Thomas Kretschmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Kretschmann
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Kretschmann in March 2012
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| Born | 8 September 1962 Dessau, Bezirk Halle, East Germany
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| Occupation | Actor, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Partner(s) | Brittany Rice (2011–present) |
| Children | 3 |
Thomas Kretschmann, born on September 8, 1962, is a German actor. He has appeared in many films and TV shows in both Europe and America. Some of his well-known roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in Stalingrad (1993) and Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist (2002).
He also played Captain Englehorn in King Kong (2005) and voiced Professor Z in Cars 2 (2011). You might also recognize him as Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Thomas Kretschmann has been nominated for several awards for his acting.
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Becoming an Actor
Thomas Kretschmann started his acting career when he was 25 years old. He appeared in many European films and TV series. In 1991, he won the Max Ophüls Prize for best young actor for his role in Der Mitwisser.
His first major film was Stalingrad in 1993. He gained international attention for his role in the film The Stendhal Syndrome.
Hollywood and Famous Roles
Even though he was popular in Germany, Thomas Kretschmann became well-known in Hollywood after starring in Roman Polanski's 2002 film The Pianist. In this movie, he played Wilm Hosenfeld. After this, he often played military officers in films about World War II. For example, in the 2004 film Downfall, he played Hermann Fegelein.
Kretschmann first appeared on American television in 2003. He was a guest star in two episodes of the TV series 24. He later played a character named Timothy Cain in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004). That same year, he was in the French film Immortal, which used a lot of computer-generated images. In 2005, he got a role in Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong.
Award-Winning Performances
In 2006, Kretschmann received praise for his role in Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story. This movie was a psychological thriller. At the 2006 Festival de Cine de Sitges, he shared the Best Actor award for his performance. He also shared the Best Actor award at the 2007 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.
In 2008, he was going to voice a character in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, but his voice didn't quite fit the character. That same year, he appeared in the action thriller Wanted with Angelina Jolie. He also starred in the thriller Valkyrie, playing Otto Ernst Remer, a German officer.
Recent Projects and Voice Work
In 2009, Kretschmann guest-starred in the American science-fiction TV series FlashForward. He also had a big role in the British film The Young Victoria, playing King Leopold I of Belgium. This film was nominated for three Academy Awards in 2010.
In 2010, he returned to Germany for a romantic comedy. He then went to Malaysia to film Jungle Child, which was released in 2011. Walt Disney Pictures confirmed in 2010 that Kretschmann would voice a character in the Pixar film Cars 2, which came out in 2011.
From 2011 to 2012, Kretschmann starred as Captain Kurt Brynildson in the TV series The River. This show was about a group looking for a missing TV explorer in the Amazon.
Thomas Kretschmann signed a contract with Marvel Studios to play Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. He first appeared as this character in a scene after the credits of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He had a bigger role as the character in the 2015 movie Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Besides acting, Thomas Kretschmann has also worked as a fashion model. He often re-records his own lines for the German versions of his films.
Film and Television Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Der Mitwisser | Paul | German | Television film Max Ophüls Prize for Best Young Actor |
| 1992 | Shining Through | Man At Zurich Station | English | |
| The Warrior's Heart | Lieutenant Maximillian Luedt | Norwegian | ||
| 1993 | Stalingrad | Leutnant Hans von Witzland | German | |
| Die Ratte | Sven | German | ||
| 1994 | La Reine Margot | Nançay | French | |
| 1995 | Derrick | The Husband of The Murderess | German | Television series |
| I Love My Daughter's Husband | Michael | German | Television film | |
| 1996 | The Stendhal Syndrome | Alfredo Grossi | Italian | |
| Marching in Darkness (Marciando nel buio) | Gianni Tricarico | Italian | ||
| 1997 | Refuge | Santos | German | Television film |
| Prince Valiant | Thagnar | English | ||
| 1998 | Ms. Diamond | Tim Kaiser | German | Television film |
| 1999 | Esther: The Bible | King Ahasuerus of Persia | English | Television film |
| Der Tod in deinen Augen | Billy Tanauer | German | Television film | |
| Der Solist | Philip Lanart | German | Television series | |
| 2000 | U-571 | Kapitänleutnant Günther Wassner | English | |
| 2001 | Hostile Takeover | Robert Fernau | German | |
| The Knights of the Quest | Vanni Delle Rondini | English | ||
| 2002 | Blade II | Eli Damaskinos | English | |
| The Pianist | Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld | English | ||
| 2003 | 24 | Max | English | Television series |
| 2004 | In Enemy Hands | First Watch Officer Ludwig Cremer | English | |
| Immortal | Nikopol | French English |
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| Downfall | SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein | German | ||
| Resident Evil: Apocalypse | Major Timothy Cain | English | ||
| The Karate Dog | Gerber | English | Television film | |
| Head in the Clouds | Major Franz Bietrich | English | ||
| Frankenstein | Dr. Victor Helios | English | Television film | |
| 2005 | Schneeland | Aron | German | |
| Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II | Pope John Paul II | English | Television film | |
| King Kong | Captain Englehorn | English | ||
| King Kong: The Video Game | Captain Englehorn | English | Video game | |
| 2006 | Grimm Love | Oliver Hartwin | English | Best Actor, Sitges 2006 & PiFan 2007 (shared) |
| The Celestine Prophecy | Wil | English | ||
| 24: The Game | Max | English | Video game | |
| 2007 | Next | Mr. Smith | English | |
| In Transit | Max | English | ||
| Eichmann | Adolf Eichmann | English | ||
| Bionic Woman | The Man | English | Television series | |
| Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps | Paul | German | ||
| 2008 | Wanted | Cross | English | |
| Transsiberian | Kolzak | English | ||
| Mogadischu | Captain Jürgen Schumann | German | Television film | |
| The Sea Wolf | Captain Wolf Larsen | German | Television film | |
| Valkyrie | Otto Ernst Remer | English | ||
| 2009 | The Young Victoria | King Leopold I of Belgium | English | |
| King Conqueror | Archbishop of Tarragona | English | ||
| Wanted: Weapons of Fate | Cross | English | Video game | |
| FlashForward | Stefan Krieger | English | Television series | |
| 2010 | The Frontier | Maximilian Schnell | German | Television film |
| 2011 | Cars 2 | Professor Z | English German |
Voice |
| The Sinking of the Laconia | Admiral Dönitz | English German |
Television film | |
| Jungle Child | Klaus Kuegler | German | ||
| The Cape | Gregor The Great | English | Television series | |
| What a Man | Jens | German | ||
| 2012 | Dracula 3D | Dracula | English | |
| The River | Captain Kurt Brynildson | English | Television series | |
| 2013 | Dracula | Abraham Van Helsing | English | Television series |
| Stalingrad | Peter Kahn | Russian, German | ||
| Open Grave | Lukas | English | ||
| The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden | Friedrich Ritter | English | Narration/voice | |
| 2014 | Plastic | Marcel | English | |
| United Passions | Horst Dassler | English | ||
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Baron Wolfgang von Strucker | English | Uncredited cameo; mid-credits scene | |
| 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | English | ||
| Hitman: Agent 47 | Le Clerq | English | ||
| Spectre | Hannes Oberhauser | English | Photograph only | |
| 2016 | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | Airplane Passenger | English | |
| Central Intelligence | The Buyer | English | ||
| Stratton | Grigory Barovsky | English | ||
| 2017 | The Blue Mauritius | Holtz | English | |
| The Saint | Rayt Marius | English | ||
| Jungle | Karl | English | ||
| A Taxi Driver | Jürgen Hinzpeter / Peter | Korean German | ||
| Berlin Station | Otto Ganz | English | TV series | |
| 2018 | Dragged Across Concrete | Lorentz Vogelmann | English | |
| Balloon | Oberstleutnant Seidel | German | ||
| Lore | Inspector Georg Reingruber | English | TV series | |
| Discarnate | Dr. Andre Mason | English | ||
| 2019 | Project Blue Book | Wernher von Braun | English | TV series |
| 2020 | Waiting for Anya | Nazi Corporal | German | |
| Westworld | Gerald | English | TV series | |
| Das Boot | Friedrich Berger | German | TV series | |
| Penny Dreadful: City of Angels | Hoss | English | TV series | |
| Greyhound | Captain of The U-Boat Grey Wolf | English | ||
| 2021 | American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally | Joseph Goebbels | English | |
| Biohackers | Baron Von Fürstenberg | German | TV series, season 2 | |
| 2023 | Infinity Pool | Detective Thresh | English | |
| Last Sentinel | Sergeant Hendrich | English | ||
| Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | Colonel Weber | English | ||
| Gran Turismo | Patrice Capa | English | ||
| Deliver Us | Father Saul | English | ||
| 2024 | American Star | English | ||
| Upgraded | English | |||
| Putin | English |
Awards and Recognition
Thomas Kretschmann has received several awards for his acting:
- Best Young Actor for Der Mitwisser at the Max Ophüls Festival in 1991.
- Best Actor for Rohtenburg at the Sitges – Catalan International Film Festival in 2006.
- Best Actor for Rohtenburg at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2007.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Kretschmann para niños
