Til Schweiger's films

Tilman Valentin Schweiger was born in 1963 as the son of a teacher couple in Freiburg im Breisgau , but grew up in Gießen in Hesse and from 1977 until the Abitur in Heuchelheim near Gießen.

The "most coveted bachelor in Germany" (Bunte.de/stars/til-schweiger_stid_170.html) study German studies after Abitur, military service and community service but then only a medical degree , but both only very short.

In 1986 the acting passion grabbed him, Schweiger began acting at the school of the “Der Keller” school in Cologne, which is run privately and, at the moment 480,- € school fees a month demands not inconsiderable financial efforts from her students.

After the examination of the stage maturity, he was able to make his first stage experiences during a commitment to the Bonn Contra-Kreis Theater , the per performance of a maximum of 258 spectators may be seen today as significant contemporary witnesses, because they probably have witnessed the birth of Schweiger's comedic talent: it has been handed down that he was in November 1989 and December 1991 in the plays "with a toe" and "Kille Skille" and "Kille Kille" played.

These pieces come from the profile of the profiled comedy author Derek Benfield, who says about his work: “There must also be easy, cheerful comedies in a world full of worries and problems.

Laughing is the only panacea that is naturally given to us. When I see the radiant, pleased faces of the people who leave the theater after seeing a piece of me, I know it was worth it. ”

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

His lindenstrasse engagement went until 1992, in between he was able to record further success: his first film key role as a “Bertie” in the unforgettable film “Manta, Manta” (1991) and the Max Ophüls Prize as the best young actor for his portrayal in the comedy “Ebbies Bluff” (1992), which was largely ripped off by the criticism.

Shortly afterwards, Schweiger became a sex symbol overnight after showing himself naked on a living room table in the film comedy "The Moving Man" . The comedies “Men's Pension” and “Das Superweib” follow in 1996, Schweiger is said to have spoken as an actor as follows during this time:

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

He now wanted to make such films himself: in 1996 Schweiger founded the production company Mr. Brown Entertainment (together with Thomas Zickler and André Hennicke), which in 1997 presented the film “Knockin 'on Heaven's Door” , which was benevolently recorded until the occasional complaint of puberty gags and dramaturgical weaknesses in the script.

With “Der Eisbär”, Schweiger's directorial debut followed in 1998 (in cooperation with Granz Henman), he also played a professional killer, but the thriller comedy was only moderately enthusiastic by the criticism, also referred to as a superfluous film (lexicon of international film).

From 1998, Schweiger played in colorfully mixed US films, film comedies, action and history films. In Germany and the USA, Schweiger repeatedly appeared from the area of ​​comedy: he took over roles of different importance in other topics (partially) German productions, as in “Police Call 110” (1995), “Die Commissioner” (1994-96), “What to do if there is a fire?” (2001), “Joe & Max” (2002), “Agnes and his brothers” (2004), “One Way” (2006) and other “non-comedy films”. Likewise in American productions, e.g. B. the crime novel “The Replacement Killers”, “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 the comedies did not let go of him, between 1999 and 2012 he was involved in the creation of important comedies such as “Bang Boom Bang”, “(T) spaceship Surprise”, “The Daltons against Lucky Luke”, “Deuty Bigalow”, “No Snow”, “Where is Fred?”, “Bye by Harry”, “Video Kings”,, “Men's hearts”, “We have to talk!” (TV series), “Men's hearts ... and the very big love”, “Happy New Year” and “That gives trouble”. Above all, the films created under his production let the hearts of the spectators willing to amusement dance: “On Knockin 'On Heaven's Door” (1997) followed “Now or never - time is money” (2000), “Barefuss” (2005), “Keinohrhasen” (2007), “11⁄2 Knight - In search of the adorable darling” (2008), “Zweiohküken” (2009) and “Kokowääh” (2011).

The reviews were not always gratifying : "The encounter between two world-lost people as a great love story is struggling to the contour and in phases helpless and loses a desolate series of gags and pale episodes in which feelings are only alleged." Is z. " B. the entry for “Barfuss” in the lexicon of international film.

Sometimes the reviews are even clearer what Schweiger can annoy: With “Keinohrhasen”, for whom Schweiger wrote the script, directed and produced, Schweiger wanted to prevent his previous films, he refused a general press demonstration, some critics were just “really on the bag”. When the film was not nominated for the German Film Award Lola, Schweiger quickly left the film academy (and a few weeks later).

Because the wave of success must be driven further, followed after an interlude with Bully Herbig “Zweiohrküken”, the continuation of “Keinohrhasen”. A film in which the “pups and penis jokes under egg-colored protective covers” according to the critic Tobias Kniebe “let deep into the heart of his maker” (Süddeutsche Zeitung: Zweiohküken: Please do not hit, December 4, 2009).

And “Kokowääh”, a “patchwork family comedy” [..] “light, entertaining, without depth” [..], in which “Schweiger is reminiscent of a child who only wants dessert.” (Andreas Scheiner in “Die Zeit” from January 31, 2001).

This is exactly what is perhaps the problem of many people with the films by Til Schweiger, even if they don't want to see any more than entertainment in the cinema: that they only get a better mood from a drink, but just get stomach pain.

You can certainly be excited to see what comes out when Schweiger with a setting that is with sayings like "a film is a film. The main thing is that he maintains." Reviews a film, a main character of which is a returnee from Afghanistan. The other leading role in the film “Guardian Angel” plays Schweiger's oldest daughter Luna, the “emotional action thriller” should be shown in German cinemas from September 27, 2012.

At least Til Schweiger "I cried while he wrote on the script in the kitchen at night", as he told the star (read at: www.stern.de/ ) .

In the following short video, Til Schweiger talks about his new film in the morning magazine. In “Guardian Angel” he tells of a former elite soldier who is intended to ensure the safety of the witnesses in a protective program, which will testify in a process.