I watched Der Untergang (Downfall in English) the other day, and lo and behold! Thomas Kretschmann plays a supporting role as a military officer of the Wehrmacht. Again.
Let's take a stroll down memory lane.
It seems Kretschmann's career as a Nazi officer begins in 1992, when he co-stars as Lieutenant Max Luedt in Norwegian movie Krigerens Hjerte. Apparently he does well enough, as he lands the part of Lt. Hanz von Wistland in the classic WWII movie Stalingrad the following year.
It takes quite a few years, but eventually Hollywood notices. In 2000, Kretschmann stars as as submarine captain in Jonathan Mostow's audition for Terminator 3, U-571. Roman Polanski then brings Kretschmann back to land in 2002's The Pianist, in which he plays Captain Wilm Hosenfeld.
2004 turns out the be year of the Kretschmann, when he manages to play a nazi officer in not one, but two movies about WWII. The first of these is the aforementioned Der Untergang, in which Kretschmann plays the part of SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein, brother-in-law of Eva Braun. The second movie is straight-to-DVD hit U-boat (also starring the one and only Xander Berkeley).
Where does Kretschmann go from here? Who knows. Kretschmann's turn as a green vampire in guilty pleasure Blade II suggests a way for him to escape typecasting: Lots and lots of make-up.
