Line #56 Creator/ThomasKretschmann


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thomas_kretschmann_7866.jpg]]
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3	Thomas Kretschmann (born 8 September 1962) is a German actor.
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5	He was born in Dessau, then-UsefulNotes/EastGermany, and fled the country via a month-long trek through UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}}, UsefulNotes/{{Yugoslavia}} and UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} to circumvent the UsefulNotes/IronCurtain. He began acting at age 25 in UsefulNotes/WestGermany, starring in numerous films and television series, including ''Westler'' in 1985. He was awarded the Max Ophüls Prize for Best Young Actor for his role in ''Der Mitwisser'', and 1993's ''Film/{{Stalingrad\|1993}}'' cemented him as an A-lister.
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7	He is fluent in English and has spent the latter part of his career acting mostly in English-language cinema. He has played UsefulNotes/WorldWarII German soldiers in over a dozen different movies, including two different ones called ''Stalingrad''.
8	----
9	!!Works he's appeared in:
10
11	* ''Film/{{Stalingrad\|1993}}'' (1993) -- Lt. Hans von Witzland
12	* ''Series/TotalRecall2070'' (1999) -- Nick Blanchard
13	* ''Film/{{U 571}}'' (2000) -- Capt.-Lt. Gunther Wassner
14	* ''Film/BladeII'' (2002) -- Overlord Eli Damaskinos
15	* ''Film/ThePianist'' (2002) -- Captain Wilm Hosenfeld
16	* ''Series/TwentyFour'' (2003) -- Max
17	* ''Film/InEnemyHands'' (2004) -- First Watch Officer Ludwig Cremer
18	* ''Film/{{Immortal}}'' (2004) -- Alcide Nikopol
19	* ''Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse'' (2004) -- Major Tom Cain
20	* ''Film/{{Downfall}}'' (2004) -- Hermann Fegelein
21	* ''Film/HeadInTheClouds'' (2004) -- Franz Bietrich
22	* ''Film/{{King Kong\|2005}}'' (2005) -- Captain Englehorn (Both the English and German dubs)
23	* ''Film/{{Next\|2007}}'' (2007) -- Mr. Smith
24	* ''Film/{{Wanted}}'' (2008) -- Cross
25	* ''Film/{{Transsiberian}}'' (2008) -- Kolzak
26	* ''Mogadischu'' (2008) -- Captain Jürgen Schumann
27	* ''Film/{{Valkyrie}}'' (2008) -- Major Otto Ernst Remer
28	* ''Series/{{FlashForward\|2009}}'' (2009) -- Stefan Krieger
29	* ''Series/TheCape'' (2011) -- Gregor Molotov
30	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars 2}}'' (2011) -- Professor Z (voice)
31	* ''Series/TheRiver'' (2012) -- Captain Kurt Brynildson
32	* ''Film/{{Stalingrad\|2013}}'' (2013) -- Kapitan Kan
33	* ''Series/{{Dracula\|2013}}'' (2013) -- Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
34	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse (2014 -- 2015) as Baron Wolfgang von Strucker:
35	** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' (in TheStinger) (2014)
36	** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' (2015)
37	* ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' (2015) -- Hannes Oberhauser (photo only)
38	* ''Film/{{Jungle}}'' (2017) -- Karl Ruprechter
39	* ''Film/ATaxiDriver'' (2017) -- Jürgen Hinzpeter (Peter)
40	* ''Ballon'' (2018) -- Oberstleutnant Seidel
41	* ''Film/DraggedAcrossConcrete'' (2019) -- Lorentz Vogelmann
42	* ''Series/ProjectBlueBook'' (2019) -- Wernher von Braun
43	* ''Series/{{Das Boot\|2018}}'' (2020) -- Friedrich Berger
44	* ''American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally'' (2021) -- UsefulNotes/JosephGoebbels
45	* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny'' (2023) -- Colonel Weber
46	* ''Film/{{Gran Turismo\|2023}}'' (2023) -- Patrice Capa
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48	!!Tropes associated with his works:
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50	* ChronicallyKilledActor: As many of his characters are Nazis, they rarely make it to the end of the film.
51	* IronyAsSheIsCast: In ''Ballon'', he plays a Stasi agent who tries to stop the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_German_balloon_escape East German balloon escape]]. Kretschmann himself was an East German escapee.
52	* PlayingAgainstType: He so frequently plays Nazis that it's a welcome break in ''Mogadischu'' where he plays the heroic pilot of Lufthansa Flight 181.
53	* TypeCasting:
54	** He has starred in a dozen unrelated films as a [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons Wehrmacht soldier]] or Nazi official during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, including ''Film/{{Stalingrad\|1993}}'', ''Film/{{U 571}}'', ''{{Film/Valkyrie}}'', ''Film/ThePianist'', ''{{Film/Downfall}}'', ''Eichmann'', ''The Nazi Officer's Wife'', ''Series/TheSinkingOfTheLaconia'', another ''Film/{{Stalingrad\|2013}}'' and the {{sequel}} [[Series/DasBoot2018 series]] to ''Film/DasBoot''. In fairness, he usually plays them sympathetically. And with such typecasting, it was only natural that he'd eventually [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheDialOfDestiny cross paths]] with Franchise/IndianaJones himself.
55	** Even Wernher von Braun from ''Series/ProjectBlueBook'' could count in some respect. Even if it's not set in World War II, the man was a leading rocket science figure of Nazi Germany before the USA took him in for his invaluable knowledge.
56	** [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Baron Wolfgang von Strucker]] took over HYDRA, which started as a Nazi organization.

Context Creator / ThomasKretschmann