August Diehl (; born 4 January 1976) is a German actor, primarily known to international audiences for playing Gestapo major Dieter Hellstrom in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Michael "Mike" Krause, Evelyn Salt's husband, in the movie Salt. He is also known for his leading roles in the films The Counterfeiters (2007), The Young Karl Marx (2017), and Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life (2019).
Life and career
Diehl was born in West Berlin. His father is actor Hans Diehl, his mother is a costume designer, and his brother is a composer. His family was frequently moving around. Diehl spent his childhood in Auvergne, France, and moved back to West Germany when he was nine years old. The family lived in Hamburg, Vienna, and Düsseldorf.
Growing up in a family of artists, at the age of 18, he played Franz Moor in a school theatre production of Die Räuber by Friedrich Schiller. After passing the Abitur exams, Diehl studied acting at the renowned Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch in Berlin.
In 2000, he was named one of European film's Shooting Stars by the European Film Promotion.
In 2009, Diehl played Gestapo major Dieter Hellstrom in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.
In 2024, he appeared in the fantasy-drama The Master and Margarita, based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, playing a devil-like character called Woland. He also appeared in the historical drama Bonhoeffer.
His upcoming projects are The Disappearance, in which he portrays Josef Mengele, and the action film Control.
In 2025, Diehl appeared in Lucile Hadžihalilović's fantasy-drama The Ice Tower.
Personal life Diehl was married to actress Julia Malik, but the marriage ended amicably in 2016. They have two children: a daughter born in May 2009 and a son born in 2012. Diehl plays the guitar and speaks German, Spanish, French, and English.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 23 Karl Koch1999 Entering Reality Leon Short Die Braut Fritz von Stein Poppen Alex Short2000 Cold Is the Evening Breeze Hugo Wimmer (young) Der Atemkünstler Writer 2001 Love the Hard Way Jeff2002 Tattoo Marc Schrader Haider lebt – 1. April 2021 A.M. Kaiser2003 Anatomy 2 Benjamin 'Benny' Sachs Distant Lights Philip The Birch-Tree Meadow Oskar2004 Love in Thoughts Günther Scheller The Ninth Day Untersturmführer Gebhardt2005 Mouth to Mouth Tiger Wattläufer Robert Short2006 Slumming Sebastian I Am The Other Woman Robert Fabry Nothing But Ghosts Felix2007 The Counterfeiters Burger Lichtblick Perpetrator Short Head Under Water Martin Wegner2008 Dr. Aleman Marc Mr. Kuka's Advice Lothar A Woman in Berlin Gerd Buddenbrooks Christian Buddenbrook 2009 Inglourious Basterds Major Dieter Hellstrom2010 Salt Mike Krause The Coming Days Konstantin Richter 2011 If Not Us, Who? Bernward Vesper2012 Confession of a Child of the Century Desgenais Shores Of Hope Andreas Hornung The Adventure of Huck Finn Pap Finn2013 Layla Fourie Eugene Pienaar Night Train to Lisbon Young Jorge O'Kelly The Husband Karl 'Rusty' Rost Frau Ella Klaus2015 Dirk Ohm – Illusjonisten som forsvant Dirk Ohm En mai, fais ce qu'il te plait Hans2016 Dark Inclusion Gabi Ulmann Allied Hobar2017 The Young Karl Marx Karl Marx Midnight Confession Kurt Short2018 Kursk Anton Markov L'Empereur de Paris Nathanaël The Bird Catcher Herman2019 A Hidden Life Franz Jägerstätter The Last Vermeer Alex De Klerks2021 The King's Man Vladimir Lenin Plan A Max2022 Munich – The Edge of War SS-Hauptsturmführer Franz Sauer The Perfumier 2023 Sidonie in Japan Antoine 2024 The Master and Margarita Woland Bonhoeffer Martin Niemöller 2025 The Ice Tower Max The Disappearance of Josef Mengele Josef Mengele 2026 Fatherland Klaus Mann TBA Control Filming
Awards and nominations
YearAwardCategoryWorkResult 1999 German Film Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 23 Bavarian Film Awards Best Young Actor 2000 Berlin International Film Festival Shooting Stars 2005 German Film Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role The Ninth Day German Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor Love in Thoughts 2007 Bambi Awards Best Actor Nothing But Ghosts 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Inglourious Basterds 2011 German Film Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role If Not Us, Who? German Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor The Coming Days 2012 Nestroy Theatre Prize Best Actor The Prince of Homburg 2013 German Screen Actors Awards Best Leading Actor Shores of Hope 2014 Jupiter Awards Best German Actor Frau Ella Nestroy Theatre PrizeBest Actor Hamlet 2016 Diese Geschichte von Ihnen 2025 Russian Guild of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor The Master and Margarita
References
External links