Schweiger Til: biography, career, personal life

Biography

Til Schweiger is a German actor, screenwriter, director and producer. His fame was brought to him by the film “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” where Schweiger played the main role. After this, the artist began to receive many offers and played in dozens of projects. Today, the performer’s filmography is actively replenished with his directorial and production works, the latest of which was the film “Honey in the Head,” the leader of the German box office in 2014.

Filmography[ | ]

Film actor[ | ]

Director, producer, screenwriter[ | ]

Childhood and youth

Tilman Valentin Schweiger was born into a family of teachers - this happened on December 19, 1963. The family lived in Freiburg, Germany. The boy's childhood was the same as that of hundreds of German boys - school, home, pranks.

Published by Til Schweiger Saturday, January 26, 2019

Actor Til Schweiger

Thiel's studies were easy, he received high grades, and he was especially attracted to the German language and literature. He did not think about a career in cinema, but connected his future with teaching, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents.

After school, Til Schweiger entered the Faculty of German Studies at the university. But, after studying for 2 years, he dropped out of the university. The reason was banal: at that time, German teachers were not going through the best period, content with a pittance salary and a lack of prospects; against their background, the work of doctors seemed much more enviable to him.

Schweiger entered medical school and successfully graduated. Next was service in the Air Force, which the young specialist served in Holland. When he returned from the army, he could not find a use for himself for a long time.

Til Schweiger in his youth (still from the film “Risky Racing”)

As often happens, chance intervened. Til Schweiger accidentally met an old acquaintance - in a conversation it turned out that she was studying theater arts. The young man decided to follow her example and entered a theater school in Cologne.

In his youth, the actor devoted 3.5 years to study, then dubbed pornographic films, worked in a theater in Bonn - Til only dreamed of a career as a film actor at that time.

Movies

Today, Til Schweiger's creative work includes dozens of roles in films. His acting biography began with an episode in the series “Lindenstrasse”. In 1991, Til made his debut as a comedian in “Risky Races” - the first big role gave the young performer with a courageous appearance (with a height of 178 cm, the artist’s weight is 74 kg) the opportunity to express himself. He received an award as the best young actor in Germany.

Til Schweiger (still from the film “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”)

In 1994, he was invited to film the comedy “Maybe, Maybe Not.” After the premiere of the film, Til Schweiger woke up famous.

1997 was his big year. The film "Knocking on Heaven's Door" was a great success. Critics have recognized that Til Schweiger is not only a comedic actor, but also a talented dramatic actor. He co-wrote and produced the film, which became his triple success. For this role, the artist received prizes from the Moscow International Film Festival.

His role in the film “Bandits” brought Schweiger an award at a festival in Poland. Over the next few years, the actor received invitations from directors and actively filmed.

Til Schweiger and Estella Warren (still from the film "The Racer")

Steven Spielberg invited the actor to the film "Saving Private Ryan", but he refused. Instead, Thiel starred in the film The Replacement Killers in 1998. In Hollywood, the actor was offered minor roles. Schweiger appeared in the films Dirty Rotten Wizards, Racer, Exploring Sex, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2. In Germany during this period he played mainly the main characters.

Only in 2004, Thiel again received the main role in the American military thriller U-429: Underwater Prison. In the same year, the actor played the main character in the film “The Magnificent Four” produced in Germany, France and Spain.

Til Schweiger (still from the film "The Fab Four")

In 2006, Til Schweiger played in the German films “On Wheels” and “One Way”. In 2007, he received the main role in the action film about bodyguards “Body Armor.” At the same time, the American crime thriller “The Trap” will be shown at the box office, in which the artist again appears in the foreground.

In 2009, Schweiger played in the film “Inglourious Basterds” by Quentin Tarantino. The brutal war drama quickly gained the status of a cult film. The main roles in the action film were played by Brad Pitt and Melanie Laurent. In the actor’s homeland, this year the premiere of the drama “Phantom Pain” took place, in which Til embodied on the screen the image of an athlete-cyclist who lost one leg during an accident.

Til Schweiger (still from the film "Inglourious Basterds")

Two years later, the artist appeared in director Paul Anderson’s project “The Musketeers,” where he played the character Cagliostro. The main characters of the adventure film were performed by Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich and Ray Stevenson. Despite the fact that film critics negatively assessed this work, Quentin Tarantino included the film in his ranking of the best films of 2011.

Til did not limit himself to an acting career - he strove to realize his creative potential to the maximum, and tried himself as a director and screenwriter. His directorial debut was the action movie “Polar Bear,” where the actor played the role of the main character. Subsequently, he will play leading roles in almost all films of his own production.

Til Schweiger (still from the film “A Knight and a Half”)

This was followed by the action-comedy “Heart and Kidneys,” in which, unlike other films directed by Schweiger, he did not appear as an actor, the romantic film “Barefoot on the Pavement,” and the critically panned comedy “A Knight and a Half.”

In 2007, the film “Handsome Boy” was released. Thiel wrote the script, acted as director and main character. One of the roles in the film was played by the actor’s youngest daughter Emma Schweiger. After 2 years, the man filmed a sequel to the film, and after another 2 years, a similar melodramatic comedy, “The Seducer.”

Til Schweiger and Nora Tschirner (still from the film "Handsome Man")

In 2012, Til Schweiger took a break from light comedy films and released the thriller Guardian Angel. Traditionally, Til acted as a screenwriter, director and leading actor.

In 2013, the sequel to “The Seducer” was released. In 2014, the tragicomedy “Honey in the Head,” directed and written by Schweiger, became the box office leader in Germany.

In 2020, the actor played the main role in the German action comedy film Crazy Nick. In the story, the daughter of policeman Nicholas, played by Thiel, runs away to avenge the death of her mother. This role was played by Tila's daughter Luna.

Til Schweiger (still from the film “Crazy Nick”)

On March 12, 2020, the world premiere of the Hollywood film “Atomic Blonde” took place, in which Til Schweiger also played. The Cold War spy thriller stars Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones.

In addition to filming films, Til Schweiger successfully runs a hotel business. In 2020, at the Timmendorfer Strand resort on the Baltic Sea coast, the artist opened a hotel, which was named after the film “Barefoot on the Pavement” - Barefoot.

Til Schweiger: I don’t live with my wife, but I’m friends

Express Newspaper journalists visited the movie star in Berlin

Express Newspaper journalists visited the movie star in Berlin

German sex symbol, actor, director, screenwriter and producer Til SCHWEIGER turned out to be the sweetest guy in life. When we asked to visit the artist in his Berlin work apartment, we didn’t really hope for success, but Til surprised us: he accepted us as family.

Til Schweiger creates in the center of Berlin - not far from the famous Alexander Platz square on Saarbrückenstrasse. "Typical work chaos."

There are scripts on the shelf in which the actor is offered to star in films.

“I haven’t even read a good part of them yet,” Til became sad. — Very tight filming schedule. Recently they sent me a script from Russia. They say it’s a fun film under the working title “Offside”, directed by Alexander Strizhenov , but somehow everyone won’t get around to watching it. I was always busy with the latest film, where I was the director and actor. It's called "KOKOWAAH". Just the other day I finished working on this film, with my daughter Emma playing one of the main roles. The film will be released in February, and in March I plan to come to Russia to present this film.

— And to Fyodor Bondarchuk?
Is it true that he offered you a role in the film “Stalingrad”? — I am a big fan of this outstanding director. I watched all his films, most of all I love “9th Company”. He wanted me to play a Nazi, but I would never do it. I will never be able to say: “Hai, Hitler!” I also had the roles of bad heroes, but I don’t play fascists in German films, and I won’t do this in Russian ones either.

— Actually, your role has already been changed from a Nazi to a peaceful burgher.

- Yes? I am intrigued. I'll still have to read the script.

I'm not going to get married

Our conversation was brightened up in every possible way by a cute little dog - he curled under our feet, diligently wagged his tail, and laid his head on everyone’s laps in turn.

“Meet Molly, my favorite dog,” Schweiger smiled. “She came to me six months ago.

— Til, what is happening in your personal life now? They wrote that after divorcing your wife, you dated model Melanie Stoltz, but you soon broke up with her too.

— To begin with, I did not divorce my wife. We just don’t live together—for five years now. But we are friends. We have children together, so we follow the main rule for those who want to maintain a normal relationship during separation: do not speak badly about each other. It is completely unacceptable to blackmail children over adult disputes. I am outraged when ex-spouses begin to share the child like a stool and prohibit seeing the other parent. Dana and I don’t have such problems. The children and his wife lived in the USA for some time, then moved to Hamburg. On weekends they move to my place or I move to theirs. Now my son Valentin, he is 14, has decided to live with his father.

- Why don’t you divorce Dana?
At first you had one girlfriend, now Svenja Holtman. Don't you think that girls are offended that you have relationships with them and remain a married man? - What for? Yes, I now have another girlfriend, Svenja , but I’m not going to get married. We are already a couple. If Dana wants, we can get a divorce. But she didn’t tell me about it, which means we don’t need a divorce. The divorce process is difficult and costs a lot of effort and money in Germany.

— You said that you value the sexiest thing in a woman – humor? - Excellent sense of humor.
If a woman knows how to laugh and joke contagiously, she will be sexy regardless of her appearance. — Your wife opened a children's clothing store and became a successful businesswoman. Have you ever wanted to try your hand at a new field?

- I do what gives me pleasure. But if I wanted to do something else, I would become a children's clothing designer. Then I would create a children's collection.

I'm not a symbol

— In the last three films — “Handsome Man,” “Handsome Man 2” and “KOKOWAAH” some of the main roles are played by your children... (Remember, Til has four children - Luna (13 years old), Lily (12), Emma (8) and son Valentin).

- It just happened that way. In the first “Handsome Man,” the heroine worked in a kindergarten, so kids were needed. In the second we developed this theme. I don’t know yet what will happen in the third part - the script is still being written. I love making films for the whole family because I love my children so much.

— What is your new film “KOKOWAAH” about?
— My hero finds out that he is the father of an 8-year-old girl, with whose mother he once had an affair. The woman deceived her husband, and when he found out that the child was from her lover, he left the country. As a result, she brought the baby to me with the words: “This is your biological daughter.” And my character had to learn to find a common language with the baby. The film cannot be called a comedy in the full sense of the word; the relationship between the characters is quite tense. But in the final, I decided to give happiness to all participants and make it a happy ending. So to speak, bring a little harmony into our world. I put the Russian soul into the picture, your compatriots will definitely like it. Everything that I heard from people I know in Russia is in this film.

— What does “Russian soul” mean to you?
- This is when it comes from the heart.

— Did you immediately plan for your daughter Emma to play the main role?

“I asked if she had a desire to play.” I did the tests, and she started asking me every day when the shooting would be. I really wanted to act, although I explained to her that, unlike “Handsome Man,” where she has an episode, they work on the main role for months. Everything worked out great for us. Emma spent 27 days on set, resting only on weekends.

— You are called the sex symbol of Germany. What does this status give?

— The ability to quickly get a table in a restaurant. There is another side to the coin: you are under surveillance all the time, even when you don’t want it. By the way, I personally don’t consider myself some kind of symbol.

— What do you think about plastic surgery for men?
— When I look at Mickey Rourke , I can say one thing: it looks bad, crap. I'm not saying that I won't have plastic surgery at 60, but I don't need it yet.

— You are often invited to appear in commercials.

— I was the “face” of the Hugo Boss model house several times. And I’ve been advertising German beer and razors for eight years now.

— A celebration has just taken place in Berlin to mark the 20th anniversary of the unification of Germany. Were you there?

- No. Because I went to the cinema. But the event itself is significant. We Germans are very grateful to Gorbachev and appreciate his contribution to this historical process.

- Do you have a dream?

— I had a dream - a family. It came true. Now the only thing I want is for the people around me to be healthy and nothing bad happens to them.

Personal life

Til Schweiger met his future wife in 1995 - his chosen one was the model and actress Dana Carlsen, an American by birth. That same year, the lovers legalized their relationship. The couple lived happily for 10 years, four children were born in this marriage: Valentin Florian, Luna Marie, Lilly Camille, Emma Tiger. In 2005, the relationship between Dana and Til began to crack - the head of the family moved from the family mansion to an apartment.

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Til Schweiger and Dana Carlsen with children
For the next 4 years, the couple lived separately, but did not file for divorce - they officially divorced only in 2009. At the same time, the former spouses manage to maintain friendly relations. The actor actively participates in the lives of children and helps his ex-wife.

Til Schweiger is a favorite of women. After the divorce, he had an affair with Melanie Stolz, then with Svenja Holtman: both girls were involved in modeling. They were followed by a series of short-term romances, but Schweiger did not dare to associate himself with one of his passions. He says that in his personal life he values ​​open relationships and wants to enjoy them.

Til Schweiger is popular in Russia; the actor himself has also repeatedly declared his love for this country. He filmed films here and participated in Russian television shows. In 2011, Schweiger took part in the Russian comedy show “ProjectorParisHilton”. In 2013, he became a resident of the Comedy Club, playing in miniature about the passport office.

“Evening Urgant” - Til Schweiger visiting Ivan Urgant

In the fall of 2020, Til began filming a new action film, which took place in Moscow. While working on the film, Schweiger found time for an interview and spoke about the film in the Evening Urgant show. Recordings of jokes by Schweiger and Russian comedians quickly appeared on Youtube. Their popularity is estimated at hundreds of thousands of views.

In the same year, a girl named Marlene Shirley became the artist’s new chosen one. Til happily appeared at social events with his beloved, and in interviews he stated that his intentions towards Marlene were serious. In turn, reporters noted the external similarity between Schweiger’s new passion and his ex-wife.

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Til Schweiger and Francesca Datten
However, this relationship also dried up. Three years later, the actor began an affair with his longtime acquaintance Francesca Dutten. The girl is 23 years younger than the actor, she acts in films and produces them, and also participates in events for the Wellchild charity organization. The new friend supported Til in everything; on her Instagram she often posted photos of advertising posters for her lover’s new films.

This union turned out to be short-lived, like the previous ones. Dutten works in the USA and Great Britain, while Thiel spends most of his time in Germany. The couple was unable to keep their feelings at a distance. In 2020, it became known that the lovers broke up. Now the heart of the screen star is free again.

The most popular films starring Til

In Germany, Schweiger became a very popular actor; he was in great demand among directors. But the actor also wanted world fame.

"Knockin 'on Heaven"

The film “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” became a cult film and was seen by viewers all over the planet. Thiel acted there not only as the leading actor, but also as a producer and co-author of the script.

Critics and audiences agreed that Schweiger gave an excellent performance in the film, showing all his dramatic and comedic talent. Several film awards went to this film and to Till personally.

"Handsome"

This comedy film was released in 2007. According to the plot, Schweiger is a journalist from Ludo, collaborating with the yellow press. After an unsuccessful attempt to obtain the desired material, the unfortunate reporter was sentenced to correctional labor in a kindergarten. The teacher there turned out to be a former classmate.

Interestingly, Schweiger took part in several roles in this film: director, producer, screenwriter and actor. His four children starred in the film.

"Where's Fred?"

Another famous film, which was translated in Russian distribution as “On Wheels”.

This is a sports medo-dramatic comedy. According to the authors, Fred Kruppers wants to please the son of his beloved woman, and to do this he needs to get a ball autographed by the spoiled boy's favorite basketball team. Such a ball, however, is given only to disabled people. The main character decides to get what he wants using cunning.

Critics received the film neutrally. On the plus side, everyone noted that the film was truly funny.

"Inglourious Basterds"

This is a film directed by Tarantino based on his own script. Filming began in the fall of 2008 in Germany and France, and the film was presented in Cannes the following year.

Critics rated the film positively; the worldwide box office grossed approximately $320 million.

This work by Tarantino was nominated for 8 Oscars, 4 Golden Globes and 6 BAFTAs.

The film is included in almost many ratings of the best films of all time.

Schweiger played the role of Sergeant Hugo Stieglitz in the star company. This is a German who sincerely hates the Nazis. Was released by the "inglorious bastards" while awaiting trial.

"Means war"

This is an action movie with comedy elements from director McG. The leading roles were played by Tom Hardy, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine. The premiere took place in February 2012.

The film begins with best friends Tuck and Franklin serving in the CIA. Their goal is to stop the dangerous criminal Heinrich. This international villain was played by Til Schweiger.

Til Schweiger now

In 2020, 3 new projects were released with the participation of Til Schweiger. In the German crime comedy Hot Dog, the actor played the role of a rebel policeman who is forced to put up with the formalism of his young colleague. The game is worth the candle. At stake is the life of the daughter of the president of an Eastern European country, who was kidnapped in Germany. Schweiger's next directorial work was the comedy "Classmates Meeting", in which he also shone in the foreground.

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Til Schweiger in 2020
Also, the German performer intends to star in the Russian project “Crime and Punishment,” which will be directed by Roman Doronin. The film is currently in production. The picture will be presented in 3D format.

"Phantom pain"

Matthias Ehmke's film, released in 2009, is the story of former athlete, ladies' man and writer Mark (played by Til Schweiger). As a result of a terrible car accident, he lost his leg and is now forced to adapt to different living conditions than before. The most important thing for him is his relationship with his daughter (Luna Schweiger), to whom he previously paid practically no attention, his girlfriend Nika and his friend Alexander. The plot is based on the story of a cyclist and friend of director Stephen Sumner, which occurred in 2004.

Filmography

• 1985-2015 – “Lindenstrasse”
• 1991 – “Risky Races”
• 1997 – “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”
• 2001 – “Racer”
• 2004 – “The Fab Four”
• 2005 – “Barefoot on the pavement”
• 2007 – “Trap”
• 2007 – “Handsome”
• 2009 – “Inglourious Basterds”
• 2011 – “The Seducer”
• 2012 – “Guardian Angel”
• 2014 – “Not my day”
• 2014 – “Honey in the Head”
• 2017 – “Atomic Blonde”
• 2018 – “Hotdog”
• 2018 – “Meeting of classmates”

Producer and screenwriter Til Schweiger

The German star quickly realized that he was capable of not only acting, but also producing films and writing scripts. For example, Thiel, together with Thomas Young, acted as a screenwriter for the melodrama “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”

Feeling his diverse talent, Thiel became the full-fledged owner of his projects. In 1998, Schweiger directed his first action film, Polar Bear. After 3 years, he again became a partner with Thomas Yang and presented the comedy “Heart and Kidneys.”

Thiel was especially good at melodramas as a director. In 2005, Tilman presented the film “Barefoot on the Pavement,” which became very popular among viewers from different countries. And 2 years later, Schweiger impressed with another beautiful work - the film “Handsome Man,” which brought the creator a lot of money.