Thomas Kretschmann

Thomas Kretschmann
Kretschmann with Brittany Rice, at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, on 9 February 2012
Born	(1962-09-08) 8 September 1962 (age 54) Dessau, East Germany
Residence	Los Angeles, California, U.S. Malibu, California, U.S.
Nationality	German
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1985–present
Children	3
Website	ThomasKretschmann

Thomas Kretschmann (German pronunciation: [ˈtoːmas ˈkrɛʧman]; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor. He played Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Peter Kahn in the 2013 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Downfall, Major Otto Remer in the 2008 film Valkyrie, and Captain Engelhorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong, and voiced Professor Z in Cars 2. He appeared as Baron Strucker in Marvel Studios' Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Kretschmann was born in Dessau, East Germany, on 8 September 1962. Before he became an actor, Kretschmann trained to become an Olympic swimmer. At the age of 19, he fled East Germany and began a month-long trek to West Germany to escape the East German state. During this trek, part of his finger was lost but surgically reattached. Kretschmann crossed four borders (Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria) with nothing other than his passport and the equivalent of $100 in his possession.