If this month’s featured German actor looks familiar, you may not be mistaken. When hipster art-house director Wes Anderson made The Grand Budapest Hotel, it made sense for him to cast European actors in a very European-flavored film. Among them was Florian Lukas, who portrayed Pinky, one of the prisoners befriended by Monsieur Gustave (played by Ralph Fiennes).
However, Lukas can’t be accused of going Hollywood. The actor has a long list of credits in German-language films and television. This month, practice the German language with the films of Florian Lukas!
Get to Know Florian Lukas
Florian Lukas was born on March 16, 1973, in East Berlin and grew up in the city’s Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood.
His pursuit of the dramatic arts began at a young age. At 17, Lukas became involved in local theater groups. By 19, he had landed his first film role as the lead in Peter Welz’s Banale Tage. A steady stream of film and television roles soon followed.
Good Bye, Lenin!
In Wolfgang Becker‘s film Good Bye, Lenin!, Alex Kerner (portrayed by Daniel Brühl) struggles to navigate life as a young man in East Germany. The political tensions between Alex and his staunchly pro-communist mother complicate matters.
When his mother suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma during Germany’s reunification, Alex fears that learning about the fall of the DDR could be fatal for her. Determined to protect her, he devises an elaborate scheme to maintain the illusion that the old East Germany still exists.
Lukas plays Alex’s West Berlin friend, who becomes part of the effort by creating fake newscasts. The result is a touching and humorous exploration of family and politics.
Nordwall (North Face)
Set in 1936 Nordwand follows the dramatic race to conquer the Eiger’s treacherous northern face in the Bernese Alps. Based on real events, the film captures the struggles and triumphs of two competing teams of climbers: one from Germany and one from Austria.
Lukas portrays Andi Hinterstoisser alongside Benno Fürmann, who plays Toni Kurz. Together, they form the German climbing team in this gripping historical drama.
Weissensee
For four seasons from 2010 to 2018, the German television series Weissensee explored the lives of two families in East Berlin in the final years of the DDR and the aftermath of the Berlin Wall’s fall.
The Kupfer family is involved in the communist East German government. Lukas portrays Martin, a policeman who is the son and grandson of Stasi policemen. While his family upholds the government line, Martin has moral concerns. After Martin becomes romantically involved with Julia Hausmann (portrayed by Hannah Herzsprung), the daughter of a vocal critic of the DDR, the Kupfer family becomes entangled with the Hausmann family.
Practice makes perfect! Explore other talented German-language actors and actresses featured in the German Films section.
Top photo by Stefan Stalio, courtesy of Players Agentur Management. This post contains affiliate links.
