Christoph Waltz

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Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz Viennale 2017 f (cropped).jpg
Waltz at the 2017 Vienna International Film Festival
Born (1956-10-04) 4 October 1956 (age 64)
Vienna, Austria
Citizenship
Alma materMax Reinhardt Seminar
OccupationActor, director
Years active1977–present
Spouse(s)
  • Jacqueline Rauch
    ​
    (divorced)​
  • Judith Holste (m. )
Children4
AwardsFull list

Christoph Waltz (German: [ˈkʀɪstɔf ˈvalts]; born 4 October 1956) is an Austrian actor and director. Since 2009 he has mainly been active in the United States.[1][2][3] His accolades include two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

His breakout American role came in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, in which he played SS officer Hans Landa. He would later collaborate with Tarantino once again in 2012, when he played bounty hunter King Schultz in Django Unchained. For each performance, he earned an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Waltz also received the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Landa.[4]

Waltz has also starred in Roman Polanski's dark comedy Carnage (2011), Terry Gilliam's science fiction film The Zero Theorem (2013), Tim Burton's biographical film Big Eyes (2014), Alexander Payne's satire Downsizing (2017), and Woody Allen's comedy Rifkin's Festival (2020). Waltz also gained acclaim for his performance as James Bond's nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Sam Mendes' Spectre (2015),[5] a role which he will reprise in Cary Joji Fukunaga's No Time to Die (2021). For his role as Walter Keane in Big Eyes he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

In 2020, he starred in the web series Most Dangerous Game and garnered his first Primetime Emmy nomination, for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. He also provided the voice of Mandrake in Epic (2013) and is set to voice the Fox and the Cat in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio adaptation (2021). Waltz is also set to appear in the upcoming Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch.

Early life[]

Waltz was born in Vienna,[6] the son of Johannes Waltz, a German set designer, and Elisabeth Urbancic, an Austrian costume designer of Slovenian descent.[7][8][9]

Waltz comes from a family of theatrical heritage: his maternal grandmother was Burgtheater and silent film actress Maria Mayen, and his step-grandfather, Emmerich Reimers, and his great-grandfather, Georg Reimers, were both stage actors who also appeared in silent films.[8][10] Waltz's maternal grandfather, Rudolf von Urban, was a psychiatrist of Slovene descent[11][a] and a student of Sigmund Freud.[14]

Waltz's father died when he was seven years old,[8] and his mother later married composer and conductor Alexander Steinbrecher.[15][16] Steinbrecher was previously married to the mother of director Michael Haneke; as a result, Waltz and Haneke shared the same stepfather.[17]

Waltz had a passion for opera as a youth, having seen his first opera (Turandot with Birgit Nilsson in the title role) at around the age of ten. As a teenager, Waltz would visit the opera twice a week.[16] He was uninterested in theatre[8] and wished to become an opera singer.[14]

After graduating from Vienna's Theresianum,[8] Waltz went to study acting at the renowned Max Reinhardt Seminar.[18] At the same time, he also studied singing and opera at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, but eventually decided that his voice was not good enough for an opera career.[10][19] In the late 1970s, Waltz spent some time in New York City where he trained with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler. He studied script interpretation under Adler, and credits his analytical approach to her teaching.[10]

Career[]

Main article: Christoph Waltz filmography
Waltz in 2012

On his return to Europe, Waltz found work as a stage actor, making his debut at the Schauspielhaus in Zurich.[20] He also performed in Vienna, Salzburg, Cologne and Hamburg.[10][14] He became a prolific television actor in the years 1980 to 2000. In 2000, he made his directorial debut, with the German television production Wenn man sich traut.[21] Before coming to the attention of a larger audience in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, he had played Dr. Hans-Joachim Dorfmann in the British TV series The Gravy Train in 1990. The show is a story of intrigue and misdeeds set in the offices of the European Union in Brussels.[22]

In Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, Waltz portrayed SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa, also known as "The Jew Hunter". Clever, courteous, multilingual—but also self-serving, cunning, implacable and murderous—the character of Landa was such that Tarantino feared he "might have written a part that was un-playable".[23] Waltz received the Best Actor Award for the performance at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and received acclaim from critics and the public. In 2009, he began sweeping critics' awards circuits, receiving awards for Best Supporting Actor from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Boston Society of Film Critics,[24] Los Angeles Film Critics Association,[24] and for Best Supporting Actor at the 67th Golden Globe Awards and the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards in January 2010.

The following month, he won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor,[25] and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[26] Tarantino acknowledged the importance of Waltz to his film by stating: "I think that Landa is one of the best characters I've ever written and ever will write, and Christoph played it to a tee. It's true that if I couldn't have found someone as good as Christoph I might not have made Inglourious Basterds".[27]

Waltz played gangster Benjamin Chudnofsky in The Green Hornet (2011); that same year, he starred in Water for Elephants and Roman Polanski's Carnage. He played German bounty hunter King Schultz in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012), a role Tarantino wrote specifically for Waltz.[28] During a training accident prior to filming, Waltz injured his pelvis.[29] His role garnered him acclaim once again, with Waltz winning the Golden Globe, the BAFTA, and ultimately the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Waltz has been cast as the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the film Reykjavik, based on the 1986 peace talks between the United States and USSR.[30] In April 2013, he was selected as a member of the main competition jury at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.[31] He directed a production of the opera Der Rosenkavalier at the Vlaamse Opera, in Antwerp in late 2013, and in Ghent early 2014.[32] In 2014, he was selected as a member of the jury for the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[33] He starred as Walter Keane in Tim Burton's Big Eyes, which opened on 25 December 2014,[34] and appeared as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Spectre, the 24th film in the James Bond franchise.[35] In July 2019, it was reported that Waltz would reprise the role in No Time to Die (2021).[36]

In 2015, it was announced that Waltz would direct and star in the film Georgetown (formerly titled The Worst Marriage in Georgetown), which is based on the true crime story of the murder of Viola Drath.[37] In July 2016, he portrayed lead villain Captain Leon Rom, a corrupt Belgian captain, in the reboot The Legend of Tarzan.

In 2017, Waltz appeared in the films Tulip Fever and Downsizing. In 2019, Waltz appeared in the action fantasy Alita: Battle Angel. He directed a production of the opera Falstaff, again at the Vlaamse Opera, in Antwerp in late 2017, and in Ghent in early 2018.

In 2018, it became public that Christoph Waltz had agreed to play the leading role in a film adaptation of the novel The Nazi and The Barber, and had described the main role, the role of the mass murderer Max Schulz, as "juicy rôle".[38]

In 2019, Waltz directed and starred in the crime film Georgetown, in which he portrays a man suspected of murdering the wife he married in order to raise his social status. The film premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was released to cinemas on 14 May 2021.[39][40]

Personal life[]

Waltz and wife Judith Holste at the 82nd Academy Awards, March 2010

Waltz has three children with his former wife, Jacqueline (née Rauch), a dance therapist originally from New York.[10][41] The two lived in London and their marriage lasted 17 years.[10][9] Waltz married his second wife, German costume designer Judith Holste, with whom he has a daughter. They divide their time between Berlin, Vienna and Los Angeles.[42][43]

Waltz's native language is German and he also speaks both English and French fluently.[44] He speaks all three of these in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, and although his character in Inglourious Basterds also spoke Italian, Waltz said on the Adam Carolla Podcast that he is not fluent in Italian.[citation needed]

Waltz was born in Vienna to a German father who applied for him to become a citizen of Germany after his birth.[45] He received Austrian citizenship in 2010, thus holding citizenships of both Austria and Germany, but considers the debate concerning his citizenship a "legal, citizenship law banality", as he did not care about it at all[3] even though he had not previously been able to vote in Austria's national elections. Asked whether he felt Viennese, he responded: "I was born in Vienna, grew up in Vienna, went to school in Vienna, graduated in Vienna, studied in Vienna, started acting in Vienna – and there would be a few further Viennese links. How much more Austrian do you want it?"[46]

Awards and nominations[]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Christoph Waltz

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Rudolf's father was Viktor Urbantschitsch, son of Alois Urbantschitsch (Alojz Urbančič), who was born in Preddvor, today Slovenia, then part of the Kingdom of Illyria, Austria.[12] Through Alojz, Waltz is related to Josipina Urbančič, Alojz's first cousin, and one of the first Slovene female poets and composers.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ "Pass-Hickhack: Christoph Waltz wird im Eilverfahren zum Österreicher – Nachrichten Kultur" (in German). Welt.de. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  2. ^ "Österreichische Staatsbürgerschaft für Christoph Waltz'". Der Standard. 8 August 2010.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Waltz fühlt sich definitiv als Österreicher – Boulevard". Focus.de. 21 January 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Christoph Waltz Wins The Academy Award For Best Actor In A Supporting Role". stories99.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  5. ^ Miller, Ross (4 December 2014). "The next James Bond film is called Spectre: new car, poster, and full cast confirmed". The Verge. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  6. ^ Gettell, Oliver (2 December 2014). "Christoph Waltz". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  7. ^ Rosen, Lisa. "'Downsizing' actor Christoph Waltz thinks the world needs to downsize its hubris to move forward". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021. says the actor [Waltz], sitting down to talk in a young, flashy Beverly Hills hotel.[...] Vienna, the actor’s hometown, “is more or less facetiously referred to as the Gateway to the Balkans. My mother’s father’s family is Slovenian originally."
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Badia, Alex; Windolf, Jim (9 December 2014). "M: Good Day, Christoph Waltz". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Chalmers, Robert (15 May 2015). "We've been expecting you, Mr Waltz". GQ. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Lim, Dennis (12 August 2009). "'Inglourious' Actor Tastes the Glory". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  11. ^ "'Downsizing' actor Christoph Waltz thinks the world needs to downsize its hubris to move forward". Los Angeles Times. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  12. ^ K. Arnegger, H. Bergmann (7 June 2016). "Urbantschitsch, Viktor von (1847–1921), Otologe". Austrian Biographical Lexicon. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  13. ^ Kurillo, Jurij (2020). "Preddvorski graščaki Urbančiči" (PDF). Isis (8–9): 69–71.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c Rafanelli, Stephanie (21 December 2017). "A Merry Dance With Mr Christoph Waltz". MR PORTER. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  15. ^ Lemke-Matwey, Christine (12 December 2013). "Christoph Waltz". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b da Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna (11 December 2017). "Christoph Waltz, Directing Opera, Moves From Tarantino to Verdi". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  17. ^ Rose, Steve (13 March 2014). "Zero Theorem: the world according to Christoph Waltz". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  18. ^ Hitz, Julia (4 October 2016). "Hollywood's favorite bad guy Christoph Waltz turns 60". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  19. ^ Gross, Terry (18 December 2012). "'Unchained' Admiration Between Actor And Director". NPR. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Christoph Waltz und der Sprayer von Zürich". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). 27 September 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  21. ^ "Christoph Waltz". IMDb. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  22. ^ "4oD Drama". Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  23. ^ Fleming, Michael (17 May 2009). "Tarantino Reflects On 'Basterds'". Variety. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b "BSFC Award Winners – Recent". Thebsfc.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  25. ^ "Film Awards Winners in 2010 - Film Awards - Film - The BAFTA site". Archived from the original on 27 April 2011.
  26. ^ "2015 Oscars: Nominees - 87th Academy Awards Nominations". Oscar.com.
  27. ^ "Inglorious Basterds feature". Network.nationalpost.com. The National Post. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2011.[permanent dead link]
  28. ^ Ordoña, Michael (27 December 2012), "Christoph Waltz admires Tarantino's to-the-heart style", Los Angeles Times, retrieved 12 January 2016
  29. ^ Borys Kit (30 September 2011). "Christoph Waltz Dislocates Pelvic Bone During 'Django Unchained' Training". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  30. ^ "Christoph Waltz Signs to Star Opposite Michael Douglas in Reykjavik". The Hollywood Reporter. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  31. ^ Saperstein, Pat (23 April 2013). "Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Ang Lee Among Cannes Jury Members". Variety. Reed Business Information. Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  32. ^ "Vlaamse Opera | Vlaamse Opera". Vlaamseopera.be. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  33. ^ "Berlinale 2014: International Jury". Berlinale. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  34. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (2 May 2014). "Weinstein sets awards season dates for Big Eyes, Imitation Game and Eleanor Rigby". Hitfix.com. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  35. ^ Polowy, Kevin (7 November 2015). "So Who Does Christoph Waltz Play in 'SPECTRE'? (Spoilers!)". Yahoo!. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  36. ^ Kroll, Justin (12 July 2019). "Christoph Waltz to Return as Blofeld in 'Bond 25'". Variety.
  37. ^ Andrews, Helena (6 May 2015). "Actor Christoph Waltz will direct and star in 'The Worst Marriage in Georgetown'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  38. ^ "On the life and work of Edgar Hilsenrath. Obituary on the occasion of his death on December 30, 2018". Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  39. ^ "Georgetown". Tribeca. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  40. ^ Truitt, Brian (18 April 2021). "'Georgetown': Christoph Waltz gets twisty with Washington drama". USA Today. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  41. ^ Husband, Stuart (28 October 2015). "Christoph Waltz: 'Facebook is a step toward fascism'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  42. ^ Freydkin, Donna (26 January 2010). "At long last, movie stardom shines on Christoph Waltz". USA Today.
  43. ^ "Waltz unchained for Jerusalem wedding". The Times of Israel. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  44. ^ Billington, Alex (20 August 2009). "Interview: Col. Hans 'The Jew Hunter' Landa – Christoph Waltz". First Showing. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  45. ^ "Waltz to become Austrian citizen". Wiener Zeitung Online. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  46. ^ "Waltz to become an Austrian citizen". 26 August 2010.[permanent dead link]

Audiobooks[]

  • 2007: Robert M. Sapolsky: Mein Leben als Pavian. Random House Audio, ISBN 978-3-8371-7809-8

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Heath Ledger (posthumous)
for
The Dark Knight 		Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
2009
for
Inglourious Basterds 		Succeeded by
Christian Bale
for
The Fighter
Preceded by
Christopher Plummer
for
Beginners 		Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
2012
for
Django Unchained 		Succeeded by
Jared Leto
for
Dallas Buyers Club
Retrieved from ""