Thomas Kretschmann

Thomas Kretschmann is a German actor and voice actor, who, for Disney, voiced Professor Z in the 2011 Disney/Pixar film Cars 2. He also portrayed Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Additionally, he played Colonel Weber in the 2023 film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
==Biography==
At the age of 25, he began acting, starring in numerous European films and television series, including Westler in 1985. Then in 1991, Kretschmann was awarded the Max Ophüls Prize for best young actor for his role in Der Mitwisser. He went on to star in his first full-length feature, the 1993 film Stalingrad. He achieved international recognition for his role as sadomasochistic rapist and murderer Alfredo Grossi in Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome.
Although popular in his homeland, Kretschmann did not achieve notice in Hollywood until his role as Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in Roman Polanski's 2002 film The Pianist. In the years since, Kretschmann has often portrayed military officers in films about the Third Reich. In the 2004 film Downfall, Kretschmann played Hermann Fegelein, a Waffen-SS colonel and brother-in-law to Eva Braun. In the 2008 thriller Valkyrie, Kretschmann played Major Otto Ernst Remer, a Wehrmacht officer who had a key role in stopping the 20 July Plot. Prior to the casting of Tom Cruise, Kretschmann had been considered to play Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Kretschmann also played Adolf Eichmann in a 2007 biographical film.
Kretschmann made his first appearance on American television in 2003 when he guest starred in 2 episodes of 24. He later also appeared in Relic Hunter. In 2004, Kretschmann played Timothy Cain, a ruthless UmbrellaMajor, in Resident Evil: Apocalypse. In the same year, he appeared in the French film Immortal with Linda Hardy. The film was notable for its use of a digital backlot and interaction between Computer-generated characters and real actors. In 2005, Kretschmann won a role in Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong, where he worked again with Adrien Brody, with whom he had costarred in The Pianist.[citation needed]
The following year, Kretschmann began to win acclaim for his role in Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story (Rohtenburg in Germany). A psychological thriller, the movie co-stars Keri Russell and was inspired by the Armin Meiwes cannibalism case. It was scheduled for a March 2006 release in Germany, but its showing is under injunction after Meiwes successfully sued to have it banned on grounds of infringement of his personality rights. At the 2006 Festival de Cine de Sitges, Kretschmann shared the Best Actor award for his performance in this film with his co-star Thomas Huber. Kretschmann also shared Best Actor with Huber at the 2007 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.[citation needed]
The next year he returned to Germany, guest starring as himself in the romantic comedy Rabbit without Ears 2. Kretschmann then moved to Malaysia in the summer to shoot his scenes for the German biopic Jungle Child based on the eponymous bestseller by Sabine Kuegler. The film was released in early 2011. Walt Disney Pictures confirmed in November 2010, that Kretschmann would star as one of the voice talents in the Pixar film Cars 2. The film was released in the United States on June 24, 2011, in the United Kingdom on 22 July and in Germany on 28 July.
Kretschmann starred as Captain Kurt Brynildson in the 2011–2012 ABC original paranormal/adventure/horror television series The River about a group of people on a mission to find a missing TV explorer in the Amazon.[citation needed]
Kretschmann signed a multi-film contract with Marvel Studios to play Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, and first appeared as the character in a post-credits scene of the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He had a larger role as the character in the 2015 movie Avengers: Age of Ultron.
==Roles==
C2cs ProfessorZ1 4-per16-4 R rgb.jpg|Professor Z(Cars 2)
Baron-Strucker-Cap-TWS.png|Wolfgang von Strucker(Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Colonel Weber.webp|Colonel Weber(Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny)
==Trivia==
*Thomas Kretschmann was uncredited for his cameo in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
*Because he is bilingual Thomas Kretschmann also provided the German voices for most of his roles, including Professor Z and Wolfgang von Strucker.
*All of Thomas Kretschmann's characters in the Disney films are villains and German. Additionally, Professor Z and Wolfgang von Strucker also are scientists and they both wear an eye piece, while von Strucker and Colonel Weber both get killed in the end.
==External links==
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pl:Thomas Kretschmann
Category:Cars
Category:Marvel people
Category:1960s births
Category:Males
Category:German people
Category:Actors
Category:Captain America
Category:The Avengers
Category:Voice actors
Category:Pixar actors and actresses
Category:European people
Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe people
Category:Indiana Jones
Category:Lucasfilm
Category:Pixar
Category:ABC