film Prize for his performance in "Half Stairs". In 2002 he played a German sergeant in the Holocaust drama "The Pianist" under the renowned director Roman Polanski. Axel Prahl has made a name for himself among audiences primarily through his versatility.
The mime masters his craft from comedy to tragic figures. His great acting achievements also include the embodiment of "little people" and narrow-minded scofflaws, as in the TV production "Hope Dies Last" (2002), which he co-created as the revenge-seeking district leader Eddy, in the award-winning TV drama "Das Miracle of Lengende" (2003), in which he plays a miner, or in the film "Befreite Zone" (2004), in which he can be seen as vacuum cleaner salesman Rolf Kubicek. He was once again awarded the Adolf Grimme Prize for his excellent casting in "Hope Dies Last". Pahl appears in the role of a representative in a music video released in 2006 for the song "If it happens" from "We Are Heroes".
Axel Pahl has been known to a larger series audience since 2002 as Chief Inspector Frank Thiel from Münster in the international television series "Tatort". In 2011, the actor separated from his second wife, with whom he has twins, after 12 years of marriage. He moved from Marienwerder in Brandenburg back to Berlin.- Actor
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Actor, producer, writer, and director Til Schweiger is Germany's best-known actor and also the country's most successful director. With more than 51 Million admissions no other German filmmaker drew more people to cinemas. He runs his own production company Barefoot Films based in Berlin, Germany.
Til Schweiger (born December 19, 1963) was raised along with his two brothers in his hometown Giessen. In his early years, Schweiger began studying German and Medicine. He decided to drop out of university to pursue his career as an actor and went to drama school from 1986-1989. After graduation, he played at several theaters as a stage actor to gain more experience.
In 1991, Schweiger landed his first lead role in Manta, Manta (1991) following his big breakthrough role on Maybe... Maybe Not (1994) with the support of Germany's renowned film producer and mentor Bernd Eichinger. In 1996, Til Schweiger founded his first film production company Mr. Brown Entertainment together with business partner and film producer Tom Zickler. Schweiger debuted as producer with Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997) winning several Festival Awards. The road movie remains a cult favorite with audiences worldwide. Within the same year, Schweiger was the first foreign actor to win the "Polish Oscar" at the International Warsaw Film festival for his performance in in Bandyta (1997). He has since built up acting credits in dozens of German movies including Der Eisbär (1998), where Schweiger made his debut as director.
Judas Kiss (1998) was Schweiger's first role in an international film. He then appeared in several internationally acclaimed movies including SLC Punk! (1998), The Replacement Killers (1998), Driven (2001), Intimate Affairs (2001), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003), King Arthur (2004), New Year's Eve (2011), and many more.
To this day, Schweiger has delivered a series of German-language hits and won numerous Awards as actor/writer/director/producer: Barefoot (2005) grossed about $7,7 million with 1,5 million admissions, Rabbit Without Ears (2007) was up to 2014 Schweiger's most successful film and earned some $74 million locally, followed by the sequel Rabbit Without Ears 2 (2009). In 2011, Schweiger wrote, produced and directed Kokowääh (2011), which grossed $43 million, starring alongside his youngest daughter Emma. A sequel hit theaters in 2013.
As an actor, he received widespread critical acclaim and further recognition for his portrayal as the legendary Hugo Stieglitz in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009).
In December 2014, Til Schweiger released the family-friendly dramedy Head Full of Honey (2014) , which he co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in. It is his most successful film to date breaking the 6, 3 million admissions barrier of his 2007 hit Rabbit Without Ears (2007).
Schweiger, who started his career in German TV, plays the lead role on hit local crimes series Tatort (1970)(Hamburg) (Scene of the Crime). His debut generated the best ratings for the long-running procedural in 20 years.- Actor
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He spent his childhood and youth in Hesse, Westphalia and Lower Saxony. As a teenager he lived in the Wedemark region of Lower Saxony near Hanover. He spent his school years there, completing his high school diploma as an exchange student for the American Field Service AFS in Boston (USA). In 1977 he graduated from high school in Germany. He then did his military service. He then attended the University of Tübingen, where he studied German, English and history. During this time he also worked as a musician. It was at one of these performances that he was discovered for acting. In 1980, Ulrich Tukur started acting training at the Stuttgart State University of Music and Performing Arts. While he was still studying, he played the student and member of the resistance group against the Nazi dictatorship Willi Graf in the film "The White Rose" - directed by Michael Verhoeven.
He completed his training in 1983 and then initially played at the Heidelberg Municipal Theater. In Munich, Turkur had another engagement from this period, in which he took part in the play "Illness of Youth". The renowned theater maker Peter Zadek liked his acting skills and subsequently worked with him. It was also Zadek who brought Ulrich Tukur to success on stage in 1984. Tukur portrayed the SS soldier Kittel in the play "Ghetto" directed by Peter Zadek at the Freie Volksbühne Berlin. From 1985 to 1995 the actor was engaged at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg - under Peter Zadek as artistic director. During these ten years a fruitful collaboration developed between the two. Tukur played, among other things, in "As You Like It" by Shakespeare, Marc Anton in "Julius Caesar" based on Shakespeare, in Frank Wedekind's "Lulu" the role of Alwa Schön and in Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Tukur's convincing stage performances were rewarded with the title "Actor of the Year" by German theater critics in 1986. From 1995, Tukur himself was director of the Hamburg Festival as director together with Ulrich Waller - until 2003. A year later, he appeared in a "Tatort" episode for the first time: in "Das Böse" he played Andrea Sawatzki's counterpart and appeared in He shot a mass murderer so brilliantly that he was awarded the German Television Prize for it. In 2009 he played the character of the same name in the film's lead role in the drama "John Rabe". Since 2010 he has been playing the Hessian LKA detective Felix Murot, who fights against crime around Wiesbaden, in the HR series of the international crime production "Tatort". Tukur plays a lonely character who suffers from a brain tumor. The sought-after artist expressed his musical inclination in 1995 by founding the dance band Ulrich Tukur & The Rhythm Boys.
Since then he has been touring with the band and releasing his own compositions and cover music. Ulrich Tukur is the front man as a singer, but also plays the piano and accordion keyboards himself. In 2007, the artist made his debut as the author of his collection of stories "The Water Lily in the Dining Room - Venetian Stories", in which he makes a declaration of love for Venice. Ulrich Tukur is a member of the Free Academy of Arts Hamburg. Tukur became the father of two daughters from his first marriage. His second wife Katharina John is a photographer. He lives with her on the island of Giudecca in Venice and in the mountain village of Montepiano, where he also works as a winemaker. Tukur has won numerous prizes and awards, including the 1985 O.E. Hasse Prize and the Boy Gobert Prize, the title of "Actor of the Year" in 1986, the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 1986 for "Stammheim" and the Golden Camera in 1996 for the portrayal of the sex offender in "The Murderer and His Child".
He also received the Hamburg Island Art Prize in 1996, the Adolf Grimme Prize in 2000, the German Television Prize in 2004 - Best Actor for the role of a banker in Tatort "Das Böse", and the German Film Prize in 2006 - Best Actress - Male Supporting Role for " The Lives of Others", the 2009 Bavarian Film Prize in 2008 as Best Actor in "John Rabe", the German Film Prize as Best Actor for "John Rabe" and the German Film Peace Prize for "John Rabe", and the Lower Saxony State Prize in 2010 together with Wilhelm Krull and in 2011 the Golden Camera as Best German Actor for Tatort: "Like Lilly" and the Chevalier de l''Ordre National des Arts et des Lettres.- Actor
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The German actor became one of the most popular actors on comedic television alongside Anke Engelke in the comedy series "Ladykracher". Christoph Maria Herbst was initially seen at the Bremerhaven City Theater from 1992 to 1996, until he switched to television in 1998 with participation in series such as "Balko" and "Alarm für Cobra 11". In 2000 he played in the series "Die Wache" until he switched to comedy with "Ladykracher" in 2001. For his performance he was awarded the German Comedy Award "Best Supporting Actor" in 2002. He appeared in front of a cinema camera for the first time in 2002 for "The Really Last Bachelor" and "Lassie". From 2004 onwards, the TV series "Stromberg" became his star role, in which he played the lazy and power-hungry office worker "Bernd Stromberg". In 2005 he was awarded the "Bavarian Television Prize" and the German Comedy Prize "Best Actor" for the successful series. The "Adolf Grimme Prize" followed in 2006. His most popular films include "The Wixxer" (2003), "(T)Raumschiff Surprise - Period 1" (2003), "On Searching and Finding Love" (2004), "Erkan & Stefan - Death Comes Krass" ( 2004) and "Hui Buh, das Schlossgespenst" (2006) alongside Michael "Bully" Herbig.- Actor
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Michael 'Bully' Herbig studied photography and is well known in the German comedy scene as a writer, director and producer. In addition to his morning radio show 'Langemann und die Morgencrew' from 1992 to 1995, he also made 800 episodes of the comedy radio show 'Die Bayern Cops'. He has appeared in various advertisements and TV specials, and is author, actor, director and producer of the Bullyparade (1997), which aired five seasons. His feature film directorial debut was the comedy Erkan & Stefan (2000), which was released in Germany in April 2000. Also in 2000, he founded the film production company herbX film, whose first project was Manitou's Shoe (2001). In July 2004 his next movie, the anxiously awaited (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1 (2004) is set to be released.- Actor
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Jürgen Vogel was born on 29 April 1968 in Hamburg, West Germany. He is an actor and producer, known for The Wave (2008), Der freie Wille (2006) and Life is All You Get (1997).- Actor
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Moritz Bleibtreu is a German actor born on August 13, 1971 in Munich growing up in Hamburg. He first appears in children's television series Neues aus Uhlenbusch (1977) at the age of six. His breakthrough was the role called "Abdul" in the movie Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997). He also became internationally known for his work on Run Lola Run (1998), The Experiment (2001) and World War Z (2013). In Germany, He is well known for the classic stoner-movie called Lammbock (2001) in which he plays the leading role. He speaks fluent German, English, French and Italian and is the son of Austrian actors Hans Brenner and Monica Bleibtreu.- Actor
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Mario Adorf, a tell-tale name indeed. Mario calls to mind the actor's Italian roots (his father was a Calabrian surgeon) whereas Adorf reveals his German origins (his mother was a radiologist from the German region Eifel). As for the full name Mario Adorf it echoes to perfection the international character of this living legend's long career. Born in 1930, Mario Adorf was still studying drama at the famous Otto Falkenberg School in Munich when he landed his first role in the first installment of the "O8/15" series in 1954. It was a small part but it didn't go unnoticed and got him new roles in German films, the most remarkable of which being that of Bruno Lüdke, the mentally retarded serial killer in Robert Siodmak's 1957 masterpiece "Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam". It earned him his first prize (the German Film Award of the outstanding young actor of 1958). After this Mario Adorf's career turned international. His Mediterranean looks, his rugged face, his dark oily frizzy hair and his volubility made him an ideal villain in European-made westerns, spy or mafia films. These flicks - made in the 1960s - were mostly just commercial and Adorf hammed his parts but he did it so brilliantly that he alone made them watchable. From the 1970s on, the quality of his films improved and Adorf could lend his remarkable acting talents to more ambitious works such as "Il Delitto Matteotti", in which he was a striking Mussolini, or "Die Blechtrommel", where he was terrifying as a boorish grocer contaminated by Nazism. The list of great directors he worked with is impressive: Robert Siodmak, Volker Schlöndorff, Wolgang Staudte, Michel Deville, Dino Risi, Mikhaïl Kalatozov, Luigi Comencini, Peter Fleischmann, Billy Wilder, John Frankenheimer, Claude Chabrol, Fassbinder... Likewise he served many a great author, either in the theatre (Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Richard Nash) or the big or small screen (Grass, Böll, Schnitzler, Heny Miller, Joseph Conrad, Gorky, Patrick Süskind...). He also sang and wrote books (five novels and one memoir). Hyperactive for more than fifty-five years now, Mario Adorf, still in fine form at the age of seventy-eight, is still ... hyperactive!- Actor
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Maximilian Schell was the most successful German-speaking actor in English-language films since Emil Jannings, the winner of the first Best Actor Academy Award. Like Jannings, Schell won the Oscar, but unlike him, he was a dedicated anti-Nazi. Indeed, with the exception of Maurice Chevalier and Marcello Mastroianni, Schell was undoubtedly the most successful non-anglophone foreign actor in the history of American cinema.
Schell was born in Vienna, Austria on December 8, 1930, but raised in in Zurich, Switzerland. (Austria became part of Germany after the anschluss of 1938), then was occupied by the allies from 1945 until 1955, when it again joined the family of nations.) He learned his craft on the stage beginning in 1952, and made his reputation with appearances in German-language films and television. He was a fine Shakespearean actor, and had a huge success with "Richard III" (he has also appeared in as the eponymous prince in a German-language version of "Hamlet").
Schell made his Hollywood debut in 1958 in the World War II film The Young Lions (1958) quite by accident, as the producers had wanted to hire his sister Maria Schell, but lines of communication got crossed, and he was the one hired. He impressed American producers as his turn as the friend of German soldier Marlon Brando, and subsequently assayed the role of the German defense attorney in the television drama Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) on "Playhouse 90" in 1959. He was also cast in the big screen remake, for which he won the 1961 Academy Award for Best Actor, beating out co-star Spencer Tracy for the Oscar. He also won a Golden Globe and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for the role. Schell ultimately won two more Oscar nominations for acting, in 1976 for Best Actor for The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) and in 1978 as Best Supporting Actor for Julia (1977) (which also brought him the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor). He has twice been nominated for an Emmy for his TV work, and won the 1993 Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or made-for-TV movie for Stalin (1992).
Schell has also has directed films, and his 1974 film The Pedestrian (1973) ("The Pedestrian"), which Schell wrote, produced, directed, and starred in, was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and won the Golden Globe in the same category. His documentary about Marlene Dietrich, Marlene (1984), was widely hailed as a masterpiece of the non-fiction genre and garnered its producers a Best Documentary Oscar nomination in 1985. In 2002, Schell released Meine Schwester Maria (2002) (My Sister Maria), a documentary about the career of and his relationship with Maria Schell. Since the 1990s, Schell has appeared in many German language made-for-TV films, such as the 2003 film Alles Glück dieser Erde (2003) (All the Luck in the World) and in the mini-series The Hard Cops (2004), which was based on Henning Mankell's novel. He has also continued to appear on stage, appearing in dual roles in the 2000 Broadway production of the stage version of "Judgment at Nuremberg", and most recently in Robert Altman's London production of Arthur Miller's play "Resurrection Blues" in 2006. He died on 31st of January 2014, aged 83, in Innsbruck, Austria.- Actor
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Alexander Scheer, born in the GDR 1976 in East-Berlin is considered one of the most daring actors of his generation. His passion for film and music was sparked during his camera debut in kids musical "Bill of the Black Hand" in 1988. Ten years later his first lead in "Sun Alley" (which turned out to be the first box office smash about life behind the iron curtain) made Scheer popular in reunified Germany overnight. He joined the ensemble of Europe's most influential theater at the time; the Volksbühne Berlin, improved his craft for a decade and was honored "Actor of the Year" in 2009. On the big screen his portrait of a top terrorist in Golden Globe winning "Carlos" (2010) was a kick-off for several portrayals of world famous personalities: among others Scheer played the iconic characters Keith Richards, Friedrich Nietzsche, Andy Warhol and David Bowie. For his fascinating portrait of east German coal miner and songwriter "Gundermann" ( 8 German Film Awards including "Best Director" and "Best Picture 2019" ) Alexander Scheer performed all songs himself and was awarded "Best Actor in a Leading Role".- Actor
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August Diehl was born on 4 January 1976 in Berlin, Germany. He is an actor and writer, known for Inglourious Basterds (2009), A Hidden Life (2019) and 23 (1998). He has been married to Julia Malik since 1999. They have two children.- Actor
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Sky du Mont's parents left Germany and moved to Argentina. Sky Du Mont attended school in Great Britain. He completed his high school diploma in Switzerland. From 1969 he trained as an actor in Munich, which he completed in 1971 with the examination before the State Theater Cooperative. Afterwards, Sky DuMont Theater began playing. In 1972 he had an engagement at the Munich Residenztheater. This was followed by one at the Berlin State Theater in 1973 and 1974. His theater career took him back to Munich to the Little Comedy in 1976 and 1990. While still acting in the theater, Sky du Mont began his career in television. He appeared in over 50 series, such as "The Inspector", "The Old Man", "A Case for Two", "Two Munichers in Hamburg", "The Moon Shines for Subtenants" and "Seven Days in Paradise" .
Du Mont did not limit himself to German television. He played in a total of 59 episodes of the successful US series "General Hospital". In 1979 he appeared in the English television film "Who Dunnit/ Love with a perfect Stranger". In 1987 he appeared in the American TV film "War & Rememberence" in the role of Count Stauffenberg. On French television he was seen in the production "Monsieur Vidoque". Sky DuMont also appeared in numerous US cinema productions. In 1976 he appeared in front of the camera with Gregory Peck in "Boys from Brazil". In the same year he filmed the title "The 21 Hours of Munich" with William Holden. He worked with Lee Marvin in the exciting production of "Lawinen-Express". "Omar Mukhtar - Lion of the Desert" with Anthony Quinn followed in 1980.
He reached another highlight of his cinema career in 1996 with the film "Eyes Wide Shut". He was hired by star director Stanley Kubrick for this erotic crime film. In it he plays the role of the seducer alongside the two global stars Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. Sky DuMont's more recent engagements include the US film "Manila" from 1998 and the comedy film "The Shoe of Manitu". In 2000 he began moderating the social magazine "Skylights", in which he hosted prominent personalities. Sky du Mont often played the charmer, lover and women's darling. But he also embodied the opposite in numerous roles - as a villain and criminal. Nevertheless, Sky du Mont cannot be reduced to these two roles; his talents and skills are far more diverse.
He is also successful and sought after as a voice actor. In September 2002 he published the novel "Prince and Paparazzi". The audio book of the same name in four CDs followed in March 2003. His second novel "Princes and Counterfeiters" was published in 2005. For his renewed collaboration with Michael "Bully" Herbig for the film "(T)Raumschiff Surprise" Sky DuMont was awarded a prize in autumn 2004 "Bambi" awarded. Sky du Mont moderated the Golden Deer award ceremony in 2005. Sky du Mont was married for the fourth time to Mirja, who was 28 years younger. The children Tara and Fayn were born from this union.- Thomas Kretschmann was born in East Germany. Before becoming an actor, he was a swimmer. He has acted in several popular American movies, such as Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), The Pianist (2002), U-571 (2000), In Enemy Hands (2004), etc. He has three children, Nicolas, Stella and Sascha with his ex-girlfriend Lena.
- Christian Berkel was born on 28 October 1957 in West Berlin, West Germany. He is an actor, known for Valkyrie (2008), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) and Downfall (2004). He has been married to Andrea Sawatzki since 17 December 2011. They have two children.
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Christian Ulmen was born on 22 September 1975 in Neuwied, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He is an actor and producer, known for Berlin Blues (2003), Dr. Psycho - Die Bösen, die Bullen, meine Frau und ich (2007) and Die Discounter (2021). He has been married to Collien Ulmen-Fernandes since 22 June 2011. He was previously married to Huberta.- Actor
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Friedrich Mücke was born on 12 March 1981 in East Berlin, East Germany. He is an actor, known for Friendship! (2010), Weinberg (2015) and Alles ist Liebe (2014).- Actor
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Rick Kavanian was born on 26 January 1971 in Munich, Germany. He is an actor and writer, known for Manitou's Shoe (2001), (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1 (2004) and Bully & Rick (2004).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Max Giermann was born on 24 October 1975 in Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany. He is an actor, known for Switch: Reloaded (2007), Woman in Love (2011) and FunnyMovie (2008).- Michael Kessler was born on 24 June 1967 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. He is an actor and writer, known for Switch: Reloaded (2007), Look Who's Back (2015) and Little Sharks (1992).