Top Ten German or Austrian Actors and Actresses

The Top Ten
1 Peter Lorre Peter Lorre, born László Löwenstein (26 June 1904 – 23 March 1964) was an Austro-Hungarian-American actor. In Austria, he began his stage career in Vienna before moving to Germany where he had his breakthrough, first on the stage, then in film in Berlin in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Lorre caused an international sensation in the German film M (1931), in which he portrayed a serial killer who preys on little girls. ...read more.

He was a true natural who acted with passion, power and gravity.

2 Christoph Waltz Christoph Waltz is an Austrian-German actor that has won 2 Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his collaborations with director Quentin Tarantino in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.

Austrian press calls him an Austrian, German press calls him a German - everyone wants the guy who reached so much in their country. His roles are eloquent and highly intelligent men, with much charisma, but often evil or gruesome. But in Django Unchained, he portrays a more positive character.

Great roles:
Inglourious Basterds, Carnage, Django Unchained

One of my favorite actors, first found out about him in Django Unchained with his phenomenal performance as Dr. King Schultz.

3 Joachim Kaps

With striking facial features and a distinctive voice, Kaps found success both in television and in voice acting. He's a versatile character actor with a lot of charisma.

And you should see his dramatic performance in Schloss Einstein. It is flawless.

4 Claudia Urbschat-Mingues
5 Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski was a German actor. He is well known for his performances in various movies directed by Werner Herzog, including Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) and Fitzcarraldo (1982). He was known to have a bad temper and was difficult to work with.

An insane ranting madman in real life, Kinski was great in difficult and eccentric role. He played mostly insane villains, but also plays an optimistic naive dreamer in Fitzcarraldo.
Working with him was difficult and he ranted, screamed and threatened directors, and often improvised because he was not satisfied with the director or the screenplay. In one infamous incident, he shot a finger tip off a crew member's hand. It makes his roles all the more gripping and credible. We never know when he is acting and when not. This guy obviously had mental problems and a god complex - but he always leaves maximum impressions when on-screen.

Great roles:
Fitzcarraldo, The Great Silence, Nosferatu the Vampyre

6 Alida Valli Baroness Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg, better known by her stage name Alida Valli, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films, including Mario Soldati's Piccolo mondo antico, Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, Carol Reed's The Third Man, Michelangelo Antonioni's ...read more.
7 Hans Teuscher
8 Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" Dietrich (27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992) was a German actress and singer who held both German and American citizenship. This internationally famed actress cum singer was a frontline performer with an amazing long career in the show business. One of the highest paid actresses of her time she reached super stardom and was named the 9th greatest female star of classic Hollywood Cinema by the American Film Institute.
9 Horst Buchholz
10 Moritz Bleibtreu
The Contenders
11 Elke Sommer
12 Ulrich Mühe
13 Daniel Brühl
14 Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor, filmmaker, businessman, investor, author, philanthropist, activist, former professional bodybuilder and former politician.

You all knew this would be on here.

15 Tobias Kluckert
16 Eberhard Prüter
17 Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler (9 November 1914 – 19 January 2000) was an Austrian-American film actress and inventor. Often called “The Most Beautiful Woman in Films”, Hedy Lamarr’s beauty and screen presence made her one of the most popular actresses of her day. ...read more.

An excellent and versatile actress.

18 Karl Merkatz
19 Diane Kruger
20 Gisela Fritsch
21 Nastassja Kinski Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. She is the daughter of the actor Klaus Kinski. ...read more.
22 Gustaf Gründgens
23 Bruno S.
24 Hardy Kruger
25 Maximilian Schell

Austrian born actor with Swiss citizenship.

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