Over the years, there has been a rising number of German actors in Hollywood. These actors have either transitioned fully into American cinema or continue to work in the German and American film industries. Some have had more impact in Hollywood than others, having starred in several popular, high-grossing movies.
While most of these German actors are often character actors or cast in minor roles, a few have earned a reputation as leading man actors. To help formulate a concise list, the focus would be on famous German actors who have parental ties to the country and identify as citizens, not just by birth. This means an actor like Bruce Willis, born in Germany, will not qualify as a German actor. Here are 10 popular German actors in Hollywood you may recognize.
Daniel Brühl
Daniel Brühl has earned a reputation for playing the villain. The German actor was born to a Spanish mother and a German father in Barcelona, Spain. Brühl mentioned in an interview that he was only born in Spain because his mother didn’t trust German hospitals. The family returned to Cologne, Germany, after he was born. Being born to parents of two ethnicities had its perks for Brühl, as he was raised trilingual. Growing up, the actor spoke German, Spanish, and Catalan. A true polyglot, Brühl later learned to speak English and French fluently.
Daniel Brühl began his professional acting career in 1995 in German television. Playing Martin Kreutz, he appeared in a cameo role in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). Brühl was part of the ensemble cast of Quentin Tarantino‘s war film Inglourious Basterds (2009), playing the German army sniper Fredrick Zoller. His most popular role was playing the villain Helmut Zemo, a Sokovian colonel-turned-terrorist, in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Daniel Brühl’s other notable appearances include Rush (2013), The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017), The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), Entebbe (2018), The King’s Man (2021), and All Quiet on the Western Front (2022). In American television, Brühl played Dr. Laszlo Kreizler in The Alienist (2018–2020) and reprised the role of Helmut Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).
Diane Kruger
Born Diane Heidkrüger to German parents in Algermissen, Lower Saxony, West Germany, actress Diane Kruger is one of the most recognizable German actors in Hollywood. Although considered relatively short for a model, with her 1.70 meters height, Kruger began her career as a model. After working with some of the world’s biggest fashion brands, Diane Kruger quit at age 22 and chose to pursue a career in acting.
Diane Kruger is also a polyglot, fluent in German, French, and English. While filming The Tiger Brigades (2006), she learned Russian. Kruger also studied Latin while in school. Some of Kruger’s top roles include Helen in Troy (2004), Bridget von Hammersmark in Inglourious Basterds (2009), Anna in Mr. Nobody (2009), and Kathy Ertz in The Infiltrator (2016). She also starred in Unknown (2011), The 355 (2022), and Marlowe (2022).
Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz is one of the most honored German actors in American cinema. The two-time Academy Awards winner has worked with some of the industry’s top actors and filmmakers. The Austrian-German actor was born in Vienna, Austria, to a German father and an Austrian mother. Christoph Waltz got his breakthrough role playing the ruthless officer Standartenführer Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds (2009). Since then, he has become a frequent collaborator of Quentin Tarantino, being the first actor to win an Oscar for acting in a Tarantino film.
Waltz, too, is a polyglot and is able to speak fluent German, French, and English and perfectly mimic Italian speech. Christoph Waltz is known for his performances in The Green Hornet (2011), Carnage (2011), The Three Musketeers (2011), Django Unchained (2012), Big Eyes (2014), and Spectre (2015). He also starred in The Legend of Tarzan (2016), Downsizing (2017), Alita: Battle Angel (2019), The French Dispatch (2021), and No Time to Die (2021).
Michael Fassbender
Although popularly recognized as an Irish actor, Michael Fassbender was born in Heidelberg, West Germany. Fassbender was born to a German father and an Irish mother. The actor still maintains his dual citizenship as a German and Irish citizen. Fassbender is unarguably the most popular and recognizable face in the list of German actors in Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009) also helped launch Michael Fassbender’s career internationally.
However, his biggest role has been portraying the Marvel Comics anti-hero Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto in the X-Men film series. The two-time Academy Award-nominated actor’s notable performances include Hunger (2008), Centurion (2010), Shame (2011), Prometheus (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2013), The Counselor (2013), Macbeth (2015), and Steve Jobs (2015). He also starred in Assassin’s Creed (2016), Alien: Covenant (2017), The Killer (2023), and Next Goal Wins (2023).
August Diehl
Born to German parents, August Diehl has raked up reasonable credits in Hollywood to be a part of the list of successful German actors. Diehl’s on-screen career began in 1998 while still a student at the renowned Berlin acting school, Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch. August Diehl was also part of the ensemble cast of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009), where he played Major Hellstrom. The next year, he starred alongside Angelina Jolie, playing her character’s husband, Mike Krause, in Salt (2010). He portrayed Karl Marx in the 2017 French historical drama The Young Karl Marx. In Matthew Vaughn’s 2021 British-American spy action film The King’s Man, August Diehl was cast as Vladimir Lenin.
Udo Kier
With a career of over five decades, Udo Kier is one of the top German actors, having starred in over 220 productions in film and television. The German actor has established himself as a character actor and has a reputation for starring in villainy roles. Kier is also a polyglot and speaks German, English, and Danish. Udo Kier’s notable Hollywood starring roles include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Armageddon (1998), Blade (1998), Downsizing (2017), and Hunters (2023).
Tom Wlaschiha
Television audiences will recognize Tom Wlaschiha from HBO’s Game of Thrones, where he played the convict and assassin Jaqen H’ghar. The role helped increase the German actor’s profile in Hollywood. His character was first introduced in season 2 in a recurring role before becoming part of the main cast in seasons 5 and 6. In the series, Jaqen H’ghar plays a crucial role in Arya Stark’s (Maisie Williams) life as a member of the Faceless Men and the Many-Faced God. Tom Wlaschiha speaks five languages fluently – German, English, Russian, French, and Italian. Wlaschiha’s other notable roles include Valkyrie (2008), Crossing Lines (2013–2015), Jack Ryan (2019), and Stranger Things (2022)
Thomas Kretschmann
German actor Thomas Kretschmann didn’t originally set out to have an acting career. He spent most of his growing years training to become an Olympic swimmer. However, he gave it up at age 25 when he began acting. Kretschmann has played a German Nazi officer more times in his career than in any other role. Thomas Kretschmann has played several notable roles in European and American films. His most recognizable roles in American films and TV shows include Blade II (2002), 24 (2003), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), King Kong (2005), Wanted (2008), Valkyrie (2008), and Spectre (2015). Kretschmann also portrayed Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in two Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Thomas Kretschmann also starred in Central Intelligence (2016), Greyhound (2020), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), and Gran Turismo (2023).
Til Schweiger
Til Schweiger is one of the most accomplished German actors of his generation. Besides his success as an actor, Schweiger has also received accolades as a filmmaker. Schweiger agreed to play Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz in Inglourious Basterds (2009) only because his character kills a lot of Nazi soldiers throughout the film. He’s one German that has a natural disdain for all things Nazi. Til Schweiger has starred in films such as The Replacement Killers (1998), Driven (2001), King Arthur (2004), Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), The Three Musketeers (2011), and Atomic Blonde (2017).
Götz Otto
With a towering height of 1.98 meters, German actor Götz Otto has an unmissable on-screen presence. Otto landed a minor role as an SS guard in Steven Spielberg‘s 1993 Schindler’s List. However, his role as Elliot Carver’s (Jonathan Pryce) henchman, Richard Stamper, in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) gave him international recognition. As one of the popular German actors in Hollywood, Götz Otto’s other notable appearances include Beowulf (1999), Marlene (2000), Downfall (2004), and Iron Sky (2012).