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- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Sandra Hüller was born in Suhl. She studied acting at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. For her performance of Anneliese Michel in Hans-Christian Schmid's drama Requiem she won The Silver Bear for Best Actress. She is internationally known for her starring role in Maren Ade's Toni Erdmann, for which she won among others the European Film Award and the Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress.- With a strong body of work in her native Germany, Antje broke out into the international marketplace in Zack Snyder's Superman retelling, "Man of Steel" as the villainess, "Faora". Other credits include Renny Harlin's "5 Days of August", Warner Brothers' "The Seventh Son", Simon Curtis's "The Woman in Gold" with Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds and Ariel Vroman's "Criminal" with Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones. Antje has most recently been seen in Stephen Poliakoff's "Close to the Enemy" for the BBC, the Sky/Amazon pilot, "Oasis" and the hit Netflix series "Dark" which has just shot it's second series which will air in summer 2019. Antje can next be seen playing the lead role in the limited series "Dead End" and in the feature "Blame Game" which opened the Max Ophuls Film Festival.
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
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
- Soundtrack
- Music Artist
Christian Friedel was born on 9 March 1979 in Magdeburg, East Germany [now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany]. He is an actor and music artist, known for The Zone of Interest (2023), 13 Minutes (2015) and Babylon Berlin (2017).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
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
- Director
Ulrich Mühe was born on 20 June 1953 in Grimma, East Germany. He was an actor and director, known for The Lives of Others (2006), Funny Games (1997) and Der letzte Zeuge (1998). He was married to Susanne Lothar, Jenny Gröllmann and Annegret Hahn. He died on 22 July 2007 in Walbeck, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.- Actress
- Director
- Additional Crew
Katharina Thalbach was born on 19 January 1954 in East Berlin, East Germany. She is an actress and director, known for The Tin Drum (1979), Der Minister (2013) and I've Never Been to New York (2019). She is married to Uwe Hamacher.- Actor
- Soundtrack
With his lanky frame, big nose, toothbrush moustache and horn-rimmed glasses he looked like someone had decided to cross Groucho Marx with Albert Einstein. The perennial scene-stealer Felix Bressart had two distinct careers as a comic actor: an earlier one, on stage and screen in his native Germany, and a later -- even more prosperous one -- in Hollywood. Trained under Maria Moissi in Berlin, Felix began acting professionally after World War I. He honed his skills in the genres of political parody, musical comedy and slapstick farce in the theatres of Hamburg, Berlin and Vienna (with Max Reinhardt). By 1933, he had established his film acting credentials in popular mainstream movies like Three from the Filling Station (1930) and Die Privatsekretärin (1931). Like so many other distinguished actors he was forced to leave the German realm after the Nazis took power in 1933. Felix moved via Switzerland and France to a new domicile in the United States where his connections to fellow émigrés like Joe Pasternak and Ernst Lubitsch guaranteed him rapid and steady employment.
In Hollywood, Felix joined the regular company of stock players at MGM. He was immediately typecast, his stock-in-trade being disheveled academics, wistful European philosophers, scientists and music professors of diverse ethnicity. His first major screen success was as one of the Russian commissars in Lubitsch's Ninotchka (1939), a delightful performance which spawned as similar part being created for him in Comrade X (1940). The role which ultimately defined his career, in equal parts comedy and pathos, was in the classic wartime satire To Be or Not to Be (1942), as Greenberg, a Jewish member of an acting troupe with Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. It seemed, that Felix was still underemployed in films, since he managed to practise as a doctor of medicine on the side. Sadly, he died of leukemia in 1949 at the untimely age of 57.- Actress
- Writer
Her father was a Prussian count (Count von Lehndorff-Steinort) who was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944 and hanged that year, when Vera was three. Her mother was arrested, and Vera and her sisters spent the rest of the war in Gestapo camps. They were reunited with their mother after the war, but the family was destitute, and ostracised by other Germans for their father's treachery. She ended up studying textile design in Florence, where a fashion designer first asked her to model. She had first travelled to New York in 1961 as plain old Vera, but failed to secure a single booking. After retreating to Milan for a spell, she returned to take Manhattan under her new name.... Veruschka!- Actor
- Director
- Writer
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".- Sylvester Groth was born in Jerichow, German Democratic Republic on March 31st, 1958. He is an actor with an extensive television and theater career, well known for portraying Goebbels in Inglourious Basterds (2009), Clausen in Dark (2019) and starring in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Stalingrad (1993) and Deutschland 83 (2015).
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Nora Tschirner was born on 12 June 1981 in East Berlin, East Germany. She is an actress and producer, known for Rabbit Without Ears (2007), Tatort (1970) and Kebab Connection (2004).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Katarina Witt was born on 3 December 1965 in East Berlin, East Germany. She is an actress and producer, known for Ronin (1998), Jerry Maguire (1996) and Carmen on Ice (1990).- Ronald Zehrfeld was born on 15 January 1977 in East Berlin, East Germany. He is an actor, known for Barbara (2012), The People Vs. Fritz Bauer (2015) and In the Face of Crime (2010).
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Hentschel worked in London as a professional backup dancer for artists such as Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Paulina Rubio, Jamelia and others. Later he was hired as a choreographer and worked on many music videos and tours in Canada and Asia.In 2003, Falk decided to stay in Los Angeles for good and pursue his dream of becoming an actor. He made his acting debut in the Emmy Award-winning show Arrested Development in 2005. Small parts in Journeyman and numerous low-budget films followed. In 2008, Hentschel decided to create his own projects and wrote the short film Who is Bobby Domino, where he met his production partner Jesse Grace. The two of them went on to write and produce more short films, of which many entered some of the most prestigious film festivals in the world and won numerous accolades. In 2009, Falk landed his first big-budget feature film role as Bernhard the assassin, co-starring next to Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in Knight and Day. The following year, Falk played the role of drug addict Richard Conway on TNT's The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick. In 2011, Hentschel played opposite singer Justin Bieber in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Targets of Obsession". He also starred in the NCIS: Los Angeles episode "Archangel". In August, 2015, it was announced that Hentschel will portray the Carter Hall version of Hawkman in the 2016 show DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and also Arrow and The Flash.- Deborah Kaufmann was born on 23 March 1970 in East Berlin, East Germany. She is an actress, known for Jailbirds (1996), Dark (2017) and Die Deutschen (2008).
- Felix Kramer was born on 23 March 1973 in East Berlin, Germany. He is an actor, known for Dogs of Berlin (2018), Dark (2017) and Freies Land (2019).
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Florian Lukas was born on 16 March 1973 in East Berlin, East Germany. He is an actor and producer, known for Good Bye Lenin! (2003), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The Weissensee Saga (2010).- Petra Kleinert was born on 6 July 1967 in Jena, East Germany [now Thuringia, Germany]. She is an actress, known for Shop of Little Pleasures (2017), Doppelter Einsatz (1994) and Leipzig Homicide (2001). She is married to Reinhold Kammerer.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ludwig Trepte played his first leading part in "Kombat Sechzehn" (2005). He then played parts in films such as "Guten Morgen, Herr Grothe" (2008) and "Ihr könnt euch niemals sicher sein" (2009), for each of which he was awarded a Grimme-Preis and for the latter also the special award for best leading actor at the Baden Baden television film festival. For his role as Paul in the feature film "Keller-Teenage Wasteland" he was awarded the prize for "Best Up-and-Coming Actor" at the 27th Max Ophüls Film Festival 2006. In 2008, he received the young talent award of the Golden Camera followed by the "Curd Jürgens/Lili Palmer Memorial Camera". Ludwig Trepte received international attention as Viktor Goldstein in "Generation War". The film was awarded the international EMMY in the category TV Movie/Mini-Series in 2014. The eight-part series "Deutschland 83" (2015), in which he plays the general's son Alexander Edel, was praised by the national and international press. The series was selected as the "Best International Series" at the "Festival Séries Mania" in France in 2015 and received the international EMMY in the category TV Movie /Mini-Series. In addition, "Deutschland 83" was the first German series to premiere on American television. Before "Deutschland 83", Ludwig Trepte played the leading role in the short film "The Last Will" by Dustin Loose, based on the short story of the same name by the Swedish bestselling author Håkan Nesser. In 2015 the short film was awarded the Student Oscar of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles. The actor performed outstandingly as the violent rocker Nico, alongside Frederick Lau and Kida Khodr Ramadan in the mini- series "4 Blocks" (2016). This series also caused a sensation both nationally and internationally: "4 Blocks" was awarded the Grimme Prize and the Golden Camera, among others. Ludwig Trepte has appeared in numerous film and television productions in recent years. Among them in the ZDF three-part TV film "Tannbach" (2014, directed by Alexander Diehrbach), "Bornholmer Straße" (2013, directed by Christian Schwuchow), "Eine mörderische Entscheidung" (2012, directed by Raymond Lay), "Deckname Luna" (2011, directed by Ute Wieland), "Die Kinder der Villa Emma" (2015, directed by Nikolaus Leytner), and in "Katharina Luther" as the scholar Melanchton (2016, directed by Julia von Heinz). Most recently he appeared on the cinema screen alongside Jella Haase and Saskia Rosendahl in the drama "Nirgendwo" (2016, directed by Matthias Starte), in which he played the leading part of the student Danny. In 2017 he was back in front of the camera as the general's son Alexander Edel for "Deutschland 86" and the feature film "Spielmacher".- Devid Striesow was born on 1 October 1973 in Bergen auf Rügen, East Germany [now Germany]. He is an actor, known for All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), The Counterfeiters (2007) and Before the Fall (2004). He has been married to Francine since 2008. They have two children.
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Franz Dinda was born on 25 March 1983 in Jena, East Germany [now Thuringia, Germany]. He is an actor and producer, known for Die Wolke (2006), Blackout - Die Erinnerung ist tödlich (2006) and The Physician (2013).- She was born Maria Erika Knab in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) in Eastern Prussia. As routes to Hollywood go, hers was both dramatic and circuitous. Erika's parents were killed near the end of World War II by Red Army soldiers. The ten-year old orphan may have been one of the tens of thousands of civilians who were lucky enough to be evacuated in 1945. Little is known about the next decade of her life, but, in 1955, Erika turned up in West Berlin. There, she acted (as Erika Knab) in a few motion pictures, even had a leading role in Das Sandmännchen (1955), a fairy tale for children loosely based on Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost. She also signed a contract with the short-lived Berolina production company and went on to dub the voice of Mickey Mouse for German viewers. Sometime during this period, she became Erika Peters after marrying an American citizen.
In 1957, Erika arrived in the U.S., initially making ends meet by importing used Volkswagens (without, apparently, an agency license). Reinvesting her earnings from this enterprise, she then ran a coin-operated laundromat in Los Angeles. In 1959, Erika made her screen debut on American television. She was featured in several movies, including Elvis Presley's G.I. Blues (1960), Heroes Die Young (1960) (headlining, as the daughter of a Romanian partisan) and a couple of low budget horror films (Mr. Sardonicus (1961) and House of the Damned (1963)). In addition, she guest starred in a handful of popular TV shows. In one particular instance, she was picked to appear in an episode of Jack Webb's G.E. True (1962), because an actress with a German accent was required who also "could fit into a normal-sized suitcase" (this, for an episode about an escape from communist East Berlin entitled "The Suitcase Man").
In 1961, Erika obtained a divorce from her first husband. Three years later, she married the costume designer Sy Devore and permanently retired from acting. After Devore died less than two years later from a heart attack. Erika got married a third time in 1969 to Robert M. Brunson, president of Century Fast Foods in Los Angeles. She henceforth called herself Erika Devore Brunson. Perpetually resourceful, never letting grass grow under her feet, she subsequently reinvented herself as a successful interior designer and creator of antique reproduction furniture. She invested a great deal of her profits in animal welfare-related charities. Erika Brunson twice served as commissioner of the Department of Animal Services and as a long-standing board member of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
Erika Devore Brunson passed away in Los Angeles on May 17 2022 at the age of 86. - Fritzi Haberlandt was born in East Berlin, German Democratic Republic on 6th June. She is a theater and television actor known for her roles in Kalt ist der Abendhauch (2000), Babylon Berlin (2017), Summer Window (2011), Liegen lernen (2003), Deutschland 86 (2018) and Deutschland 89 (2020). She won the Bavarian Film Award for Kalt ist der Abendhauch and was nominated for the German Film Award for Fenster zum Sommer.
- Actor
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- Director
Charly Hübner was born on 4 December 1972 in Neustrelitz, East Germany [now Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany]. He is an actor and writer, known for Police Call 110 (1971), Magical Mystery or: The Return of Karl Schmidt (2017) and The Good Neighbour (2011). He is married to Lina Beckmann. They have one child.