Short Biography

Thomas Kretschmann (born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has also performed in Hollywood movies. Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former German Democratic Republic. Before he became an actor, Kretschmann trained to become an Olympic swimmer. At the age of 19 he left East Germany and began a month-long trek to West Germany to escape the East German state. During this trek he lost part of a finger, but it was surgically reattached. Kretschmann crossed four borders with nothing other than his passport and the equivalent of $100 in his possession. At the age of 25, he began acting, starring in numerous European films and television series. In 1991, Kretschmann was awarded the Wobbly Max Ophüls Prize for best young actor for his role in Der Mitwisser. He achieved international recognition for his role as a rapist/murderer in Dario Argento`s The Stendhal Syndrome. Popular in his native country, Kretschmann did not achieve fame in Hollywood until his role as Capt. Wilm Hosenfeld in Roman Polanski`s 2002 film The Pianist. Kretschmann has since portrayed several military officers of the Third Reich period. Kretschmann played SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein, a member of Adolf Hitler`s personal entourage, in Der Untergang (Downfall) in 2004. In 2008 he played Major Otto Ernst Remer in the historical thriller Valkyrie. He also played Adolf Eichmann in the 2007 film about the man himself.

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