Thomas Kretschmann (born 8 September 1962) is a German actor best known in his role in The Pianist and as Cross in Wanted and Captain Englehorn in King Kong.
Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former German Democratic Republic. Before he became an actor, Kretschmann trained to become an Olympic swimmer. At the age of 19 he left East Germany and began a month-long trek to West Germany to escape the East German state. During this trek he lost part of ...
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Thomas Kretschmann (born 8 September 1962) is a German actor best known in his role in The Pianist and as Cross in Wanted and Captain Englehorn in King Kong.
Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former German Democratic Republic. Before he became an actor, Kretschmann trained to become an Olympic swimmer. At the age of 19 he left East Germany and began a month-long trek to West Germany to escape the East German state. During this trek he lost part of a finger, but it was surgically reattached. Kretschmann crossed four borders with nothing other than his passport and the equivalent of $100 in his possession.
At the age of 25, he began acting, starring in numerous European films and television series. In 1991, Kretschmann was awarded the Wobbly Max Ophüls Prize for best young actor for his role in Der Mitwisser. He achieved international recognition for his role as a rapist/murderer in Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome. Popular in his native country, Kretschmann did not achieve fame in...
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