Til Schweiger

Tilman Valentin Schweiger is a German actor and filmmaker born on December 19, 1963. He gained prominent recognition during the 1990s through his roles in German films such as Manta, Manta, Der bewegte Mann, and Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Schweiger later established his own production company, Barefoot Films, and went on to direct, produce, and star in multiple feature projects. His directorial and production endeavors made him the most commercially successful German filmmaker.

Schweiger was born in Freiburg, West Germany, to parents who both worked as teachers. He spent his childhood in Heuchelheim, a town located near Giessen in Hesse, where he attended school. Following his general education, he pursued formal training in acting by taking lessons at the Der Keller drama school located in Cologne.

His onscreen career began in 1989 when he appeared in the television series Lindenstraße. Schweiger made his feature film acting debut two years later in the 1991 movie Manta, Manta. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he took on roles in numerous German film and television productions, including Männerpension, Das Mädchen Rosemarie, Bastard, Der große Bagarozy, Was tun, wenn's brennt, and Wo ist Fred.

In 1997, Schweiger expanded his career into filmmaking by producing and uncreditedly directing Knockin' on Heaven's Door, followed by directing and producing Der Eisbär in 1998. He co-wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the 2005 film Barfuss. In 2007, he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in Keinohrhasen, known internationally as Rabbit Without Ears, which became a massive box office hit in Germany. He later released its sequel, Zweiohrküken, as well as the successful film 1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde in 2008. Schweiger subsequently directed, co-wrote, produced, and starred alongside his daughter Emma in Kokowääh and its 2013 sequel Kokowääh 2, as well as starring with his daughter Luna in the 2012 film Schutzengel.

Alongside his German career, Schweiger appeared as a supporting actor in numerous international and American film productions. His notable international credits include The Replacement Killers, SLC Punk!, Driven, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, King Arthur, New Year's Eve, The Courier, This Means War, Charlie Countryman, Muppets Most Wanted, Atomic Blonde, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. He also portrayed a Nazi-killing character in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

Throughout his career, Schweiger received several honors, including multiple Bambi Awards for his roles and films like Barfuss, Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1, and Keinohrhasen, along with a Bavarian Film Award, a German Comedy Award, two DIVA Awards, a Jupiter Award, and an Ernst Lubitsch Award. In his personal life, Schweiger married American model Dana Carlsen in 1995, and they had four children: Valentin, Luna, Lilli, and Emma. The couple separated in 2005 and divorced in 2014. Schweiger resides in Mallorca, Spain, and in November 2024, he participated in filming a promotional video in Minsk, Belarus.