In 2023, Philip Froissant won the Deutscher Fernsehpreis for Best Actor for his performance as Emperor Franz Joseph I in the streaming German-language Netflix drama The Empress. It was a well-deserved win made all the more remarkable when you consider the show was only his second on-screen role. And while he has experience in the theater, his first film role was only in 2021.
It is easy to see that great things lie ahead for Philip Froissant. This month, get to know this actor with so much potential and learn German with films!
Get to Know Philip Froissant
Philip Froissant was born in 1994 in Bad Tölz, in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria. His mother is German and his father is French.
After receiving his Abitur, Froissant completed science-oriented studies. But it was at this point that he decided to reevaluate his career training and aspirations. Instead, Froissant pursued theater at Munich‘s Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität.
His acting debut came in a 2017 production of Lilja-4-ever at the Junge Residenztheater München. He continued working in Munich’s theater scene, including at the Kammerspiele, and completed acting training at the Otto-Falckenberg-Schule.
Schwarze Insel
Schwarze Insel, known internationally as Black Island, is a 2021 German-language psychological thriller streaming on Netflix.
Froissant portrays Jonas, a student who was recently orphaned when both of his parents were killed in a car accident. Jonas has moved to live with his widowed grandfather on an island in the North Sea. When a new German teacher arrives on the island, she takes a particular interest in Jonas. But perhaps there is something sinister lurking.
Die Kaiserin
Die Kaiserin, or The Empress, is the award-winning German-language Netflix streaming series focused on Empress Elisabeth, famouly known as Sisi.
The series follows Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, a somewhat eccentric and non-traditional teenager portrayed by Devrim Lingnau, who has been chosen to marry Emperor Franz Joseph I, portrayed by Froissant.
Sisi is thrust, unprepared, into a world in Vienna unlike any she has ever known. It is a fast-paced life full of politics, class conflict, and intrigue. Franz, meanwhile, is struggling to rule. He envisions the job one way while his mother, Archduchess Sophie, sees something else.
After a positive reception, both critically and from home viewers, Die Kaiserin is set to return with a second season.
Eine Billion Dollar
Based on the novel of the same name by Andreas Eschbach, Eine Billion Dollar is a 2023 thriller television series. Also known as One Trillion Dollars, the show focuses on lowly bike courier John, portrayed by Froissant.
One day, John is notified by a lawyer that he is the heir to a trillion dollars that has been accumulating for over 500 years. But nothing comes easily. Some prophecies and superstitions are associated with the sum. And there is an expectation that John will use the money to fight some of the world’s biggest challenges, including climate change and global inequity.
Practice practice practice! Discover other great German language actors and actresses previously featured.
Top photo by Mathias Bothor/Photoselection courtesy of Schlag Agentur. This post contains affiliate links.