Karl Markovics is an Austrian actor and film director. He was born in Vienna, Austria.

Karl Markovics
Markovics in 2007
Born (1963-08-29) 29 August 1963 (age 61)
Vienna, Austria
Occupation(s)Actor and film director

Biography

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Markovics' mother worked as a clerk and his father was a bus driver. Markovics did not want to go into a professional career but wanted to become a stage actor, which his parents supported. However, he failed to pass the entry exam for the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar. He did not let this deter him from his dream and began performing at the Serapions Theater in Vienna. In 1987, he started working with the Wiener Ensemble. In 1991, he got his first part in the movie, "Hund und Katz" and in 1993, he played the part of the innkeeper in Paul Harather's tragic-comedy road movie "Indien".

Markovics became known to a wider audience when he played Ernst Stockinger, appearing in the Austrian crime show "Inspector Rex", and then later in the spin-off series "Stockinger". Roles followed with parts in "Hinterholz 8", "Late Show" and – as the main character acting alongside Julia Stemberger - in Geboren in Absurdistan, as well as in "Komm, süßer Tod. Markovics performed in many TV and theater productions, including those at Viennese theaters Theater in der Josefstadt and Wiener Volkstheater, where in 2005 he directed his first play production, The Bald Singer, by Eugène Ionesco.  

Markovics starred as Salomon Sorowitsch in Stefan Ruzowitzky's 2007 film The Counterfeiters, which was awarded the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for that year. Prior to that, his most notable appearances have been in the highly acclaimed Austrian (Viennese) black comedy Komm, süßer Tod (2001), his role as far-right terrorist Franz Fuchs in the 2007 TV film Franz Fuchs - Ein Patriot, and in the police drama television series Inspector Rex. His character from Inspector Rex had his own spin-off series, Stockinger. He also played the role of Ferdinand aus der Fünten in the 2012 Dutch film Süskind, and a small role (Wolf) in the acclaimed 2014 comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel. He also plays a supporting role in the German television series Babylon Berlin.

Markovics remains a frequent stage actor, and in April 2010 played the non-singing role of Samiel in Counterfeiters-director Ruzowitzky's first opera production, Der Freischütz at Vienna's Theater an der Wien. He directed and wrote Atmen in 2011.

Personal life

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Markovics is married to actress Stephanie Taussig. They have two children, Louis and Leonie, and reside in Vienna, Austria.

Selected filmography

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Year Title Notes Awards
1994-1996 Inspector Rex TV series
1996-1997 Stockinger TV series spin-off Inspector Rex
2001 All the Queen's Men
2007 The Counterfeiters Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film winner film Valladolid International Film Festival Award for Best Actor
Nominated:German Film Award for Best Actor
2011 Unknown
2011 Breathing Writer and director Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Film at the Sarajevo Film Festival
Nominated:Golden Camera at the Cannes Film Festival
Nominated:European Film Award for European Discovery of the Year
2014 Grand Budapest Hotel
2015 Me and Kaminski
2016 The King's Choice as Curt Bräuer Amanda Award 2017 for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2016 Fog in August
2016 The Devil's Mistress as Joseph Goebbels
2018 Perfume TV series
2018 A Hidden Life A Terrence Malick film
2018 The Dark
2019 Nobadi Director
2020 Resistance
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