THOMAS KRETSCHMANN
Date of Birth: September 8, 1962
Born in Dessau, under the East German regime, Thomas Kretschmann trained to become an Olympic swimmer. At age 19, he fled the strict East German regime and escaped to West Germany.
He began working as an actor in Berlin in his early 20s, and his work eventually took him to other countries such as Italy and France. In 1991 he received the Max Ophül Prize as Best Young Actor for his work in the television production Der Mitwisser.
Although he'd appeared in high profile films such as U-571 (2000) and Blade II (2002), Kretschmann finally captured Hollywood's attention after appearing in the Oscar-winning film The Pianist (2001). He began to land roles in American films such as Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and King Kong (2005).
In 2007, Kretschmann won Best Actor at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival and at the Catalonian International Film Festival for his role as a cannibal killer being studied by a graduate student (Keri Russell) for her thesis in the multi-award winning Rohtenburg (2006).
Kretschmann currently lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and their three children.