Christoph Waltz

Austrian-German actorTemplate:SHORTDESC:Austrian-German actor[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

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* Austrian
* German

**Christoph Waltz** (Template:IPA-de; born 4 October 1956) is a German-Austrian actor and director, since 2009 mainly active in the United States.

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

Waltz portrayed computer genius Qohen Leth in the science fiction film *The Zero Theorem* (2013), American plagiarist Walter Keane in the biographical film *Big Eyes* (2014), and James Bond's nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in *Spectre* (2015) and *No Time to Die* (2020). He also provided the voice of Mandrake in *Epic* (2013).

## Early life

Waltz was born on 4 October 1956 in Vienna, Austria, the son of Johannes Waltz, a German set designer, and Elisabeth Urbancic, an Austrian costume designer. 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 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 very early, having seen his first opera (*Turandot* with Birgit Nilsson in the title role) at around the age of ten. Later on, Waltz would visit the opera twice a week. He was uninterested in theatre, and had 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

 File:Christoph Waltz.jpg
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 Dr. 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.

Waltz has been cast as the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the film *Reykjavik*, based on the 1986 peace talks between the United States and USSR. 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* (2020).

In 2015, it was announced that Waltz would direct and star in the film *Georgetown* (formerly titled *The Worst Marriage in Georgetown*), which is based on the true crime story of the murder of Viola Drath. In July 2016, he portrayed lead villain Captain Leon Rom, a corrupt Belgian captain, in the reboot *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.

## Personal life

 File:Christoph Waltz and Judith Holste @ 2010 Academy Awards (cropped).jpg
Waltz has three children with his former wife, Jackie, a psychotherapist 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 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 his German passport a "legal, citizenship law banality" despite the fact that 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?"

## Accolades

*Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Christoph Waltz*
## See also

* List of German-speaking Academy Award winners and nominees

## References

1. ↑ "Pass-Hickhack: Christoph Waltz wird im Eilverfahren zum Österreicher – Nachrichten Kultur" (in de). Welt.de. 24 August 2010. https://www.welt.de/kultur/article9173105/Christoph-Waltz-wird-im-Eilverfahren-zum-Oesterreicher.html. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
2. ↑ "Österreichische Staatsbürgerschaft für Christoph Waltz'". *Der Standard*. 8 August 2010. http://derstandard.at/1280984224170/Oesterreichische-Staatsbuergerschaft-fuer-Christoph-Waltz.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Waltz fühlt sich definitiv als Österreicher – Boulevard". Focus.de. 21 January 2011. http://www.focus.de/panorama/boulevard/film-waltz-fuehlt-sich-definitiv-als-oesterreicher\_aid\_543712.html. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
4. ↑ "Christoph Waltz Wins The Academy Award For Best Actor In A Supporting Role". stories99.com. http://stories99.com/2013/02/25/christoph-waltz-wins-the-academy-award-for-best-actor-in-a-supporting-role/. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
5. ↑ Miller, Ross (4 December 2014). "The next James Bond film is called Spectre: new car, poster, and full cast confirmed". https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/4/7327013/james-bond-24-full-cast-title-car-release-date. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
6. ↑ Gettell, Oliver (2 December 2014). "Christoph Waltz". http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/christoph-waltz/. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Badia, Alex; Windolf, Jim (December 9, 2014). "M: Good Day, Christoph Waltz". https://wwd.com/eye/people/m-christoph-waltz-has-a-present-for-you-8057511/. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chalmers, Robert (15 May 2015). "We’ve been expecting you, Mr Waltz". https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/christoph-waltz-spectre-quentin-tarantino-gq-interview. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Lim, Dennis (12 August 2009). "‘Inglourious’ Actor Tastes the Glory", New York Times. Retrieved on 21 August 2009.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Rafanelli, Stephanie (21 December 2017). "A Merry Dance With Mr Christoph Waltz". https://www.mrporter.com/en-us/journal/the-look/a-merry-dance-with-mr-christoph-waltz/2709?setupsession=false. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
11. ↑ Lemke-Matwey, Christine (12 December 2013). "Christoph Waltz" (in German). https://www.zeit.de/2013/51/interview-christoph-waltz-oper-antwerpen-rosenkavalier. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 da Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna (December 11, 2017). "Christoph Waltz, Directing Opera, Moves From Tarantino to Verdi". https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/arts/music/christoph-waltz-verdi-falstaff.html. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
13. ↑ Rose, Steve (13 March 2014). "Zero Theorem: the world according to Christoph Waltz". https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/13/zero-theorem-world-according-to-christoph-waltz. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
14. ↑ Hitz, Julia (4 October 2016). "Hollywood's favorite bad guy Christoph Waltz turns 60". https://www.dw.com/en/hollywoods-favorite-bad-guy-christoph-waltz-turns-60/a-35952043. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
15. ↑ Gross, Terry (December 18, 2012). "'Unchained' Admiration Between Actor And Director". https://www.npr.org/transcripts/167062665. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
16. ↑ "Christoph Waltz und der Sprayer von Zürich" (in German). 27 September 2015. https://www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/zurich-film-festival/christoph-waltz-und-der-sprayer-von-zuerich-ld.2201. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
17. ↑ "IMDB". https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910607/#Director. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
18. ↑ "4oD Drama". https://www.youtube.com/4oDDrama. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
19. ↑ Fleming, Michael (17 May 2009). "Tarantino Reflects On 'Basterds'", *Variety*, Reed Business Information. Retrieved on 18 January 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "BSFC Award Winners – Recent". Thebsfc.org. http://www.thebsfc.org/CurrWin.html. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
21. ↑ Film Awards Winners in 2010 - Film Awards - Film - The BAFTA site Template:Webarchive
22. ↑ "2015 Oscars: Nominees - 87th Academy Awards Nominations". *Oscar.com*. http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees.
23. ↑ "''Inglorious Basterds feature". The National Post. 27 August 2009. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2009/08/27/christoph-waltz-thankful-for-quot-gift-quot-role-of-hans-landa-in-inglorious-basterds.aspx. Retrieved 26 January 2011. Template:Dead link
24. ↑ Template:Citation
25. ↑ Borys Kit (30 September 2011). "Christoph Waltz Dislocates Pelvic Bone During 'Django Unchained' Training". *The Hollywood Reporter*. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christoph-waltz-pelvic-django-unchained-242745. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
26. ↑ "Christoph Waltz Signs to Star Opposite Michael Douglas in Reykjavik". *The Hollywood Reporter*. 15 October 2012. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christoph-waltz-signs-star-opposite-378904. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
27. ↑ Saperstein, Pat (23 April 2013). "Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Ang Lee Among Cannes Jury Members". *Variety*. Reed Business Information. https://variety.com/2013/film/news/nicole-kidman-christopher-waltz-ang-lee-among-cannes-jury-members-1200410650/. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
28. ↑ "Vlaamse Opera | Vlaamse Opera". Vlaamseopera.be. 15 January 2015. https://www.vlaamseopera.be/nl/#!/producties/der-rosenkavalier-1. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
29. ↑ "Berlinale 2014: International Jury". *Berlinale*. http://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/alle/Alle-Detail\_21332.html. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
30. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (2 May 2014). "Weinstein sets awards season dates for Big Eyes, Imitation Game and Eleanor Rigby". Hitfix.com. http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/weinstein-sets-awards-season-dates-for-big-eyes-imitation-game-and-eleanor-rigby. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
31. ↑ Polowy, Kevin (7 November 2015). "So Who Does Christoph Waltz Play in 'SPECTRE'? (Spoilers!)" (in en-US), *Yahoo!*.
32. ↑ Kroll, Justin (12 July 2019). "Christoph Waltz to Return as Blofeld in ‘Bond 25’". *Variety*. https://variety.com/2019/film/news/christoph-waltz-bond-25-blofeld-1203265974/.
33. ↑ Andrews, Helena (6 May 2015). "Actor Christoph Waltz will direct and star in ‘The Worst Marriage in Georgetown’". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2015/05/06/actor-christoph-waltz-will-direct-and-star-in-the-worst-marriage-in-georgetown/. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
34. ↑ Husband, Stuart (28 October 2015). "Christoph Waltz: 'Facebook is a step toward facism'". https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/james-bond-spectre/christoph-waltz-interview/. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
35. ↑ Freydkin, Donna (26 January 2010). "At long last, movie stardom shines on Christoph Waltz", *USA Today*.
36. ↑ "Waltz unchained for Jerusalem wedding". 8 March 2013. https://www.timesofisrael.com/waltz-unchained-for-jerusalem-wedding/. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
37. ↑ Billington, Alex (20 August 2009). "Interview: Col. Hans 'The Jew Hunter' Landa – Christoph Waltz", First Showing. Retrieved on 28 August 2009.
38. ↑ "Waltz to become Austrian citizen". *Wiener Zeitung Online*. 26 August 2010. http://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/english\_news/38618\_Waltz-to-become-Austrian-citizen.html. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
39. ↑ "Waltz to become an Austrian citizen" (26 August 2010). Template:Dead link
40. ↑ McNary, Dave (February 13, 2019). "Director Reclaims Rights to Documentary '21 Years: Quentin Tarantino' (EXCLUSIVE)". https://variety.com/2019/film/news/21-years-quentin-tarantino-director-reclaims-rights-1203137946/. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
41. ↑ Ritman, Alex. "Cannes: Christoph Waltz's Directorial Debut Adds Vanessa Redgrave". http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christoph-waltzs-directorial-debut-georgetown-adds-vanessa-redgrave-1001139. Retrieved 8 May 2017.

## Audiobooks

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

## External links

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

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