Andreas Wisniewski (born 3 July 1959) is a German actor and former dancer. He is best known for his portrayals of

Necros Necros was an early American hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio, although they are usually identified with the Detroit music scene. They were the first band to record for Touch and Go Records. History Necros was formed in mid-1975 by then-t ...

in the 1987

Bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemical ...

film ''

The Living Daylights ''The Living Daylights'' is a 1987 spy film, the fifteenth entry in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, the film's ...

'', Max's companion in the 1996 film '' Mission: Impossible'', and as one of Hans Gruber's henchmen, Tony, in 1988's ''

Die Hard ''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan, with a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. Based on the 1979 novel '' Nothing Lasts Forever'', by Roderick Thorp, it stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Ale ...

''.

Life and career

Wisniewski was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, to a Polish father and a German mother, and spent the early part of his life dancing before turning to acting. Wisniewski made his big-screen debut in ''

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

'' (1986), a film about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, in which Wisniewski plays the role of Fletcher. Probably his biggest film came the following year in 1987

film ''

''. The Wisniewski portrays lethal hitman

, who over the course of the film impersonates a Cockney milkman, an American jogger, an Austrian balloon salesman, and a doctor in Morocco. His next mainstream role was as one of Hans Gruber's (

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

) henchmen, Tony, in the 1988 film ''

''. Wisniewski disappeared from the big screen only to reappear in the TV shows ''

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

'', ''

Mann & Machine ''Mann & Machine'' is an American science fiction/police drama television series that aired for nine episodes on NBC from April 5 to July 14, 1992. Synopsis Created by Dick Wolf and Robert De Laurentis, the series starred Yancy Butler as Sgt. Ev ...

'' and ''

Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 ...

'' where he played Arthur, the bear. He reappeared on the big screen in the 1995 science fiction film ''

Death Machine ''Death Machine'' is a 1994 science fiction horror film written and directed by Stephen Norrington. It stars Brad Dourif, Ely Pouget, William Hootkins, John Sharian, and Richard Brake. Rachel Weisz, still early in her career at the time of t ...

'' playing Weyland, and again in 1996 in a non-speaking role as Max's companion in another box office smash, '' Mission: Impossible''. Wisniewski soon starred in a string of German films, after which he reappeared to UK audiences in an episode of the TV series '' Lock, Stock...The Series'' based on the gangster film by

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the ''Sherlock Holmes'' films starring Robert Downey Jr. Ritchie left school at age 15 and wor ...

, where he played mullet-wearing Heinrich who accidentally commits suicide by shooting himself in the head playing a film game. Two years later he was in an episode of the ITV hit series ''

Ultimate Force ''Ultimate Force'' is a British television action drama series that was shown on ITV, which deals with the activities of Red Troop of the SAS (Special Air Service). The first episode was broadcast on 16 September 2002, and a total of four seri ...

'' alongside popular soap opera star

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...

playing Serbian terrorist Savo Glasnovic. Wisniewski hit the screens (although his face is never seen) in the UK again in 2008 after a six-year break when he co-starred in Mark Tonderai's cat-and-mouse thriller ''

Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi * ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...

''. Wisniewski has also appeared in two music videos. He was in the video "

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

", sung by the girl group

Bananarama Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Thei ...

, and also appeared as a soldier in the background of

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's video "

Nikita Nikita may refer to: * Nikita (given name) * Nikita, Crimea, a town in Crimea * Nikita the Tanner, a character in East Slavic folklore Film and television *''Little Nikita'', a 1988 film * ''La Femme Nikita'' (film), also known as ''Nikita'', a 19 ...

", where can be seen as Elton John's

Bentley Continental Bentley Continental refers to several models of cars produced by Bentley Motors. Originally, it referred to a special chassis for engines more powerful than the usual offering, supplied to a selected number of coachbuilders for the fitting of ...

pulls up to the security gate. In 2001 Wisniewski turned his hand to directing, making the short film ''Inspiration'', starring English actors Danny Webb and Christine Adams. Another Andreas Wisniewski, credited in the

bio-pic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

Surviving Picasso ''Surviving Picasso'' is a 1996 Merchant Ivory film directed by James Ivory and starring Anthony Hopkins as the famous painter Pablo Picasso. It was produced by Ismail Merchant and David L. Wolper. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's screenplay was loosely bas ...

'' alongside

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

, is a different actor. Wisniewski has kept a low profile since this time to spend time with his family and children and to concentrate on

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. He made a rare British TV appearance in ITV's police drama ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

''. He appeared on 10 July 2008 in the episode ''Gun Runner: Pay and Spray'', in which he played a short one-minute role as a Russian criminal 'Dimitri' purchasing guns and ammunition. Fifteen years after his first appearance in a ''Mission: Impossible''-film, he had another non-speaking part in 2011's '' Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol'', playing the same character from the first film of the series- though working for a different employer, he and Ethan smile as they recognise each other, and he makes Ethan wear a near-identical mask as in the first movie.

Personal life

Wisniewski has three children and lives in Berlin. He is a practising

Zen Buddhist Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Filmography

*''

'' (1986) .... Fletcher *''

Aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

'' (1987) .... (segment "Nessun dorma") *''

'' (1987) .... Necros *''

'' (1988) .... Tony *''Superboy'' (1989, TV Series) .... Android *''Northern Exposure'' (1992, TV Series) .... Arthur *''

'' (1993, TV Series) .... John Stepka *'' The Hit List'' (1993) .... Lance *''

'' (1995) .... Weyland *'' Mission: Impossible'' (1996) .... Max's Companion *''

'' (1996) .... German Soldier *'' Supply & Demand'' (1997, TV Movie) .... John Howard *'' Kidnapping Mom & Dad'' (1998, TV Movie) .... Holger *'' The Tribe'' (1998) .... Lieutenant *''

Urban Ghost Story ''Urban Ghost Story'' is a 1998 British horror film directed by Geneviève Jolliffe, written by Geneviève Jolliffe and Chris Jones, and starring Jason Connery, Nicola Stapleton, Billy Boyd, Stephanie Buttle, and Heather Ann Foster. It is set ...

'' (1998) .... Quinn *''Heroes and Other Cowards'' (1998) .... Ernesto *'' The Waiting Time'' (1999, TV Movie) .... Ernst Raub *'' Lock, Stock...The Series'' (2000, TV Series) .... Heinrich *''

'' (2002, TV Series) .... Savo Glasnovic *''Essential Music Videos: Classic '80s'' (2004) .... (Segment 'Venus') *''

'' (2008) .... Tarman *''

'' (2008, TV Series) .... Dimitri *'' The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior'' (2008) .... Pollux *''

Centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...

'' (2010) .... Commander Gratus *''

Urban Explorer Urban exploration (often shortened as UE, urbex and sometimes known as roof and tunnel hacking) is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment. Photography and historical inte ...

'' (2011) .... Neo-Nazi *'' Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol'' (2011) .... The Fog's Contact *''Bela Kiss: Prologue'' (2013) .... Private Charles Nagy (voice) *''Instrument of War'' (2017) .... Karl Herrmann

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisniewski, Andreas 1959 births Living people German actors Polish actors German people of Polish descent German Buddhists Polish Buddhists Converts to Buddhism German Zen Buddhists Polish Zen Buddhists German expatriates in England