Wissenswertes

Aged 19, he began a month-long trek from East to West Germany to escape Communism, during which he lost part of his finger to frostbite. He crossed 4 borders with nothing other than a passport and the equivalent of $100 in his possession.

Has played a German nazi officer in 11 different, completely unrelated films: Das Herz des Kriegers (1992), Stalingrad (1993), U-571 (2000), Der Pianist (2002), U-Boat (2004), Der Untergang (2004), Head in the Clouds (2004), Eichmann (2007), Operation Walküre - Das Stauffenberg-Attentat (2008), Laconia (2010) and Stalingrad (2013).

Started working as an actor at the age of 25, after being trained to be an Olympic swimmer.

Collaborated again with his Der Pianist (2002) co-star Adrien Brody in King Kong (2005). Incidentally, both of Kretschmann's roles with Brody are as captains, albeit of a very different type. In Der Pianist (2002), he played a Nazi officer with a conscience; in King Kong (2005) he plays a tough boat captain guiding a film crew.

Now living and working in Los Angeles (2000)

Modeled in Hugo Boss perfume advertisement.

He has three children: two sons, Nicolas (born 1998) and Alexander 'Sascha' (born 2002), and one daughter, Stella (born 1999), with his ex-girlfriend, Lena Roklin.

He played Count Dracula in Dario Argentos Dracula (2012) and his arch nemesis Professor Abraham Van Helsing in Dracula (2013).

Was hired to voice Johan Krauss in Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) but Guillermo Del Toro considered that his voice and the mechanical noise of the character's suit didn't mesh well. The job went to Seth McFarlane.

Made his stage debut in "Macbeth," directed by Katharina Thalbach.

Received the Max Ophüls Prize for best young actor in 1991.

He starred in two World War II films with the same title: Stalingrad (1993) and Stalingrad (2013).

He has played a Nazi officer in 10 movies so far and, in Fürchtet euch nicht! Das Leben Papst Johannes Pauls II. (2005), he played Pope John Paul II, who (as the movie shows) fought against and tried to protect people from the Nazis.

Has a tattoo on his right calf.

Considered buying a house in the Bahamas while filming Der Seewolf (2008) (aka The Sea Wolf).