Franz Rogowski

Franz Rogowski is a German actor known for his work in European and international cinema, having appeared in films directed by filmmakers such as Michael Haneke, Christian Petzold, Andrea Arnold, and Terrence Malick. His performances across film and theater have brought him recognition at major international film events, including the Berlin International Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Venice Film Festival.

Rogowski was born on February 2, 1986, in Freiburg im Breisgau, West Germany. He grew up in Tübingen within a bourgeois environment as the son of a pediatrician and a midwife. His maternal grandfather is Michael Rogowski, a former president of the BDI. During his early life, he worked as a bike courier and a bookstore assistant, attended a clown school in Switzerland, and trained in dance. Rogowski has a surgically closed cleft lip, resulting in a slight lisp.

Beginning in 2007, Rogowski performed in the independent theater scene as a dancer, choreographer, and actor. He appeared on stages at institutions including the Thalia Theater Hamburg, the Schauspielhaus Hannover, and the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz. He was later discovered for screen acting by Berlin director Jakob Lass, who cast him in the 2011 film Frontalwatte and the award-winning 2013 feature Love Steaks.

Rogowski gained widespread international attention for his role in the 2015 film Victoria, a German thriller shot in a single continuous take. The film won six German Film Award categories and the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Cinematography. That same year, Rogowski joined the ensemble at the Münchner Kammerspiele as a permanent member.

In 2017, Rogowski portrayed the son of Isabelle Huppert's character in Michael Haneke's Happy End, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. He subsequently starred in Christian Petzold's Transit and Thomas Stuber's In den Gängen, both of which competed at the Berlin International Film Festival. For his performance in In den Gängen, he won the German Film Award for Best Actor, and he was named a German Shooting Star in 2018. His role in Transit earned him a nomination for the Florida Film Critics Circle Award and was included on Barack Obama's list of favorite films of 2019.

Rogowski reunited with Christian Petzold in 2020 for the film Undine, starring alongside Paula Beer. In 2021, his performance in Great Freedom earned him a nomination for a European Film Award. He followed this with a David di Donatello nomination for his role in the Italian film Freaks Out in 2022.

In 2023, Rogowski played the lead role in Lubo, which screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival. He also starred in Ira Sachs' drama Passages, winning the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and receiving an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Rogowski currently resides in Berlin.