Christoph Waltz

Austrian actor (born 1956)Template:SHORTDESC:Austrian actor (born 1956)

**Christoph Waltz** (German pronunciation: [ˈkʀɪstɔf ˈvalts]; born 4 October 1956) is an Austrian and German actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Since 2009, he has mainly been active in the United States.

Waltz' American breakthrough role came in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film *Inglourious Basterds*, in which he played SS officer Hans Landa. He collaborated with Tarantino again in 2012, when he played bounty hunter King Schultz in *Django Unchained*. For each performance, he earned an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also received the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Landa.

Waltz has also starred in Roman Polanski's dark comedy *Carnage* (2011), Terry Gilliam's science fiction film *The Zero Theorem* (2013), Tim Burton's biographical film *Big Eyes* (2014), Alexander Payne's satire *Downsizing* (2017), and Woody Allen's comedy *Rifkin's Festival* (2020). Waltz also gained acclaim for his performance as James Bond's nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Sam Mendes' *Spectre* (2015), a role which he reprised in Cary Joji Fukunaga's *No Time to Die* (2021). For his role as Walter Keane in *Big Eyes*, he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

In 2020, he starred in the web series *Most Dangerous Game* and garnered his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. He also provided the voice of Mandrake in *Epic* (2013) and is set to voice the Fox and the Cat in Guillermo del Toro's upcoming *Pinocchio* adaptation. Waltz also appears in the Wes Anderson film *The French Dispatch*.

## Early life

Waltz was born on 4 October 1956 in Vienna, the son of Johannes Waltz, a German set designer, and Elisabeth Urbancic, an Austrian costume designer of Slovenian descent. Waltz comes from a family of theatrical heritage: his maternal grandmother was Burgtheater and silent film actress Maria Mayen, and his step-grandfather, Emmerich Reimers, and his great-grandfather, Georg Reimers, were both stage actors who also appeared in silent films. Waltz's maternal grandfather, Rudolf von Urban, was a psychiatrist of Slovene descent and a student of Sigmund Freud. Waltz's father died when he was seven years old, and his mother later married composer and conductor Alexander Steinbrecher. Steinbrecher was previously married to the mother of director Michael Haneke; as a result, Waltz and Haneke shared the same stepfather.

Waltz had a passion for opera as a youth, having seen his first opera (*Turandot* with Birgit Nilsson in the title role) at around the age of ten. As a teenager, Waltz would visit the opera twice a week. He was uninterested in theatre and wished to become an opera singer. After graduating from Vienna's Theresianum, Waltz went to study acting at the renowned Max Reinhardt Seminar. At the same time, he also studied singing and opera at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, but eventually decided that his voice was not good enough for an opera career. In the late 1970s, Waltz spent some time in New York City where he trained with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler. He studied script interpretation under Adler, and credits his analytical approach to her teaching.

## Career

On his return to Europe, Waltz found work as a stage actor, making his debut at the Schauspielhaus in Zurich. He also performed in Vienna, Salzburg, Cologne and Hamburg. He became a prolific television actor in the years 1980 to 2000. In 2000, he made his directorial debut, with the German television production *Wenn man sich traut*. Before coming to the attention of a larger audience in Tarantino's *Inglourious Basterds*, he had played Dr. Hans-Joachim Dorfmann in the British TV series *The Gravy Train* in 1990. The show is a story of intrigue and misdeeds set in the offices of the European Union in Brussels.

In Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film *Inglourious Basterds*, Waltz portrayed SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa, also known as "The Jew Hunter". Clever, courteous, multilingual—but also self-serving, cunning, implacable and murderous—the character of Landa was such that Tarantino feared he "might have written a part that was un-playable". Waltz received the Best Actor Award for the performance at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and received acclaim from critics and the public. In 2009, he began sweeping critics' awards circuits, receiving awards for Best Supporting Actor from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Boston Society of Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and for Best Supporting Actor at the 67th Golden Globe Awards and the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards in January 2010.

The following month, he won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor, and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Tarantino acknowledged the importance of Waltz to his film by stating: "I think that Landa is one of the best characters I've ever written and ever will write, and Christoph played it to a tee. It's true that if I couldn't have found someone as good as Christoph I might not have made *Inglourious Basterds*".

Waltz played gangster Benjamin Chudnofsky in *The Green Hornet* (2011); that same year, he starred in *Water for Elephants* and Roman Polanski's *Carnage*. He played German bounty hunter King Schultz in Quentin Tarantino's *Django Unchained* (2012), a role Tarantino wrote specifically for Waltz. During a training accident prior to filming, Waltz injured his pelvis. His role garnered him acclaim once again, with Waltz winning the Golden Globe, the BAFTA, and ultimately the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In April 2013, he was selected as a member of the main competition jury at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. He directed a production of the opera *Der Rosenkavalier* at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp in late 2013, and in Ghent early 2014. In 2014, he was selected as a member of the jury for the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. He starred as Walter Keane in Tim Burton's *Big Eyes*, which opened on 25 December 2014, and appeared as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in *Spectre*, the 24th film in the *James Bond* franchise. In July 2019, it was reported that Waltz would reprise the role in *No Time to Die* (2021).

In July 2016, he portrayed lead villain Captain Leon Rom, a corrupt Belgian captain, in *The Legend of Tarzan*.

In 2017, Waltz appeared in the films *Tulip Fever* and *Downsizing*. In 2019, Waltz appeared in the action fantasy *Alita: Battle Angel*. He directed a production of the opera *Falstaff*, again at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp in late 2017, and in Ghent in early 2018.

In 2018, Waltz agreed to play the leading role in a film adaptation of the novel *The Nazi and the Barber.* He described the main role, that of mass murderer Max Schulz, as a "juicy role".

In 2019, Waltz made his directorial debut and starred in the crime film *Georgetown*, in which he portrays a man suspected of murdering the wife he married in order to raise his social status. The film premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was released to cinemas on 14 May 2021.

## Personal life

 File:Christoph Waltz and Judith Holste @ 2010 Academy Awards (cropped).jpg
Waltz has three children with his former wife, Jacqueline (née Rauch), a dance therapist originally from New York. The two lived in London and their marriage lasted 17 years. Waltz married his second wife, German costume designer Judith Holste, with whom he has a daughter. They divide their time between Berlin, Vienna and Los Angeles.

Waltz's native language is German and he also speaks both English and French fluently. He speaks all three of these in *Inglourious Basterds* and *Django Unchained*, and although his character in *Inglourious Basterds* also spoke Italian, Waltz said on the *Adam Carolla Podcast* that he is not fluent in Italian.Template:Citation needed

Waltz was born in Vienna to a German father who applied for him to become a citizen of Germany after his birth. He received Austrian citizenship in 2010, thus holding citizenships of both Austria and Germany, but considers the debate concerning his citizenship a "legal, citizenship law banality", as he did not care about it at all even though he had not previously been able to vote in Austria's national elections. Asked whether he felt Viennese, he responded: "I was born in Vienna, grew up in Vienna, went to school in Vienna, graduated in Vienna, studied in Vienna, started acting in Vienna – and there would be a few further Viennese links. How much more Austrian do you want it?"

## See also

* List of German Academy Award winners and nominees

## Notes

1. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Pass-Hickhack: Christoph Waltz wird im Eilverfahren zum Österreicher – Nachrichten Kultur". *Die Welt* (in German). Welt.de. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
2. ↑ Österreichische Staatsbürgerschaft für Christoph Waltz'. *Der Standard* (8 August 2010).
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Waltz fühlt sich definitiv als Österreicher – Boulevard. Focus.de (21 January 2011).
4. ↑ Christoph Waltz Wins The Academy Award For Best Actor In A Supporting Role. stories99.com.
5. ↑ The next James Bond film is called Spectre: new car, poster, and full cast confirmed (4 December 2014).
6. ↑ Gettell, Oliver (2 December 2014). Christoph Waltz.
7. ↑ Rosen, Lisa (16 November 2017). 'Downsizing' actor Christoph Waltz thinks the world needs to downsize its hubris to move forward. "says the actor [Waltz], sitting down to talk in a young, flashy Beverly Hills hotel.[...] Vienna, the actor’s hometown, “is more or less facetiously referred to as the Gateway to the Balkans. My mother’s father’s family is Slovenian originally.""
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 M: Good Day, Christoph Waltz (December 9, 2014).
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chalmers, Robert (15 May 2015). We've been expecting you, Mr Waltz.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Lim, Dennis (12 August 2009). "'Inglourious' Actor Tastes the Glory". *The New York Times*. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
11. ↑ 'Downsizing' actor Christoph Waltz thinks the world needs to downsize its hubris to move forward (en-US) (2017-11-16).
12. ↑ K. Arnegger, H. Bergmann (7 June 2016). Urbantschitsch, Viktor von (1847–1921), Otologe.
13. ↑ Template:Cite journal
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Rafanelli, Stephanie (21 December 2017). A Merry Dance With Mr Christoph Waltz.
15. ↑ Lemke-Matwey, Christine (12 December 2013). Christoph Waltz (de).
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 da Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna (December 11, 2017). Christoph Waltz, Directing Opera, Moves From Tarantino to Verdi.
17. ↑ Rose, Steve (13 March 2014). Zero Theorem: the world according to Christoph Waltz.
18. ↑ Hitz, Julia (4 October 2016). Hollywood's favorite bad guy Christoph Waltz turns 60.
19. ↑ Gross, Terry (December 18, 2012). 'Unchained' Admiration Between Actor And Director.
20. ↑ Christoph Waltz und der Sprayer von Zürich (de) (27 September 2015).
21. ↑ Christoph Waltz. *IMDb*.Template:Unreliable source
22. ↑ 4oD Drama.Template:Unreliable source
23. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Fleming, Michael (17 May 2009). "Tarantino Reflects On 'Basterds'". *Variety*. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 BSFC Award Winners – Recent. Thebsfc.org.
25. ↑ Film Awards Winners in 2010 - Film Awards - Film - The BAFTA site.
26. ↑ 2015 Oscars: Nominees - 87th Academy Awards Nominations. *Oscar.com*.
27. ↑ Inglorious Basterds feature. The National Post (27 August 2009).Template:Dead link
28. ↑ Template:Citation
29. ↑ Borys Kit (30 September 2011). Christoph Waltz Dislocates Pelvic Bone During 'Django Unchained' Training. *The Hollywood Reporter*.
30. ↑ Saperstein, Pat (23 April 2013). Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Ang Lee Among Cannes Jury Members. *Variety*. Reed Business Information.
31. ↑ Vlaamse Opera | Vlaamse Opera. Vlaamseopera.be (15 January 2015).
32. ↑ Berlinale 2014: International Jury. *Berlinale*.
33. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (2 May 2014). Weinstein sets awards season dates for Big Eyes, Imitation Game and Eleanor Rigby. Uproxx.
34. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Polowy, Kevin (7 November 2015). "So Who Does Christoph Waltz Play in 'SPECTRE'? (Spoilers!)". *Yahoo!*. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
35. ↑ Kroll, Justin (12 July 2019). Christoph Waltz to Return as Blofeld in 'Bond 25'. *Variety*.
36. ↑ On the life and work of Edgar Hilsenrath. Obituary on the occasion of his death on December 30, 2018.
37. ↑ Georgetown. Tribeca. Retrieved on May 28, 2021.
38. ↑ Truitt, Brian (April 18, 2021). 'Georgetown': Christoph Waltz gets twisty with Washington drama. USA Today. Retrieved on May 28, 2021.
39. ↑ Husband, Stuart (28 October 2015). Christoph Waltz: 'Facebook is a step toward fascism'.
40. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Freydkin, Donna (26 January 2010). "At long last, movie stardom shines on Christoph Waltz". *USA Today*.
41. ↑ Waltz unchained for Jerusalem wedding (8 March 2013).
42. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Billington, Alex (20 August 2009). "Interview: Col. Hans 'The Jew Hunter' Landa – Christoph Waltz". First Showing. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
43. ↑ Waltz to become Austrian citizen. *Wiener Zeitung Online* (26 August 2010).
44. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Waltz to become an Austrian citizen". 26 August 2010.Template:Dead link

## Audiobooks

* 2007: Robert M. Sapolsky: *Mein Leben als Pavian.* Random House Audio, Template:ISBN

## External links

* Christoph Waltz at IMDb
* Christoph Waltz interviews on Charlie Rose
* Christoph Waltz at the German Dubbing Card Index

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