Matthias Schweighöfer

Matthias Schweighöfer is a distinguished German actor and filmmaker, celebrated for his exceptional work in various German and American film productions. Born on 11 March 1981 in Anklam, Western Pomerania, Schweighöfer experienced a formative upbringing grounded in East Germany's communist regime. He attended the prestigious acting school, Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, in Berlin, but departed after a year. He was born into an acting family and collaborated early on with renowned directors such as Peter Greenaway. Schweighöfer’s initial role in a feature film was Changing Skins (1997), a direction of Andreas Dresen. Over the years, he graced projects such as Soloalbum (2003), Off Beat (2004), Eight Miles High (2007), and Rabbit Without Ears. One of his most notable roles was that of Lieutenant Franz Herber in the 2008 film Valkyrie, a dramatization of the unsuccessful 20 July assassination and political coup plan to execute Adolf Hitler. The film's international release, alongside stellar cast members like Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, and Bill Nighy, magnified Schweighöfer's global recognition and presented opportunities for other English speaking roles.

Schweighöfer is also reputed for his ventures into fashion and directing. In 2009, he co-established the fashion label, German Garment, with TV presenter Joko Winterscheidt. He made his directorial debut in 2010 with the romantic comedy What a Man, which was followed by the 2013 film Break Up Man. In 2017, he demonstrated his multifaceted talents by directing, producing, and leading the cast in You Are Wanted. This Amazon Studios project was a novel deviation as their first non-English-language TV series. His recent appearance was in the 2021 Netflix blockbuster Army of the Dead, under the direction of Zack Snyder. He reprised his role in the prequel film, Army of Thieves, serving as the director. He will be featured in a series of upcoming films, including a portrayal of physicist Werner Heisenberg in the Christopher Nolan biopic Oppenheimer.