Christoph studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar.
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Christoph studied singing and opera at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Career
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
1996
Christoph Waltz in "Du bist nicht allein - Die Roy Black Story".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
1996
Christoph Waltz in "Du bist nicht allein - Die Roy Black Story".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2009
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2009
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2009
Christoph Waltz and Brad Pitt in "Inglourious Basterds".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2009
Christoph Waltz and Denis Ménochet in "Inglourious Basterds".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2011
Christoph Waltz in "Carnage".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2011
Christoph Waltz and Freddie Fox in "The Three Musketeers".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2011
Christoph Waltz and Milla Jovovich in "The Three Musketeers".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2011
Christoph Waltz, John Aylward, E.E. Bell, Brad Greenquist and Tim Guinee in "Water for Elephants".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2011
Christoph Waltz, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson and Tai in "Water for Elephants".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2011
Christoph Waltz in "The Green Hornet".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2011
Christoph Waltz in "The Green Hornet".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2012
Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2012
Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx in "Django Unchained".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2012
Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx in "Django Unchained".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2012
Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2013
Christoph Waltz and David Thewlis in "The Zero Theorem".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2013
Christoph Waltz and Mélanie Thierry in "The Zero Theorem".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2013
Christoph Waltz and David Thewlis in "The Zero Theorem".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2013
Christoph Waltz in "The Zero Theorem".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2013
Christoph Waltz in "The Zero Theorem".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2013
Christoph Waltz and Terry Gilliam in "The Zero Theorem".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2013
Christoph Waltz in "Epic".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2014
Christoph Waltz in "Big Eyes".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2014
Christoph Waltz, Amy Adams and Krysten Ritter in "Big Eyes".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2014
Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine in "Horrible Bosses 2".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2014
Christoph Waltz in "Horrible Bosses 2".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2016
Christoph Waltz in "The Legend of Tarzan".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2016
Christoph Waltz and Ben Chaplin in "The Legend of Tarzan".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2017
Christoph Waltz and Hong Chau in "Downsizing".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2017
Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon and Udo Kier in "Downsizing".
Gallery of Christoph Waltz
2017
Christoph Waltz and Alicia Vikander in "Tulip Fever".
Achievements
2012
Stauffenbergstraße 1, 10785 Berlin, Germany
Christoph Waltz at the Austrian embassy in Berlin, where he received the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, Austrian's highest honor for artists, on June 6, 2012.
Membership
Awards
Bambi Award
2009
Großbeerenstraße 200, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
Christoph Waltz poses with his award during the Bambi Awards show at the Metropolis Hall at the Filmpark Babelsberg, in Potsdam, Germany, on November 26, 2009.
Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award
2009
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Christoph Waltz, the winner of the Best Actor Award for the movie "Inglourious Basterds", attends the Palm d'Or Award Ceremony at the Palais De Festivals during the 62nd Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 24, 2009.
Empire Award
2010
Christoph Waltz poses with the Empire Award for Best Actor.
London Critics' Circle Film Award
2010
222 Marylebone Rd, Marylebone, London NW1 6JQ, United Kingdom
Christoph Waltz during the London Critics' Circle Film Awards at the Landmark Hotel in London, United Kingdom.
Screen Actors Guild Award
2010
665 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States
Christoph Waltz and Diane Kruger hold their awards during the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on January 23, 2010.
Academy Award
2013
6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, United States
Christoph Waltz, holding his Academy Award during the 85th Annual Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Golden Globe Award
2013
9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, United States
Best Actor in a Supporting Role winner Christoph Waltz poses in the photo press room of the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, HFPA, at Hotel Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, United States, on 13 January 2013.
BAFTA Film Award
2013
Bow St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD, United Kingdom
Christoph Waltz holds the award for Best Supporting Actor for "Django Unchained" at the British Academy Film Awards.
Hollywood Film Award
2014
9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, United States
Christoph Waltz presented the Hollywood Film Award for Hollywood Supporting Actress, which went to Keira Knightley for "The Imitation Game".
Christoph Waltz's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
2014
6667 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
Christoph Waltz was inducted with one star into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 1, 2014.
European Film Award
2015
Schaperstraße 24, 10719 Berlin, Germany
Christoph Waltz poses with his award during the European Film Awards at Haus Der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin, Germany, on December 12, 2015.
Christoph Waltz poses with his award during the Bambi Awards show at the Metropolis Hall at the Filmpark Babelsberg, in Potsdam, Germany, on November 26, 2009.
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Christoph Waltz, the winner of the Best Actor Award for the movie "Inglourious Basterds", attends the Palm d'Or Award Ceremony at the Palais De Festivals during the 62nd Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 24, 2009.
665 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States
Christoph Waltz and Diane Kruger hold their awards during the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on January 23, 2010.
Christoph Waltz at the Austrian embassy in Berlin, where he received the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, Austrian's highest honor for artists, on June 6, 2012.
9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, United States
Best Actor in a Supporting Role winner Christoph Waltz poses in the photo press room of the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, HFPA, at Hotel Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, United States, on 13 January 2013.
(Brilliant, flamboyant master criminal Michael Lynch is mo...)
Brilliant, flamboyant master criminal Michael Lynch is more interested in his image and his posterity, than the actual profit from his ill-gotten gains.
(By order of Her Majesty's Foreign Office, Captain Strong ...)
By order of Her Majesty's Foreign Office, Captain Strong (Gary Daniels) is given a dangerous assignment to deliver a delicate communication to the British Ambassador in Kazakhstan.
(In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to as...)
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish United States soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
(Following the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to hi...)
Following the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father's large company, teams up with his late dad's assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team.
(The hot-headed young D'Artagnan along with three former l...)
The hot-headed young D'Artagnan along with three former legendary, but now down on their luck Musketeers, must unite and defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war.
(Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their s...)
Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the discussion into chaos.
(A hugely talented, but socially isolated computer operato...)
A hugely talented, but socially isolated computer operator is tasked by Management to prove the Zero Theorem: that the universe ends as nothing, rendering life meaningless. But meaning is what he already craves.
(While on a grand world tour, The Muppets find themselves ...)
While on a grand world tour, The Muppets find themselves wrapped into an European jewel-heist caper, headed by a Kermit the Frog look-alike and his dastardly sidekick.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LTYWNPG
2014
Horrible Bosses 2
(Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business, b...)
Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business, but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor, prompting the trio to pull off a harebrained and misguided kidnapping scheme.
(A drama about the awakening of painter Margaret Keane, he...)
A drama about the awakening of painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950's and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960's.
(A cryptic message from James Bond's past sends him on a t...)
A cryptic message from James Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover the existence of a sinister organisation, named SPECTRE. With a new threat dawning, Bond learns the terrible truth about the author of all his pain in his most recent missions.
(A social satire, in which a man realizes he would have a ...)
A social satire, in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he was to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.
Christoph Waltz is a notable German-Austrian actor and director, who gained prominence for his gleefully arch comic performances. However, he is best-known for his work with American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and for portrayal of SS officer Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds" (2009) and bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz in "Jango Unchained" (2012).
Since 2009, Christoph has been mainly active in the United States.
Background
Ethnicity:
Waltz is a son of a German-born Johannes Waltz and an Austrian-born Elisabeth Urbancic.
Christoph Waltz was born on October 4, 1956, in Vienna, Austria. He is a son of Johannes Waltz, a German set designer, and Elisabeth Urbancic, an Austrian costume designer. It's also worth noting, that Christoph was born into the family of theatrical heritage: his maternal grandmother, Maria Mayen, was Burgtheater and silent film actress, and his step-grandfather, Emmerich Reimers, and his great-grandfather, Georg Reimers, were both stage actors, who also appeared in silent films. As for Christoph's maternal grandfather, Rudolf von Urban, he was a psychiatrist and a student of Sigmund Freud.
Christoph's father passed away, when he was seven years old. Then, his mother married composer and conductor Alexander Steinbrecher, who was earlier married to the mother of director Michael Haneke. Thus, Waltz and Haneke were both stepsons of the same composer.
Education
Christoph developed a passion for opera in his early years. The first opera, that he saw, was "Turandot" with Birgit Nilsson in the lead role. Besides, as a child, Waltz developed an interest in theatre and had a strong desire to become an opera singer.
In his later years, Christoph graduated from Theresianum in Vienna. Then, he continued his education at the Max Reinhardt Seminar, where he studied acting. At the time, when Waltz attended the educational establishment, he also studied singing and opera at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. However, he didn't like his voice and thought it wasn't good enough for an opera singer.
In the years, that followed, Christoph lived in New York City for some time, where he studied under the guidance of Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler. It was Stella Adler, with whom Waltz studied script interpretation.
In the late 1970's, Waltz made a few appearances in Austrian television movies and a West German TV-series and went on in the succeeding decades to have an astonishingly prolific, but low-key career in European film and television. In addition, he regularly performed onstage. By the 1990's, Waltz had become a familiar presence on British and Austrian TV crime shows and comedies, with occasional forays onto the big screen. While it was a financially rewarding career, Waltz, by his own account, found it to be creatively unfulfilling.
Everything changed, when Waltz auditioned for the part of Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino's World War II fantasy "Inglourious Basterds" (2009). Tarantino had begun to despair of finding an actor, who could bring life to the role, until he heard Waltz, who, for his part, credited Tarantino for reviving his love of acting. The role of the terrifyingly charming killer, the villain of the anti-Nazi revenge story, was perfectly suited to Waltz's talents, and, though Brad Pitt had the leading role in the movie, it was Waltz's multifaceted performance, that caught the attention of audiences and critics alike. The tour de force garnered him best supporting actor awards at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, as well as an award for best actor at the Cannes film festival. The breakout role led to parts in other American movies, among them "Water for Elephants", "The Three Musketeers" and "Carnage" (all released in 2011).
Waltz's second collaboration with Tarantino, in "Django Unchained" (2012), proved just as incendiary as the first. His character - one of the heroes of a revenge fantasy, set in the antebellum American South - was complex, troubling and delightful. Waltz flawlessly inhabited the role of the erudite dentist, turned bounty hunter. He again earned best supporting actor awards at the Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTAs. Waltz then starred in director Terry Gilliam's dystopian science-fiction drama "The Zero Theorem" (2013). He appeared as the manipulative husband of painter Margaret Keane in Tim Burton's "Big Eyes" (2014), as the villain Oberhauser in the James Bond film "Spectre" (2015) and as Belgian colonist Leon Rom (a historical figure, known for his cruelty in the Congo Free State) in the adventure film "The Legend of Tarzan" (2016).
In 2017, Waltz starred in the historical drama "Tulip Fever" and in "Downsizing", a satire about people, who elect to undergo a medical procedure, that causes them to shrink. Also, he directed a production of the opera Falstaff at the Vlaamse Opera, in Antwerp in late 2017 and in Ghent in early 2018.
In 2019, Waltz appeared in "Alita: Battle Angel". Also, in 2019, he directed his first feature film, "Georgetown", a crime drama, in which he starred as a real-life social climber, accused of killing his wealthy wife.
(Six friends, one killer, no mercy. Slow moving thriller, ...)
2000
Religion
Christoph Waltz is a Christian.
Views
Quotations:
"You can't always do the extraordinary, in between you have to do the ordinary. Because if you didn't, what would constitute the extraordinary?"
"Becoming an actor is like becoming a father. It's not hard to become one. Making a life of it is the challenge."
"You need the villain. If you don't have a villain, the good guy can stay home."
"Facts can be so misleading, where rumors, true or false, are often revealing."
"You're always being cast for what you've been in last."
"If the shoe fits, you must wear it."
"It's a wonderful narrative device to bring someone from the outside and look through his eyes if you want to describe the absurdity and preposterous reality, that is accepted amongst the ones, who are inside."
"I'm not really all that familiar with comic book culture."
"I have always been so interested in film as a medium."
"I'm very bad with improvisation. I hate it."
"I don't like to read novelizations of movies."
"I'm open to working anywhere, but not on anything."
Personality
Christoph is fluent in German, English and French and is skilled at mimicking Italian speech.
Christoph loves opera. His favorite opera composer is Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti.
Waltz is pictured on an 80c Austrian postage stamp, issued on July 12, 2017.
Physical Characteristics:
Waltz's height is approximately 170 cm and his weight is about 70 kg. He is a blonde-haired man with dark brown eyes.
Interests
Music & Bands
opera
Connections
Jackie Waltz, an Ashkenazi Jewish psychotherapist, is Christoph's ex-wife. Their marriage produced three children - Miriam Waltz, Leon Waltz and Rachel Waltz. Judith Holste, a German costume designer, is Waltz's second wife. Their marriage produced one daughter. Christoph and Judith divide their time between Berlin and Los Angeles.
in 2010, for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2010, for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with Daniel Brühl, August Diehl and others
in 2010, for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2010, for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with Daniel Brühl, August Diehl and others
in 2010, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2013, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
in 2010, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2013, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
in 2010, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2013, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
in 2010, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2013, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
in 2002, for Fiction/Entertainment, for "Der Tanz mit dem Teufel - Die Entführung des Richard Oetker" (2001), shared with Peter Keglevic (director), Sebastian Koch (actor) and Tobias Moretti (actor);
in 2004, for Fiction/Entertainment, for "Dienstreise - Was für eine Nacht" (2002), shared with Stephan Wagner (director) and Armin Rohde (lead actor)
in 2002, for Fiction/Entertainment, for "Der Tanz mit dem Teufel - Die Entführung des Richard Oetker" (2001), shared with Peter Keglevic (director), Sebastian Koch (actor) and Tobias Moretti (actor);
in 2004, for Fiction/Entertainment, for "Dienstreise - Was für eine Nacht" (2002), shared with Stephan Wagner (director) and Armin Rohde (lead actor)
EDA Award,
United States
in 2009, from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
in 2009, from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
Austin Film Critics Association Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2012, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2012, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
Awards Circuit Community Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Cast Ensemble, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent and others
in 2009, for Best Cast Ensemble, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent and others
All Def Movie Award
in 2016, for Most Helpful White Person, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
in 2016, for Most Helpful White Person, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
Bavarian TV Award,
Germany
in 1997, for Best Actor in a Movie, Made for Television, for "Du bist nicht allein - Die Roy Black Story" (1996)
in 1997, for Best Actor in a Movie, Made for Television, for "Du bist nicht allein - Die Roy Black Story" (1996)
Boston Society of Film Critics Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2011, for Best Ensemble Cast, for "Carnage" (2011), shared with Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and John C. Reilly
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2011, for Best Ensemble Cast, for "Carnage" (2011), shared with Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and John C. Reilly
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
Critics' Choice Movie Award
in 2010, from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
in 2010, from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
CinEuphoria Award
in 2010, for Best Supporting Actor - International Competition, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2010, for Best Ensemble - International Competition, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with August Diehl, Brad Pitt and others
in 2010, for Best Supporting Actor - International Competition, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2010, for Best Ensemble - International Competition, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with August Diehl, Brad Pitt and others
Florida Film Critics Circle Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
German Television Award,
Germany
in 2003, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Jagd auf den Flammenmann" (2003)
in 2003, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Jagd auf den Flammenmann" (2003)
Gold Derby Award,
United States
in 2010, for Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2010, for Ensemble Cast, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with Daniel Brühl, August Diehl and others
in 2010, for Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2010, for Ensemble Cast, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with Daniel Brühl, August Diehl and others
Houston Film Critics Society Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
Iowa Film Critics Award,
United States
in 2010, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
in 2010, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
Italian Online Movie Award,
Italy
in 2010, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2013, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
in 2010, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2013, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Django Unchained" (2012)
in 2010, for Best International Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
in 2010, for Best International Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
New York Film Critics Online Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2009, for Breakthrough Performance, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
in 2009, for Best Supporting Actor, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2009, for Breakthrough Performance, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009)
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award,
United States
in 2009, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2009, for Best Acting Ensemble, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with Daniel Brühl, August Diehl and others
in 2009, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009);
in 2009, for Best Acting Ensemble, for "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), shared with Daniel Brühl, August Diehl and others
Santa Barbara International Film Festival Cinema Vanguard Award,
United States