The German actor August Diehl may already be recognizable from his roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds or alongside Angelina Jolie in Salt or Allied.
However, this Berlin-born actor has an accomplished career German-language films. Enhance your German language skills with this month’s film recommendations featuring the versatile and talented August Diehl!
Get to Know August Diehl
Born on January 4, 1976, in Berlin, Germany, August Diehl comes from an artistic family. His father, Hans Diehl, was an actor, and his mother worked as a costume designer. His younger brother, Jakob Diehl, is both a composer and actor. (Both Hans and Jakob appear in the popular Netflix series Dark.)
After completing his Abitur (high school diploma), August studied acting at Berlin’s prestigious Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Diehl made his on-screen debut in the 1998 film 23 – Nichts ist so, wie es scheint, portraying German hacker Karl Koch.
Since then, Diehl has built a stellar career on both stage and screen. A veteran of the theater, he has performed extensively at Vienna’s renowned Burgtheater. He’s even appeared in music videos, including Herbert Grönemeyer’s “Schiffsverkehr.”
Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters)
The 2007 film Die Fälscher (known as The Counterfeiters in English) is written and directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky.
Inspired by the true events of Operation Bernhard, the film explores the Nazis’ plan to destablize the British economy by flooding the market with counterfeit currency. Concentration camp prisoners were forced to forge the banknotes.
Diehl stars as Adolf Burger, a trained typesetter and printer whose memoir provided the basis for the film.
This gripping film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Stream The Counterfeiters on Amazon Prime!
Der junge Karl Marx (The Young Karl Marx)
In the 2017 biographical drama Der junge Karl Marx, Diehl takes on the title role. The film spans the years 1843 to 1848, chronicling the early collaboration between Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (played by Stefan Konarske). Together, they develop a labor movement that changes the course of history.
Diehl’s performance is remarkable, and the film also showcases his multilingual talents.
Stream The Young Karl Marx on Amazon Prime!
Die kommenden Tage (The Coming Days)
Set in a dystopian near future, Die kommenden Tage (The Coming Days) is a sci-fi thriller that follows three siblings struggling with their personal lives amid global turmoil.
Bernadette Heerwagen and Johanna Wokalek play the sisters, while Vincent Redetzki portrays their brother. August Diehl and Daniel Brühl appear as the sisters’ romantic partners.
As the international crisis deepens, the siblings unknowingly become entangled in an underground movement.
Stream The Coming Days on Amazon Prime!
Practice practice practice! Discover other great German language actors and actresses previously featured.
Top photo by Nils Schwarz, courtesy of Peter Schulze Film-PR. This post contains affiliate links.
