Thomas Kretschmann

Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in ''Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' (2002), Hermann Fegelein in ''Downfall'' (2004), Captain Englehorn in '' King Kong'' (2005), Major Otto Remer in '' Valkyrie'' (2008), the voice of Professor Z in ''Cars 2'' (2011), and as the journalist Jürgen Hinzpeter in '' A Taxi Driver'' (2017). He also portrayed Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (2014) and '' Avengers: Age of Ultron'' (2015).

Kretschmann has twice been nominated for the Deutscher Fernsehpreis for Best Actor. He is also a European Film Award and Nika Award nominee.

Career

At the age of 25, he began acting, starring in numerous European films and television series, including Westler in 1985. Then in 1991, Kretschmann was awarded the Max Ophüls Prize for best young actor for his role in ''Der Mitwisser''. He went on to star in his first full-length feature, the 1993 film ''Stalingrad''. He achieved international recognition for his role as sadomasochistic rapist and murderer Alfredo Grossi in Dario Argento's '' The Stendhal Syndrome''.

Although popular in his homeland, Kretschmann did not achieve notice in Hollywood until his role as Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in Roman Polanski's 2002 film '' The Pianist''. In the years since, Kretschmann has often portrayed military officers in films about the Third Reich. In the 2004 film ''Downfall'', Kretschmann played Hermann Fegelein, a Waffen-SS colonel and brother-in-law to Eva Braun. In the 2008 thriller '' Valkyrie'', Kretschmann played Major Otto Ernst Remer, a Wehrmacht officer who had a key role in stopping the 20 July Plot. Prior to the casting of Tom Cruise, Kretschmann had been considered to play Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Kretschmann also played Adolf Eichmann