Daniel César Martín Brühl González
(; ; born 16 June 1978
) is a German and Spanish actor. He has received various accolades, including three
European Film Awards
The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mos ...
and three
German Film Awards, along with nominations for two
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
and a
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
. He received his first
German Film Award
The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the Cinema of Germany, German film industry. Besides being ...
for
Best Actor for his roles in ''
Das Weisse Rauschen'' (2001), ''Nichts Bereuen'' (2001), and ''Vaya con Dios'' (2002). His starring role in the German film ''
Good Bye, Lenin!
''Good Bye, Lenin!'' is a 2003 German tragicomedy film, directed by Wolfgang Becker. The cast includes Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, and Maria Simon. The story follows a family in East Germany (GDR); the mother (Sass) is ded ...
'' (2003) received widespread recognition and critical acclaim, and garnered him the
European Film Award for
Best Actor and another German Film Award for Best Actor.
He was introduced to mainstream international audiences through his breakthrough performance as Fredrick Zoller, a Nazi German war hero in
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
's ''
Inglourious Basterds
''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...
'' (2009), and appearances in films like ''
The Bourne Ultimatum'' (2007), ''
The Fifth Estate'' (2013), and ''
A Most Wanted Man'' (2014). Brühl received widespread critical acclaim and further recognition for his portrayal of former Formula 1 driver
Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian racing driver, motorsport executive and aviation entrepreneur, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Lauda won three Formula One World Drivers' Champ ...
in the biographical film ''
Rush'' (2013), for which he earned nominations including the
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, the
Critic's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor, the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor and the
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognise an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performan ...
.
In the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
, Brühl portrays
Helmut Zemo
Helmut Zemo is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella and Sal Buscema, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Captain America (comic book), Captain America'' #16 ...
in ''
Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) and the
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
series ''
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' (2021). He also starred as Dr. Laszlo Kreizler in the
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
- and
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
-nominated period drama television series ''
The Alienist
''The Alienist'' is a crime novel by Caleb Carr first published in 1994 and is the first book in the Kreizler series. It takes place in New York City in 1896, and includes appearances by many famous figures of New York society in that era, in ...
'' (2018–2020), for which he earned a nomination for the
Golden Globe Award as Best Actor in a Television Motion Picture at the
76th Golden Globe Awards in 2018.
Early life
Brühl was born on 16 June 1978 in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. His father was the German TV director and documentarian Hanno Brühl, who was born in
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, Brazil. His mother is Marisa González Domingo, a Spanish teacher. Shortly after his birth, the family moved from Spain to
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, Germany, where he grew up. He was raised speaking Spanish, German, Catalan, Portuguese and French.
He attended secondary school at the
Dreikönigsgymnasium
The Dreikönigsgymnasium ("Tricoronatum", meaning "Three Kings School", sometimes referred to in English as the College of the Three Crowns) is a regular public Gymnasium located in Cologne, Germany. Founded in 1450 by the city of Cologne, it is ...
, the oldest school in Cologne.
Career
1995–2002: Early work
Brühl began acting at a young age despite not having any formal training as an actor. He participated in children's theater at school and first earned money at age 8 doing radio plays, followed by work in a dubbing studio leading to one of the dubbing actors to recommend the teenager to a talent agency. At age 15, Brühl landed a small part in the TV film ''Svens Geheimnis'', played the street kid Benji in the soap opera ''
Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love)''(1995), and continued to feature in television series in the following years. In 1999, he appeared in his film debut as Checo in ''Paradise Mall'' (''Schlaraffenland'') and voiced Kom in the German version of ''
Le château des singes.'' In 2000, he starred in his first main role as Markus Baasweiler in ''
No More School'' (''Schule''), and was cast as Jay in ''
Deeply''.
In 2001, he continued to play main roles as the schizophrenic Lukas in
Hans Weingartner's critically acclaimed debut film
''Das Weisse Rauschen'' ''(The White Sound),'' as Daniel in ''Nichts Bereuen (No Regrets)'', and as Marek in ''Honolulu''. In 2002, he starred as Arbo in ''
Vaya con Dios'' and as boxer Marko Stemper in ''Elefantenherz (Elephant Heart)''. He won the
German Film Award
The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the Cinema of Germany, German film industry. Besides being ...
(2002) for Best Actor, the
Bavarian Film Award (2001) for Best New Actor, and the
New Faces Award (2002) for Best Actor for his performance in ''Das Weisse Rauschen'', ''Nichts Bereuen'', and ''Vaya con Dios''. He won the
German Film Critics Award (2003) for Best Actor for ''Das Weisse Rauschen'' and ''Vaya con Dios.'' For ''Das Weisse Rauschen'', Brühl insisted on meeting someone with paranoid schizophrenia to avoid the risk of making the character look clichéd. Two decades later, he still considers it his most difficult character to portray and comments that "It was important for me to explore my own madness, to believe in what I was doing and to convince myself that I was suffering from that disease, so it was quite difficult." The film has been widely cited by the academic community in discussing and understanding schizophrenia due to its realistic portrayal.
2003–2008: Breakthrough and early success
Brühl's international breakthrough role came in 2003 as Alex Kerner in
Wolfgang Becker's German tragicomedy ''
Good Bye, Lenin!
''Good Bye, Lenin!'' is a 2003 German tragicomedy film, directed by Wolfgang Becker. The cast includes Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, and Maria Simon. The story follows a family in East Germany (GDR); the mother (Sass) is ded ...
'' which tells about a German family that lived during the unification of Germany. The film became one of the most successful German films to date, receiving nominations at the
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
and the
BAFTA Awards
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...
and winning at the
European Film Awards
The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mos ...
,
German Film Award
The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the Cinema of Germany, German film industry. Besides being ...
s,
Cesar Awards, and
London Film Critics' Circle
The London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known internationally.
The word London was added because it was thought the term Critics' Circle Film Awards did not convey the full context of the ...
among others. It was sold to more than 65 countries, reaching an estimated six million cinema-goers worldwide. In that year, Brühl won awards including the European Film Awards Peoples's Choice Award for Best European Actor and the
European Film Award for Best Actor for the role. He also won his second German Film Award as Best Actor for both his performance in the film and in ''Elefantenherz''. He then voiced Kenai in the German version of
''Brother Bear''.
Brühl reached further recognition in 2004 reuniting with filmmaker Hans Weingartner and starring as the anti-capitalist activist Jan in the internationally successful film
''The Edukators (Die Fetten Jahre sind vorbei)''. The film became a
cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
as part of a "German New Wave" and received a 10-minute standing ovation at its premier at the 2004
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world.
Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
where it was nominated for the
Palme d'Or
The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...
. Brühl earned a nomination for the
European Film Award for Best Actor for his role. At the same time, he won the European Film Awards Peoples's Choice Award for Best European Actor for his role as Paul in ''
Love in Thoughts'' of which plot is based on the Steglitz student tragedy involving two teenagers who created a suicide club.
In the same year, Brühl made his English-speaking film debut in ''
Ladies in Lavender'', starring alongside English actresses
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
and
Maggie Smith
Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (28 December 1934 – 27 September 2024) was a British actress. Known for her wit in both comedic and dramatic roles, she had List of Maggie Smith performances, an extensive career on stage and screen for over seve ...
as Andrea Marowski, and met
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
who attended its premiere.
He also played Frank in '. Brühl featured as Lieutenant Horstmayer of the German 93rd Infantry Regiment, a central character in the 2005 film ''
Joyeux Noël'', a trilingual World War I film based on the experiences of French, German and Scottish soldiers during the
Christmas truce
The Christmas truce (; ; ) was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of the First World War around Christmas 1914.
The truce occurred five months after hostilities had begun. Lulls occurred in the fighting a ...
of 1914. The film shows Brühl's linguistic ability as he ably communicates in German, French and English throughout.
In 2006, he was invited to be part of the short film and Cinéfondation juries of the Cannes Film Festival. He starred as Chris in
''Cargo'' and Karl in
''A Friend of Mine'', voiced
Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen is a fictional anthropomorphic stock car and the protagonist of the Disney/Pixar ''Cars'' franchise. He was developed by John Lasseter and co-director Joe Ranft from a story concept by Jorgen Klubien. Lightning's appearances ...
in the German version of
''Cars'' and reprised his voice-over role as Kenai in the German version of ''
Brother Bear 2
''Brother Bear 2'' is a 2006 American animated direct-to-video romantic fantasy comedy film, and the sequel to the 2003 animated feature film ''Brother Bear'', which was released on August 29, 2006. Melissa Etheridge contributed three songs to t ...
''. In Cannes-nominated film ''
Salvador (Puig Antich),'' he played
Salvador Puig Antich, a Spanish anarchist executed during the
Franco era, marking his first time acting in his second language.
In 2007, Brühl made a cameo appearance in ''
2 Days in Paris'', a romantic comedy film directed by French actress
Julie Delpy. He appeared in a small role as Martin Kreutz in the film ''
The Bourne Ultimatum.'' In 2008, he starred in the British-Russian production ''
In Transit'', in which he played a young Nazi soldier named Klaus opposite
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...
. He also played Tonda in ''
Krabat,'' which was based on a popular German children's story, and Marcos in ''A Bit of Chocolate''.
2009–2015: Worldwide recognition and critical acclaim
In 2009, Brühl starred as
Dr. Georg Rosen, a notable member of the
International Safety Zone Committee in Nanjing, China, in the German-Chinese-French biographical film
''John Rabe''. He played Amaro in ''Las madres de Elna'', István Thurzó in Julie Delpy's third directorial film ''
The Countess,'' Tobias Hardmann in ', and David Kern in ''
Lila, Lila''. He was introduced to mainstream U.S. audiences in the role of Fredrick Zoller, a German war hero in
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
's ''
Inglourious Basterds
''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...
,'' starring
Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
, which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival to widespread acclaim. The film won multiple awards and nominations, among them 8
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nominations including
Best Picture. He and his co-stars won ensemble cast awards including the
. In May, Brühl decided to become active in a different field of filmmaking by launching the production company Fouronfilm together with Film1.
In 2010, he starred as Rupert in ''King's Road'' (''Kóngavegur 7'') and as Hans Krämer in ''
The Coming Days'' (''Die kommenden Tage''). In 2011, he starred as cybernetics engineer Álex Garel employed by his former university to design robot software in ''Eva'', a science fiction film set in the year 2041''.'' He portrayed English teacher
Konrad Koch who introduced Britain's football to his students in late 19th century Germany in ''
Lessons of a Dream'' (''Der ganz große Traum''). He played the Oak Fairy in ''
2 Days in New York'' and starred as ethnology student Dirk whose thesis is on the aging population in ''
All Together'' (''Et si on vivait tous ensemble?'') alongside
Jane Fonda
Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...
and
Geraldine Chaplin
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress whose long career has included multilingual roles in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German films.
Geraldine is a daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of his eigh ...
. He also co-starred as Father Antonio with
Clive Owen
Clive Owen (born 3 October 1964) is an English actor. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for playing the lead role in the ITV series '' Chancer'' from 1990 to 1991. He received critical acclaim for his work in the film '' Close ...
in the horror thriller ''
Intruders''. In 2012, he starred as Iván Pelayo in ''
Winning Streak
A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least three wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties. In sports, it can be applied to te ...
'' (''The Pelayos'') and as Leonardo in ''
7 Days in Havana''.
In 2013, he co-starred in ''
The Fifth Estate'', a film based on the founding of ''
WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks () is a non-profit media organisation and publisher of leaked documents. It is funded by donations and media partnerships. It has published classified documents and other media provided by anonymous sources. It was founded in 2006 by ...
'' in which Brühl played co-founder
Daniel Domscheit-Berg alongside
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurenc ...
as
Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He came to international attention in 2010 after WikiLeaks published a series of News leak, leaks from Chels ...
. In the same year, Brühl portrayed former Formula 1 driver
Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian racing driver, motorsport executive and aviation entrepreneur, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Lauda won three Formula One World Drivers' Champ ...
in the
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...
biographical film ''
Rush'' opposite
Chris Hemsworth
Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, and Bulman, Northern Territory, he rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series ''Home and Away'' (2004� ...
. After he was cast, he took
Formula Three
Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers.
History
Formula Three (adop ...
lessons and later more lessons with Hemsworth. He came to Vienna to meet Lauda who also flew him to the Brazilian Grand Prix to feel the racing atmosphere where he watched in the pit with the
Mercedes team, putting on an earpiece to listen to conversations, and spoke to Formula 1 drivers. He had to endure seven hours of prosthetics daily during taping as his face structure was altered to take on Lauda's features. Brühl added layers that are different from Lauda to find the right balance of not just imitating the person, but also being creative. The film was a commercial and critical success. For his authentic portrayal of Lauda in terms of accent and mannerisms, he received multiple award nominations including the
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, the
Critic's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor, the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor and the
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognise an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performan ...
.
In 2014, he starred in ''
A Most Wanted Man'' as Maximilian alongside
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character actor, character roles—eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical productio ...
and
Rachel McAdams
Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from York University in 2001 with a BFA in theatre, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, such as the drama film '' Perfect Pie'' (2002), ...
, in ''
The Face of an Angel'' as Thomas, and in the series ''
The Trip'' as a patron at Terrace Bar. In 2015, Brühl was part of the
Berlinale
The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
jury along with
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion ...
,
Audrey Tautou
Audrey Justine Tautou (; born 9 August 1976) is a French actress. She made her acting debut at age 18 on television, and her feature film debut in '' Venus Beauty Institute'' (1999), for which she received critical acclaim and won the César Awa ...
, and
Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon Ho (, ; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean filmmaker. Bong Joon Ho filmography, His work is characterized by emphasis on social and class themes, genre fiction, genre-mixing, black comedy, dark comedy, and sudden tone shifts. ...
among others. He reunited with director Wolfang Becker in one of his best performances as young writer Sebastian Zöllner in ''
Me and Kaminski''
and played Austrian investigative journalist
Hubertus Czernin in the biographical drama ''
Woman in Gold'' alongside
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...
and
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...
. He co-starred with
Emma Watson
Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress. Known for her roles in both Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Emma Watson, ...
and
Michael Nyqvist
Rolf Åke Mikael Nyqvist (; 8 November 1960 – 27 June 2017) was a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known for playing police officer Banck in the 1997–1998 Martin Beck TV series and for his leading role ...
in ''
Colonia.'' He also played
maître d'hôtel
The ; ), head waiter, host, waiter captain, or ''maître d'' ( , ) manages the public part, or "front of the house", of a formal restaurant. The responsibilities of a ''maître d'hôtel'' generally include supervising the waiting staff, welcom ...
Tony Balerdi in ''
Burnt'' alongside
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
. In preparation for the role, he was trained as a maître d' in
Marcus Wareing
Marcus Wareing (born 29 June 1970) is an English celebrity chef who was Chef-Owner of the one- Michelin-starred restaurant Marcus until its permanent closure in December 2023. Since 2014, Wareing has been a judge on '' MasterChef: The Professiona ...
's
Michelin
Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
-star restaurant in London. Brühl said that since he has done the film, he has much more respect and appreciation for food, taking his time while eating and tasting, imagining the incredible effort behind it. In the same year, Brühl became a partner at Berlin- and Hamburg-based production company Amusement Park Film as a producer.
2016–present: Marvel Cinematic Universe and continued acclaim
In 2016, Brühl starred as Escherich in ''
Alone in Berlin'', and convicted murderer
Jens Söring in
''Killing for Love''. Brühl played the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
supervillain
Helmut Zemo
Helmut Zemo is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella and Sal Buscema, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Captain America (comic book), Captain America'' #16 ...
alongside
Chris Evans and
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. One of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide. In 2008, Downey was named by ''Time ...
in one of the most critically acclaimed films in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
, ''
Captain America: Civil War'' (2016). In
Niki Caro's World War II film ''
The Zookeeper's Wife'' (2017) about a married couple who saved hundreds of Jews, Brühl played Nazi zoologist
Lutz Heck
Ludwig Georg Heinrich Heck, called Lutz Heck (23 April 1892 in Berlin, German Empire – 6 April 1983 in Wiesbaden, West Germany) was a German zoologist, animal researcher, animal book author and director of the Berlin Zoological Garden where he ...
, who forced
Jan and Antonina Żabiński to abandon the
Warsaw Zoo. He starred as Ernst Schmidt in ''
The Cloverfield Paradox
''The Cloverfield Paradox'' is a 2018 American science fiction horror film directed by Julius Onah and written by Oren Uziel, from a story by Uziel and Doug Jung, and produced by J. J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber. It is the third film in the ...
,'' an installment in the
Cloverfield
''Cloverfield'' is a 2008 American Found footage (film technique), found footage monster movie, monster horror film directed by Matt Reeves and written by Drew Goddard. It stars Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller (in his film debut), Mic ...
franchise, and as
Wilfried Böse, a founding member of the German organization
Revolutionary Cells, in the action thriller
''Entebbe'' ''(7 Days in Entebbe)'' which recounts the story of
Operation Entebbe
The Entebbe raid, also known as the Operation Entebbe and officially codenamed Operation Thunderbolt (also retroactively codenamed Operation Yonatan), was a 1976 Israeli counter-terrorist mission in Uganda. It was launched in response to th ...
.
From 2018 to 2020, he played the title role as Dr. Laszlo Kreizler in
''The Alienist'', an American period crime drama series based on the 1994 novel by
Caleb Carr
Caleb Carr (August 2, 1955 – May 23, 2024) was an American military historian and author. Carr was the second of three sons born to Lucien Carr and Francesca Von Hartz.
Carr authored '' The Alienist'', '' The Angel of Darkness'', '' Casing t ...
, alongside
Luke Evans and
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning (born February 23, 1994) is an American actress. Fanning is known for her roles in blockbuster films and independent features, both as a child actor and as an adult. Her accolades include nominations for a Golden Globe A ...
. In his preparation, Brühl read about famous pioneering psychologists of the time (
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
,
Josef Breuer
Josef Breuer ( ; ; 15 January 1842 – 20 June 1925) was an Austrian physician who made discoveries in neurophysiology, and whose work during the 1880s with his patient Bertha Pappenheim, known as Anna O., led to the development of the "cathart ...
, and
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...
) and went to psychotherapy in Budapest just to get an understanding of the way they worked and thought. His wife Felicitas, a practicing psychotherapist, also put him in touch with criminal psychologists. In 2019, he received nominations for the
Golden Globe Award as Best Actor in a Television Motion Picture and the
Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role in the series which was nominated at the
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
as Outstanding Limited Series and the
Golden Globe Awards as Best Television Motion Picture. In the same year, he played fertility physician Thomas in ''
My Zoe'' (2019) which was his first foray into executive production.
2021 marked Brühl's directorial debut through his dark comedy film ''
Next Door'' (''Nebenan''), which premiered in the ''Berlinale Competition'' section at the
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
as a
Golden Bear
The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...
nominee, wherein he also acted as Daniel, a vain and mean version of himself. The film won as Best Film and Brühl won as Best Actor in the
Taormina Film Fest
Taormina Film Fest (TFF) is an annual film festival that takes place at Taormina, Sicily, Italy, in July. It was established in 1955 in Messina, and in 1957 became Rassegna Cinematografica Internazionale di Messina e Taormina, until it moved per ...
ival.
He reprised his role as Helmut Zemo in the
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
series ''
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier''.
His dancing which he improvised in ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' became viral and was released in the
Zemo Cut. He also starred in the Academy Award-nominated Netflix film ''
All Quiet on the Western Front'' in which he played
Matthias Erzberger.
Reception and acting style
The roles Brühl takes on are often morally complex characters, men who are suffering with a deep-seated darkness that threatens to weigh down their inherent humanity.
He has utilized
method acting
Method acting, known as the Method, is a range of rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, understanding, and expe ...
since the beginning of his career. A German and Spanish national, he has played at least ten different nationalities (Polish, Spanish, French, Hungarian, German, Austrian, British, American, Argentine and a fictional Sokovian) and in his films has spoken English, Spanish, German, and French comfortably, as well as Polish, Russian, and Chinese. Writing for ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' in 2018, Katie Kilkenny said: "If Hollywood executives have a global, and particularly European, male part to cast, there's a good chance Bruhl will make the shortlist. How did Bruhl become Hollywood's answer to a global everyman? The answer, collaborators say, lies not only in Bruhl's multilingualism, but also his choice of collaborators and Hollywood's welcoming of an influx of German talent in the last two decades."
In a 2017 interview with ''Gentleman's Journal'', Brühl attributed his success to finding his niche as an actor.
On being typecast as a villain after taking on an increasing number of antagonistic roles, Brühl said that though it was a privilege to have made ''Good Bye, Lenin!'', it was also a "curse" because he "was always offered the part of the sympathetic nice guy" and was refreshed and relieved when offered villain roles outside of Germany. The ''
Hollywood Insider'' noted his atypical career arc, "He went from consistently playing the love interest in European Cinema to playing the villain in Hollywood". Due to Brühl's performance, Baron Zemo has become one of the most iconic villains in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
, despite having no superpowers. ''
Film School Rejects
Film School Rejects is an American blog devoted to movie reviews, interviews, film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production company, prod ...
'' remarks, "Even when embodying the role of a Nazi or another nefarious villain, Brühl manages to bring out the character's humanity — no matter how little of it there actually is".
Brühl has also been described as having an "innate likability and charm". The
''LA Times'' deemed his openness as such that "even his irony sounds straightforward". He has also been lauded for his work ethic. He befriended activist Daniel Domscheit-Berg and racing driver Niki Lauda after meeting them in preparation for his roles.
Brühl has worked in both European and American film productions in several languages (English, Catalan, Spanish, German, French, Polish, and Chinese) and played at least ten different nationalities, including Polish (''
Ladies in Lavender''), Catalan (''
Salvador''), Spanish (''
7 Days in Havana''), French (''
2 Days in Paris''), Hungarian (''
The Countess''), German (''Inglourious Basterds'', ''
Entebbe
Entebbe is a city in Central Region, Uganda, Central Uganda which is located on Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda pri ...
'', and most German productions), Austrian (''
Rush'', ''
Woman in Gold''), English (''
Burnt''), American (''The Alienist'') and Sokovian (a fictional Eastern European country in ''Captain America: Civil War'').
Public image
Brühl is referred to as the "golden boy of German film" and the "undisputed ruler of the European acting elite" by ''The Gentleman's Journal'' on its May/June 2017 cover. He is also regarded as the most recognizable German actor to emerge since the country's reunification.
He graced the ''
GQ'' ''Germany'' cover issue in December 2015 and was the recipient of the ''GQ'' Film National Award at the 2015
GQ Men of the Year Awards
''GQ'' (short for ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and previously known as ''Apparel Arts'') is an international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though ...
. He also headlined
''Esquire'' ''Spain'', ''Esquire'' ''Germany'', and
''Men's'' ''Health'' ''Best Fashion'' magazine, and featured in ''Esquire'' ''UK''. He shot a
''Vogue'' and ''GQ'' ''Germany'' advert with his wife too. He became a
CUPRA
Cupra may refer to:
* Cupra (marque), an automobile brand owned by the Spanish company SEAT
** Cupra Racing, a car racing team owned by SEAT
* Cupra (goddess), a chthonic fertility goddess
See also
* Cupra Marittima, a commune in Marche, ...
ambassador in December 2020, launching the CUPRA Leon e-HYBRID as the brand's first
plug-in hybrid
A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or simply plug-in hybrid is a type of hybrid electric vehicle equipped with a rechargeable battery pack that can be directly replenished via a charging cable plugged into an external electric power so ...
model. In May 2021, he introduced its first 100% electric model— the
CUPRA Born
The Cupra Born is a battery electric compact car/small family car ( C-segment) marketed by SEAT through its performance-oriented Cupra marque. Initially unveiled as the SEAT el-Born concept in 2019, the production car was revealed in May 2021 a ...
.
In February 2017, he was honoured by the French government at the Berlin International Film Festival and awarded the
Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his ''
'major contribution to the influence of film culture in France, Germany, Europe and the world, making him a Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature. He was offered membership in the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
in June 2017 to vote for the Oscars. In October 2018, Brühl accompanied Germany's Federal President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (; born 5 January 1956) is a German politician who has served as President of Germany since 2017. He was previously Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), federal minister for foreign affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again f ...
and his wife
Elke Büdenbender during their visit to Spain.
Personal life
In 2006, Brühl separated from his longtime girlfriend and later fiancée, actress
Jessica Schwarz, whom he had met on the set of the 2001 film ''No Regrets''.
Since 2010, he has been in a relationship with practising
psychotherapist
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...
and former model-actress Felicitas Rombold. Their first son was born in October 2016. The couple had a second son in 2020.
Brühl's hobbies include running and hiking, and playing and watching tennis. His favourite player is
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for ...
; they are both left handed.
Philanthropy
Since 2017, Brühl has been campaigning for the
United Nations World Food Programme, the 2020
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
winner. In 2019, he supported the "Do something for Europe!" initiative to foster solidarity in Europe and
The Global Fund's Step Up The Fight initiative to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. In the same year, he campaigned for Earth Alliance's emergency
Amazon Forest
The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
Fund to support partners working on the ground to protect the Amazon. In 2020, he was one of the 25 personalities to donate a personal item for the Los Fuer Lesbos (Win for Lesvos) Leave No One Behind campaign in support of refugees, donating his antique walking stick from the set of ''The Alienist''.
Writing
Brühl's book ''Ein Tag in Barcelona'' follows him on a one-day journey through Barcelona. His book ''Tapas!'', co-authored with Atilano González, recreates the best dishes served at the ''Bar Raval'' in Berlin.
*
*
Other ventures
Since 2011, Brühl has been the joint operator of a
tapas
Tapas () are appetisers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. They can be combined to make a full meal and are served cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as , which are battered, fried baby squid; or , spicy potatoes). In some bars ...
bar named Bar Raval, located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. It opened during the first weekend of the 2011 Berlinale.
From February to October 2017, he was joint operator of a similar bar in Prenzlauer Berg named Bar Gracia after Barcelona's nightlife district
Gràcia, which closed due to lack of financial success.
Filmography
Film
Television
Filmmaking
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruhl, Daniel
1978 births
Living people
20th-century German male actors
20th-century Spanish male actors
21st-century German male actors
21st-century German writers
21st-century Spanish male actors
21st-century Spanish writers
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
European actors
European Film Award for Best Actor winners
German Film Award winners
German film directors
German film producers
German male film actors
German male television actors
German male voice actors
German people of Brazilian descent
German people of Spanish descent
Male actors from Barcelona
Male actors from Cologne
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Recipients of the Bambi (prize)
Spanish film directors
Spanish film producers
Spanish male film actors
Spanish male television actors
Spanish male voice actors
Spanish people of Brazilian descent
Spanish people of German descent