German Male Film & Theater Personalities

Vote for Your Favourite German Male Film & Theater Personalities

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 1 
Christoph Waltz
(Best Known for His Academy Award Winning Roles in the Films: ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and 'Django Unchained')
Christoph Waltz
7
Birthdate: October 4, 1956
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Christoph Waltz is best known for his Academy Award-winning performances as Colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds and Dr. King Schultz in Django Unchained, both by Quentin Tarantino. Waltz had begun as a stage and TV actor in Germany. Some of his other notable projects are Spectre and Big Eyes.
 2 
Michael Fassbender
(German-Irish Actor and Racing Driver)
Michael Fassbender
6
Birthdate: April 2, 1977
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Heidelberg, Germany

Michael Fassbender is a critically-acclaimed Irish-German actor best known for playing a sex addict in the psychological erotic drama film Shame. Apart from being an actor, Michael is also a well-known racing driver; he started his auto racing career in 2017 and currently races for Proton Competition in the European Le Mans Series.

 3 
Werner Herzog
(German Film Director Regarded as a Pioneer of 'New German Cinema')
Werner Herzog
4
Birthdate: September 5, 1942
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Munich, Germany
Werner Herzog, one of the prominent figures of the New German Cinema era, has directed films such as Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre, and documentaries such as Grizzly Man. Named to TIME 100, he has written countless books and directed many operas. He was also seen playing The Client in The Mandalorian.
 4 
Daniel Brühl
(One of the Most Versatile and Influential Spanish-German Actors and Filmmakers)
Daniel Brühl
4
Birthdate: June 16, 1978
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain

Spanish-German actor Daniel Brühl began his career with the soap Verbotene Liebe. Raised trilingual, he is now fluent in six languages. Hollywood knows him best as Fredrick Zoller from Inglourious Basterds, while he first made waves with the German film Good Bye, Lenin! He later co-owned two bars.

 5 
Alexander Dreymon
(German Actor Best Known for His TV Series ‘The Last Kingdom’ and ‘American Horror Story: Coven’)
Alexander Dreymon
6
Birthdate: February 7, 1983
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Germany
Alexander Dreymon is best known for portraying Uhtred of Bebbanburg in The Last Kingdom and Luke Ramsey in American Horror Story: Coven. He has also been seen as Steiner in the war movie Resistance. He is trained in martial arts and is a polyglot who speaks German, English, and French.
 6 
Roland Emmerich
(Director Best Known as 'Master of Disaster' for His Science Fiction and Disaster Films)
Roland Emmerich
3
Birthdate: November 10, 1955
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Stuttgart, Germany
German director/producer Roland Emmerich is best known for his blockbuster disaster/war films such as The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Patriot. The LGBT activist is also openly gay. He is also an avid art collector. He has also worked for women’s rights and environmental causes.
 7 
Tom Wlaschiha
(German Actor)
Tom Wlaschiha
3
Birthdate: June 20, 1973
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Dohna, Germany
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 8 
Arón Piper
3
Birthdate: March 29, 1997
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany

Arón Piper is a German-Spanish actor best known for his portrayal of Ander Muñoz in the Spanish thriller teen drama series, Elite. Apart from being an actor, Piper is also a musician. He joined hands with several other musicians to release a single titled Sigo. In 2020, he released another song titled Rosé.

 9 
Benedikt Negro
(Actor)
Benedikt Negro
3
Birthplace: Xanten, Germany

Pantomime and clown Benedikt Negro hails from Germany and began performing at age 9, mastering tricks such as breathing fire, knife throwing, and juggling. Now, the lead attraction of O, the Cirque du Soleil water show, he has also recently worked with famed directors such as James Cameron.

 10 
Klaus Kinski
(German Actor Known for His Intense On-Screen Presence and Controversial Personality)
Klaus Kinski
3
Birthdate: October 18, 1926
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Sopot, Poland
Died: November 23, 1991

Though German actor Klaus Kinski had gained fame with his stellar performances in the films of Werner Herzog, he had also been in the news for his eccentricity and volatile nature. He was once admitted to psychiatric facility for attempting to kill his sponsor, and his own daughter accused him of abuse.

 11 
Shawn Bradley
(Former German-American Basketball Player)
Shawn Bradley
3
Birthdate: March 22, 1972
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Landstuhl, West Germany
Height: 7'6" (229 cm)
 12 
Thomas Kretschmann
(Known for His Roles in the Movies: 'Stalingrad', 'The Pianist' and 'Downfall')
Thomas Kretschmann
3
Birthdate: September 8, 1962
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dessau, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany

While he initially trained to be an Olympic swimmer, Thomas Kretschmann turned to acting at age 25. Surprisingly, he was typecast as a Nazi officer and ended up playing one in 11 films, including The Pianist. He first gained fame with his Max Ophüls Prize-winning role in Der Mitwisser.

 13 
F. W. Murnau
(Film director)
F. W. Murnau
2
Birthdate: December 28, 1888
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bielefeld, Germany
Died: March 11, 1931

F. W. Murnau was a German film director best remembered for directing the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, which is widely regarded as a masterpiece of German Expressionist cinema. He also made Hollywood films like Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which is often counted among the best movies ever made by critics and film directors.

 14 
Ernst Lubitsch
(Film director)
Ernst Lubitsch
2
Birthdate: January 29, 1892
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: November 30, 1947
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 15 
Flula Borg
(German Actor, Musician and Youtuber)
Flula Borg
3
Birthdate: March 28, 1982
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Erlangen, Germany

Flula Borg is a German actor, comedian, musician, DJ, and YouTube personality. Despite being a German, Borg has managed to establish himself in the American film and TV industry; he has appeared in films like Pitch Perfect 2 and Bad Therapy. Popular on social media, Flula Borg was named in The Hollywood Reporter magazine's Top 25 Digital Stars list in 2015.

 16 
Max Riemelt
(German Actor Best Known for His Role as 'Wolfgang Bogdanow' in the Netflix Series 'Sense8')
Max Riemelt
3
Birthdate: January 7, 1984
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany

Max Riemelt is a German actor who achieved international recognition after portraying Wolfgang Bogdanow in the popular American science fiction TV series, Sense8. His performance in the series landed him opportunities to play important roles in German as well as international projects, such as Berlin Syndrome and World on Fire.

 17 
Udo Kier
(German Actor)
Udo Kier
3
Birthdate: October 14, 1944
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lindenthal, Germany
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 18 
Florian Munteanu
(Actor known for his role of the boxer Viktor Drago in Creed 2, the son of former Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, from 1985's Rocky IV)
Florian Munteanu
0
Birthdate: October 13, 1990
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Würzburg, Germany
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 19 
Uwe Boll
(German Filmmaker Who Came to Limelight for His Adaptations of Video Game Franchises)
Uwe Boll
5
Birthdate: June 22, 1965
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Wermelskirchen, Germany
German filmmaker Uwe Boll has faced a lot of backlash for his supposedly poor-quality films, many of which have been crowdfunded. The Golden Raspberry Award-winning director has now moved on to the restaurant business and has also inspired the documentary F*** You All: The Uwe Boll Story
 20 
Horst Buchholz
(Actor)
Horst Buchholz
3
Birthdate: December 4, 1933
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: March 3, 2003
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 21 
Sebastian Koch
(Actor)
Sebastian Koch
3
Birthdate: May 31, 1962
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Karlsruhe, Germany
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 22 
Jürgen Prochnow
(German-American Actor)
Jürgen Prochnow
3
Birthdate: June 10, 1941
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 23 
Michael Haneke
(Film director, Screenwriter, Writer, University teacher)
Michael Haneke
3
Birthdate: March 23, 1942
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Munich

Award-winning Austrian film director and screenwriter Michael Haneke, who teaches film direction at the Film Academy Vienna, is best-known for films like The Piano Teacher, Caché, The White Ribbon and Amour. Haneke has made films in English, French and German, and mostly deals with subjects that examine social issues and portrays feelings of individuals facing social alienation in modern society.

 24 
Til Schweiger
(German Actor and the Country’s Most Successful Director)
Til Schweiger
5
Birthdate: December 19, 1963
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Til Schweiger is a German actor, filmmaker, and voice actor. Apart from playing important roles in German films, Schweiger has also appeared in several American films, such as Investigating Sex, King Arthur, and Already Dead. Til Schweiger is credited with establishing a production company named Barefoot Films.

 25 
Henning Wehn
(Stand-up Comedian)
Henning Wehn
3
Birthdate: April 10, 1974
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Hagen, Germany
Known as the German Comedy Ambassador in London, Henning When initially moved from Germany to the U.K. for a marketing job. A random open mic performance turned his life around. His acts on shows such as The Alternative Comedy Experience have mostly had jokes about German stereotypes.
 26 
Wolfgang Petersen
(Film director, Film producer, Screenwriter)
Wolfgang Petersen
2
Birthdate: March 14, 1941
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Emden

Wolfgang Petersen is a German film producer, director, and screenwriter. One of the most popular and critically acclaimed German filmmakers of all time, Petersen is credited with directing successful films like In the Line of Fire, Troy, and Outbreak. His 1981 West German war film Das Boot earned him two Academy Award nominations.

 27 
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
(Prominent Figure and Catalyst of the New German Cinema Movement)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
3
Birthdate: May 31, 1945
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bad Wörishofen, Germany
Died: June 10, 1982

Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a German actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He grew up in the aftermath of World War II and had a tough childhood. He sought solace by watching films and took acting lessons. He began his career in theater and eventually entered films as well. He is considered a prominent figure of the New German Cinema movement. 

 28 
Andrew Sachs
(Actor)
Andrew Sachs
3
Birthdate: April 7, 1930
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: November 23, 2016
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 29 
Conrad Veidt
(Best Known for His Roles in the Films: ‘Different from the Others’ and ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’)
Conrad Veidt
2
Birthdate: January 22, 1893
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: April 3, 1943
Ironically, though he and his wife fled from Nazi Germany to Britain, actor Conrad Veidt was cast as a Nazi villain in quite a few films. Best known for his roles in Casablanca and The Thief of Baghdad, he died playing his favorite sport, golf, at an LA golf course. 
 30 
Wim Wenders
(German Film Director Who was a Major Figure in New German Cinema)
Wim Wenders
3
Birthdate: August 14, 1945
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Düsseldorf, Germany

Wim Wenders is a German filmmaker and playwright. He is considered to be a major figure in New German Cinema.  Buena Vista Social Club and Pina are among his best-known works. He has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Besides filmmaking, he is also active as a photographer and has published several books. 

 31 
Matthias Schweighofer
(Actor)
Matthias Schweighofer
2
Birthdate: March 11, 1981
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Anklam, Germany

Matthias Schweighofer is a German actor, film director, voice actor, and producer. Over the course of his career, Schweighofer has received several prestigious awards like the German Television Prize, Adolf Grimme Award, and Bavarian Film Award. Matthias Schweighofer is also a fashion enthusiast; he is credited with co-founding a fashion label named German Garment along with television presenter Joko Winterscheidt.

 32 
Max Schreck
(Actor)
Max Schreck
2
Birthdate: September 6, 1879
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: February 20, 1936
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 33 
Joachim Peiper
(German SS Officer and a Nazi War Criminal convicted for the Malmedy Massacre of U.S. Army PoWs)
Joachim Peiper
3
Birthdate: January 30, 1915
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: July 14, 1976
German SS-Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper led the 1944 Malmedy killings of U.S. prisoners of war. He worked with Heinrich Himmler during World War II. After a 12-year prison sentence, he started working as a translator in France but was murdered after his real identity as a war criminal was discovered.
 34 
Lex Barker
(Actor)
Lex Barker
2
Birthdate: May 8, 1919
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rye, New York, United States
Died: May 11, 1973
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 35 
Gert Fröbe
(German Actor Known for His Negative Role 'Auric Goldfinger' in the James Bond Film 'Goldfinger')
Gert Fröbe
2
Birthdate: February 25, 1913
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Oberplanitz, Zwickau, Germany
Died: September 5, 1988

German actor Gert Fröbe is best remembered as Auric Goldfinger from the James Bond film Goldfinger and as Baron Bomburst from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He initially gained fame with German films such as Berliner Ballade. He was also part of the Canadian-German series The Little Vampire.

 36 
Louis Hofmann
(Actor)
Louis Hofmann
3
Birthdate: June 3, 1997
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bensberg, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 37 
Samuel E. Wright
(Actor)
Samuel E. Wright
2
Birthdate: November 20, 1946
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Camden, South Carolina, United States

Two-time Tony-nominated actor Samuel E. Wright is best known for his performances in The Lion King and The Tap Dance Kid. Fans also know him as the voice of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, and his track Under the Sea, from the movie, won an Academy Award.

 38 
David Kross
(Film actor)
David Kross
2
Birthdate: July 4, 1990
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Henstedt-Ulzburg, Germany
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 39 
Numan Acar
(Actor and Film Producer Best Known for His Role as 'Haissam Haqqani' in the TV Series 'Homeland')
Numan Acar
3
Birthdate: October 7, 1974
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kozoglu, Kelkit District, Turkey

Numan Acar is a Turkish-German film producer and actor. A civil engineer by profession, Acar chose acting in the late 1990s and started appearing in German and Turkish films. In 2007, he began his own production company Acar Entertainment, which produces German-Turkish movies. Numan Acar achieved international fame in 2019 when he played Dmitri Smerdyakov in Spider-Man: Far From Home. 

 40 
William Alexander
(German Painter and Television Host )
William Alexander
2
Birthdate: April 2, 1915
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: East Prussia
Died: January 24, 1997

William Alexander was a German painter, television host, and art instructor. He is credited with creating the popular television series, The Magic of Oil Painting, which he hosted from 1974 to 1982 on PBS in the USA. Bill Alexander is also credited with teaching Bob Ross his signature wet-on-wet technique.

 41 
Hardy Krüger
(Actor)
Hardy Krüger
2
Birthdate: April 12, 1928
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Wedding, Berlin, Germany
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 42 
David Garrett
(Violinist)
David Garrett
2
Birthdate: September 4, 1980
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Aachen, Germany
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 43 
Dieter Laser
(Actor)
Dieter Laser
2
Birthdate: February 17, 1942
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kiel, Germany
Died: February 29, 2020
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 44 
Oliver Masucci
(Actor)
Oliver Masucci
2
Birthdate: December 6, 1968
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Stuttgart, Germany
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 45 
Tom Tykwer
(Best Known as the Director of Films: 'Run Lola Run', 'Heaven' and 'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer')
Tom Tykwer
2
Birthdate: May 23, 1965
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Wuppertal, Germany

Tom Tykwer is a German film producer, director, composer, and screenwriter. Tykwer is best known for directing thriller films like Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and Run Lola Run. The recipient of three Bavarian Film Awards, Tom Tykwer is also known for co-creating the popular German TV series Babylon Berlin.

 46 
August Diehl
(Actor)
August Diehl
2
Birthdate: January 4, 1976
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: West Berlin
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 47 
Mark Forster
(Singer-songwriter)
Mark Forster
2
Birthdate: January 11, 1983
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kaiserslautern, Germany
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 48 
Thorsten Kaye
(Actor)
Thorsten Kaye
2
Birthdate: February 22, 1966
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Frankfurt, Germany
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 49 
Wilhelm von Homburg
(German Boxer and Actor)
Wilhelm von Homburg
2
Birthdate: August 25, 1940
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Died: March 10, 2004
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 50 
Ron MacLean
(Canadian Sportscaster)
Ron MacLean
2
Birthdate: April 12, 1960
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Zweibrucken, West Germany