Biography
Actor August Diehl debuted in productions in his native Germany beginning in the late '90s, and thereafter did the preponderance of his screen work in continentally produced German-language productions. Early projects -- which found Diehl ascending rapidly from bit parts to supporting roles -- included Stefan Ruzowitzky's medical thriller
Anatomy (2000) and its 2003 sequel, and Peter Sehr's romantic drama
Love the Hard Way (2001). Diehl tackled one of his premier leads in Robert Schwentke's gruesome post-noir thriller
Tattoo (2002), as a rookie detective assigned to homicide, where he must solve a bizarre series of ritual murders. Diehl netted international crossover attention and retained lead billing with his work in such critical darlings as
Volker Schlöndorff's 2004 psychological drama
The Ninth Day (as a Gestapo officer) and Stefan Ruzowitzky's
The Counterfeiters (2007), as a World War II-era collotype specialist continually interfering with a Nazi counterfeiting scheme. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide