The films of Til Schweiger

Tilman Valentin Schweiger was born in 1963 in Freiburg im Breisgau , but grew up in Gießen, Hesse, and from 1977 until his high school graduation in Heuchelheim near Gießen.

" most eligible bachelor" (bunte.de/stars/til-schweiger_stid_170.html) initially showed no acting ambitions, but after graduating from high school, completing military service and civilian service, first began studying German to become a teacher and then medicine , but both only for a short time.

In 1986, he was gripped by a passion for acting, and Schweiger began acting training at the privately run theater school “Der Keller” in Cologne, which currently demands considerable financial effort from its students, with tuition fees of €480 per month.

After passing his stage readiness exam, he gained his first stage experience with an engagement at the Bonn Contra-Kreis-Theater , whose audience of up to 258 per performance may be considered important historical witnesses today, as they probably experienced the birth of Schweiger's comedic talent: It is recorded that he played in the plays “Mit einem Zeh im Wasser” and “Kille Kille” in November 1989 and December 1991.

These plays come from the pen of the distinguished comedy writer Derek Benfield, who says about his work: “In a world full of worries and problems, there must also be light, cheerful comedies.

Laughter is the only cure-all that nature has given us. When I see the radiant, happy faces of people leaving the theater after seeing one of my plays, I know it was worth it.”

However, Schweiger first began his career in film and television at almost 30 years of age : After initially working as a voice actor, he received the role of “Jo Zenker” in the ARD television series Lindenstraße .

His involvement with Lindenstrasse lasted until 1992, and in between he achieved further successes: his first leading film role as “Bertie” in the unforgettable film “Manta, Manta” (1991) and the Max Ophüls Prize as best newcomer for his portrayal of a boxer in the comedy “Ebbies Bluff” (1992), which was largely panned by critics.

Shortly thereafter, Schweiger became an overnight sex symbol after appearing naked on a living room table film comedy "Der bewegte Mann" (The Most Desired Man "Männerpension" (Men's Pension) and "Das Superweib" (The Superwoman) followed in 1996, and Schweiger is said to have commented on his role as an actor during this time as follows:

We need to make films that people want to see, not art, but entertainment.”

He now wanted to produce such films himself: in 1996 Schweiger founded the production company Mr. Brown Entertainment (together with Thomas Zickler and André Hennicke), which presented its first production, the film “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” , in 1997, which was well received except for occasional criticism of pubescent gags and dramaturgical weaknesses in the script.

Schweiger's directorial debut, "Der Eisbär" (in collaboration with Granz Henman), followed in 1998; he also played a professional killer. However, the thriller-comedy was only moderately enthusiastically received by critics and was even described as a superfluous film (Lexikon des internationalen Films).

From 1998 onwards, Schweiger appeared in a diverse range of American films, including comedies, action films, and historical dramas. In both Germany and the US, Schweiger repeatedly ventured beyond comedy, taking on roles of varying importance in (partially) German productions dedicated to other themes, such as "Polizeiruf 110" (1995), "Die Kommissarin" (1994-96), "Was tun, wenn's brennt?" (2001), "Joe & Max" (2002), "Agnes und seine Brüder" (2004), "One Way" (2006), and other non-comedy films. He also appeared in American productions, for example, the crime films "The Replacement Killers" and "Judas Kiss," and the subculture study "SLC Punk!" (1998), “Driven” (2001), “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2003) “U-Boat” and “King Arthur” (2004), “Already Dead” (2007) and of course “Inglourious Basterds” (2009).

But comedies never let him go; between 1999 and 2012 he was involved in the creation of important comedies such as “Bang Boom Bang”, “(T)Raumschiff Surprise”, “Die Daltons gegen Lucky Luke”, “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo”, “No Snow”, “Wo ist Fred?”, “Bye Bye Harry”, “Video Kings”, “Männerherzen”, “Wir müssen reden!” (TV series), “Männerherzen … und die ganz ganz große Liebe”, “Happy New Year” and “Das gibt Ärger”. Above all, the films produced under his name made the hearts of amusement-seeking viewers dance: “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” (1997) was followed by “Now or Never – Time Is Money” (2000), “Barefoot” (2005), “Rabbit Without Ears” (2007), “1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Herzelinde” (2008), “Rabbit Without Ears 2” (2009) and “Kokowääh” (2011).

The reviews were not always positive : “The encounter between two world-weary people, conceived as a great love story, suffers from its indistinct and sometimes helpless staging and gets lost in a dreary string of gags and pale episodes in which feelings are merely asserted,” reads, for example, the entry for “Barefoot” in the Encyclopedia of International Film.

Sometimes the reviews are even more scathing, which can annoy Schweiger: With "Rabbit Without Ears," for which Schweiger wrote the screenplay, directed, and produced, he wanted to preempt any negative reviews of his earlier films. He refused a general press screening; some critics were simply "getting on his nerves." When the film wasn't even nominated for the German Film Award, the Lola, Schweiger promptly resigned from the German Film Academy (and rejoined a few weeks later).

Because the wave of success had to be kept going, after an interlude with Bully Herbig came "Zweiohrküken" (Rabbit Without Ears), the sequel to "Keinohrhasen" (Rabbit Without Ears). A film in which, according to critic Tobias Kniebe, the "fart and penis jokes under eggshell-colored protective covers" "offer a deep glimpse into the heart of its creator" (Süddeutsche Zeitung: Zweiohrküken: Bitte nicht hauen, December 4, 2009).

And “Kokowääh”, a “patchwork family comedy” [...] “light, entertaining, without depth” [...], in which “Schweiger is reminiscent of a child who always wants dessert.” (Andreas Scheiner in “Die Zeit” from 31.01.2001).

Perhaps that's precisely the problem many people have with Til Schweiger's films, even if they don't want to see anything more than entertainment at the cinema: that eating only sweets doesn't improve their mood, but simply gives them stomach aches.

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens when Schweiger, with an attitude that can be summed up in sayings like "A film is a film. The main thing is that it entertains," directs a film whose main character is a war veteran returning from Afghanistan. The other main role in the film "Schutzengel" ( is played by Schweiger's eldest daughter, Luna; the "emotional action thriller" is scheduled to be released in German cinemas on September 27, 2012.

At least Til Schweiger “cried while writing the script in the kitchen at night”, as he told Stern magazine (read more at: www.stern.de/ ) .

In the following short video, Til Schweiger talks about his new film on the morning news program. In "Schutzengel" (Guardian Angel), he tells the story of a former elite soldier who is part of a protection program to ensure the safety of witnesses testifying in a trial.