Thomas Kretschmann is a German actor, who is most notable for the portrayal of Lt. Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 drama film entitled, Stalingard. He was born on September 8, 1962 in Dessau, previous German Democratic Republic. Before Kretschmann became a renowned actor, he was being train to be an Olympic swimmer. At the young age of 19, Kretschmann left the East Germanyn to start his long trek to West Germany. On the other hand, Kretschmann started his professional career on acting at the age of 25, appearing in various European films and TV series. In year 1991, Kretschmann earned the Max Ophuls Prize for the Best young actor for his portrayal in Der Mitwisser. Subsequently, he starred 1993 war drama film called, Stalingard, which also starred Dominique Horwitz, Jochen Nickel and Sebastian Rudolph. He then appeared in the film of Dano Argento entitled, The Stendhal Syndrome.
On the other hand, Kretschmann earned much attention when he portrayed the role of Hauptmann in the 2002 film called, The Pianist, alongside Adrien Brody and Frank Finlay as well as Maureen Lipman. In year 2004, Kretschmann appeared in the epic war film called, Downfall, where he portrayed the role of SS-Gruppenfuhrer Hermann Fegelein. He then appeared as Timothy Cain in the thriller film of the Resident Evil: Apocalypse. On the same year, he appeared in the French film of Immortal, together with the star Linda Hardy. On the following year, Kretschmann earned a role in Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong, where he portrayed the role of Captain Englehorn. The film also includes the stars of Naomi Watts and Jack Black as well as his co-star in The Pianist, Adrien Brody.
In year 2007, Kretschmann starred together with Keri Russell and Thomas Huber in the psychological horror film called, Grimm Love, which was initially based on the real life story of Armin Meiwes and its cannibalism case. However, the film was set to release on March 2006 but it was said that its showing was under injuction. On the contrary, the film still won several awards and Kretschmann has earned the Best Actor Award together with his film’s co-star Thomas Huber. In year 2008, he appeared as Cross in the blockbuster hit film entitled, Wanted, which also starred Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy as well as Morgan Freeman. On the following year, Kretschmann appeared as a guest star in the TV series of Flash Forward. He also appeared in the drama film of The Young Victoria, where he portrayed the role of King Leopold I of Belgium. On the following year, Kretschmann made his return in Germany, appearing as himself in the romantic comedy film of Rabbit Without Ears 2. In year 2011, Kretschmann appeared in the TV film called, The Sinking of the Laconia as we as in the TV series of The Cape, where he portrayed the role of Admiral Donitz and Gregor the Great, respectively. He then portrayed the role of Jens in the 2011 German film entitled, What a Man.
Thomas Kretschmann Photo Gallery
