Name	Til Schweiger
Height	5' 10"
Naionality	German
Date of Birth	19 December 1963
Place of Birth	Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Famous for

Til Schweiger kicked off his film career in his homeland of Germany in 1991 with a major part in the comedy Manta, Manta, and immediately scored success by nabbing a Max Ophüls Festival for Best Young Actor in director-writer Claude-Oliver Rudolph’s Ebbies Bluff (1993). After the award-winning performance, Schweiger appeared in many German movies and television productions, including Lemgo (1994, TV), the comedy film Maybe...Maybe Not (1994, starred with Katja Riemann and Joachim Król), the series “Kommissarin, Die” (1994-1996), Jailbirds (1996), Halbstarken, Die (1996, TV) and A Girl Called Rosemary (1996, TV).

Schweiger’s career entered a new phase in 1997 when he began to produce, co-write and direct films. In 1997’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, a road movie helmed by Thomas Jahn, the actor co-authored the screenplay and took home a Moscow International Film Festival award for his the starring role of Martin Brest. The same year, Schweiger became the first non-Polish performer to win the Polish Best Actor Award for his role in director Maciej Dejczer’s Polish-German-French drama Bandyta, opposite Polly Walker, Pete Postlethwaite and John Hurt. This international recognition led to small roles in Hollywood features like the action-thriller The Replacement Killers (1998, with international star Yun-Fat Chow and actress Mira Sorvino), the crime-thriller Judas Kiss (1998, starred Carla Gugino, Simon Baker and Emma Thompson), and the Matthew Lillard comedy vehicle SLC Punk (1998). Still in 1998, the actor made his debut as a movie director with Der Eisbär (The Polar Bear), an action-thriller where he also served as an actor and co-producer.

He then starred with Claire Forlani in the comedy Magicians (2000) and teamed up with Dermot Mulroney, Julie Delpy, Robin Tunney and Neve Campbell in Alan Rudolph’s comedy Investigating Sex (2001). He then returned to the action-thriller genre with 2001’s Driven, which starred Sylvester Stallone. After a starring role in the German comedy What to Do in Case of Fire (2001) and a second lead in the made-for-television film Joe and Max (2002), Schweiger appeared in the Angelina Jolie vehicle Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003).

2004 found roles in such films as King Arthur, In Enemy Hands, Agnes and His Brothers, The Daltons and (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1.

The next year, Schweiger netted a Bambi Film National for his fine behind-the scene-effort in the comedy film Barfuss, where he also starred as Nick Keller, a pleasure-seeking bachelor in love with an escaped mental patient. He had supporting roles in the Rob Schneider comedy Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005, starred) and the international film Bye Bye Harry (2006).

The 43-year-old actor will be featured as John Ridley in the upcoming action made-for-television film Body Armour (2006). On the wide screen, he is scheduled to star in such German films as the crime-thriller One Way (2006, as Eddie Shneider), the comedy Special (2006) and appear in the international action-adventure The Red Baron (2006), starring Joseph Fiennes.