TIL SCHWEIGER
Birth Name: Tilman Valentin Schweiger
Birth Date: December 19, 1963
This native of Cologne, Germany had originally intended to enter into the teaching profession, but
after two years of study, he decided to switch his career and went to Cologne theater school to prepare himself for the stage.
After three years of study, he started performing at various play houses and on radio. After a
regular gig on the German television series, Lindenstraße, he landed his first feature role in
Manta, Manta, which became a great success.
For the next few years, he worked in various comedies and won a Best Young Actor award at the
Max Ophüls Festival for Ebbies Bluff. He also dabbled in television, completing telefilms like
Die Halbstarken and Das Mädchen Rosemarie.
In 1997 he won more Best Actor awards, including one at the Moscow International Film Festival
for Knockin' On Heaven's Door and one at the Gdynia Film Festival for Bandyta.
The exposure and his exceptionally good looks landed him advertising gig with car manufacturer Renault, promoting the Clio.
In 1998, he decided to take a turn behind the camera and directed the film Der Eisbär.
Unfortunately, the film did not fare well with viewers, so Schweiger returned to acting. Taking
a trip to Hollywood, he took his first small role in an American film, The Replacement Killers
(1998). He returned to Germany to complete a number of German films before returning to the
States once again to work on more American features like Driven (2001), Investigating Sex (2001), U-Boat (2003), Inglourious Basterds (2009) and New Year's Eve (2011).
Married to actress Dana Carlsen since 1995, Schweiger and his wife have four children: Valentin, Luna, Lilly and Emma Tiger.