Quick Facts
ScorpioBiography
Christian Berkel (born 28 October 1957) is a German actor, internationally most known for Downfall and Valkyrie.
Life and career
Berkel was born in Berlin, Germany. His father had been a military doctor in World War II. His mother came from a Jewish German family.
From the age of 14 he lived in Paris where he took drama lessons with Jean-Louis Barrault and Pierre Berlin. He then trained at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin and appeared on stage in Augsburg, Düsseldorf, Munich, Vienna and at the Schiller Theatre, Berlin.
He has appeared in many German television productions and secured a major role in the Academy Award-nominated film Downfall as Dr. Ernst-Günther Schenck. He has followed this with significant roles in the Paul Verhoeven-directed Dutch movie Black Book and the big-budget American movies Flightplan, Valkyrie (in which he portrayed Colonel Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim) and Quentin Tarantino's Academy Award-nominated Inglourious Basterds. In addition to his native German, Berkel speaks fluent English and French.
In 2011, Berkel married his long-term partner Andrea Sawatzki. They have two sons together and live in Berlin.
Filmography
- 1977: Der Mädchenkrieg (Maiden's War) - Karol Djudko
- 1977: The Serpent's Egg - Student
- 1978: Tatort - Rot, rot, tot (TV) - Doc Decker / Dr. Alfred Waller / Erik Steinbeck / Rainer Wenisch / Uwe Pfandler
- 1982: Frau Jenny Treibel (TV) - Leopold Treibel
- 1983: Derrick - Season 10, Episode 06: "Tödliches Rendezvous" - Manfred Kessler
- 1989: Der Bastard (TV series) - Felix Dennison
- 1991: Karniggels - Man #2 (voice)
- 1993: Das Schicksal der Lilian H. (TV) - Josef
- 1993: Ein unvergeßliches Wochenende... in Salzburg (TV)
- 1996: Lautlose Schritte (TV) - Simon Sundermann
- 1997: Rossini - Weich
- 1997: Umarmung mit dem Tod (TV) - Lefevre
- 1998: Tod auf Amrum (TV) - Rolf Spiekermann
- 1999: Sweet Little Sixteen (TV) - Thomas Reiner
- 2000: Verzweiflung
- 2000: Blondine sucht Millionär fürs Leben (TV) - Dietrich
- 2001: Das Experiment (The Experiment) - Robert Steinhoff Nr. 38
- 2002: Safe Conduct - Dr. Greven
- 2002: Die Affäre Semmeling (TV series) - Fred Kiefer
- 2002: Der Unbestechliche - Harald Kittler
- 2003: Erste Liebe (TV)
- 2004: Lautlos - Lang
- 2004: Der Untergang (Downfall) - Prof. Ernst-Günther Schenck
- 2004: Männer wie wir (Guys and Balls) - Rudolf
- 2005: Der Vater meiner Schwester (TV) - Dr. Klaus Merbold
- 2005: Tatort - Leerstand (TV) - Doc Decker
- 2005: Flightplan (film) - Mortuary Director
- 2006: Die Sturmflut (TV) - Innensenator Helmut Schmidt
- 2006: Eine Frage des Gewissens (A Question Of The Conscience) (TV) - Martin Beltz
- 2006: Black Book - General Käutner
- 2006: Der Kriminalist (TV) - Kriminalhauptkommissar Bruno Schumann
- 2007: Der andere Junge - Jakob Wagner
- 2008: Flame & Citron (film) - Hoffmann
- 2008: Haber (film) - Fritz Shimon Haber
- 2008: Miracle at St. Anna (film) - Captain Eichholz
- 2008: Valkyrie (film) - Colonel Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim
- 2009: Inglourious Basterds (film) - Proprietor Eric
- 2009: Attack on Leningrad (film) - Vinkelmayer
- 2010: Der letzte Angestellte - David
- 2013: Buddy (film) - Martin
- 2015: Traumfrauen - Herr Hegemann
- 2015: Anti-Social - Philip
- 2015: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (film) - Dr. Udo Teller
- 2015: Trumbo (film) - Otto Preminger
- 2016: Elle (film) - Robert