Lars Eidinger

Lars Eidinger is a German actor, rapper, musician, and DJ based in Berlin. Born in 1975 or 1976, he was raised in West Berlin's Marienfelde district alongside his older brother by his parents, an engineer and a nurse. He trained in acting at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, studying alongside classmates including Fritzi Haberlandt, Nina Hoss, Devid Striesow, and Mark Waschke.

Eidinger began his professional acting career at the Deutsches Theater in 1997 before becoming a salaried member of the Schaubühne ensemble in Berlin in 1999. He became widely known for playing leading roles in Thomas Ostermeier productions, notably Hamlet and Richard III. The role of Hamlet became his favorite, which he estimated playing 250 times over six years by 2015. His approach to performance was influenced by a 2005 production of Troilus and Cressida directed by James Macdonald, as well as his rehearsals for Hamlet's soliloquy in 2008.

Through the Schaubühne, Eidinger performed internationally on stage. He toured Australia multiple times, appearing at the Adelaide Festival in 2006 and 2017, and the Sydney Festival in 2010. Ostermeier's production of Richard III, starring Eidinger, was presented at the Edinburgh Festival in 2016, as well as in Adelaide and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City in 2017. He returned to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2022 with Hamlet, and continued playing Richard III at the Berliner Schaubühne.

Eidinger transitioned into screen acting with appearances in German television series and films, making his feature film debut in Everyone Else in 2007. He achieved international recognition for his performance in Clouds of Sils Maria in 2014 alongside Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart. He went on to secure roles in international screen projects, including Olivier Assayas's Personal Shopper and miniseries Irma Vep, Claire Denis's sci-fi film High Life, Tim Burton's Dumbo, and the German television series Babylon Berlin.

In 2020, Eidinger starred opposite Nina Hoss as an actor suffering from cancer in the Swiss drama My Little Sister. His subsequent screen credits include Noah Baumbach's White Noise and Jay Kelly, the American miniseries All the Light We Cannot See, and the lead role in Matthias Glasner's 2024 film Dying, which premiered at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. He was also cast as Brainiac in James Gunn's DC Universe film Man of Tomorrow.

In addition to acting, Eidinger has maintained a long career in music and DJing. He released the trip-hop EP I'll Break Ya Legg in 1998 and began organizing discos playing eclectic pop in Berlin around 2004. He regularly performs hours-long DJ sets combining multiple genres at events such as the Viennale. Eidinger also directs plays, practices photography, served on the main competition jury of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in 2016, and co-signed an open letter regarding Germany's military support during the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2022.

Eidinger is married to opera singer Ulrike Eidinger. The couple lives in Berlin's Charlottenburg district and has a daughter.