Cast

Harvey Keitel – Major Steve Arnold
Born in 1939 in Brooklyn, Harvey Keitel is among the top stars of the international film industry. He studied with Frank Corsaro, Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler and as a member of the Actor's Studio, Keitel has worked extensively in the New York theatre community. Keitel made his debut in Martin Scorcese's "Who's That Knocking at My Door" (1968) and went on to star in Scorcese's classic urban drama of small-time hoods, "Mean Streets" (1973) Keitel also teamed up with Scorcese on "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1974), "Taxi Driver" (1976) and "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988). Harvey Keitel is well known for his compelling, intense and highly varied performances. His riveting role as the lover in Jane Campion's Awardwinning "The Piano" earned him an Australian Best Actor Award. Keitel was also voted 'Best Supporting Actor' by the National Society of Film Critics for his performances in Alan Rudolph's "Mortal Thoughts", Ridley Scott´s "Thelma and Louise" and Barry Levinson's "Bugsy", for which he also received an Academy Award nomination.

Stellan Skarsgård – Dr. Wilhelm Furtwängler
‘Stellan Skarsgård does his homework!’ says the actor's teacher Bo Widerberg laconically Skarsgård gives his entire being to the characters he plays. Over the last 20 years and in more than 70 motion pictures, the actor has preserved his versatility and avoided type-casting. He plays both heroes and demons, effortlessly making the transition from Scandinavia to Hollywood, from the intimate drama to the big-budget blockbuster. His acting is defined by enormous discipline, passion and a breathtaking spectrum. Stellan Skarsgård´s unpredictability and superior acting make him an actor to be reckoned with internationally. Skarsgård was born in 1951 in Göteborg, Sweden and by the age of 10 had already begun his acting career in Swedish television. From 1977 to 1988, he worked at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, where he appeared in Strindbergs' "Ett drömpsel, Mäster Olof" and "Vita rum" among others.

Moritz Bleibtreu – Lieutenant David Wills
Moritz Bleibtreu was born in Munich in 1971, but went abroad early, where he spent three years at drama schools in Paris, Rome and New York. His first stage acting experience came at the Hamburg ‘Schauspielhaus’ in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ and in ‘Richard III’ at the Thalia Theatre.

In 1993 Moritz Bleibtreu teamed up with director Nico Hofmann to appear in ‘Schulz and Schulz,’ and the following year he appeared in Rainer Kaufmann’s ‘Unschuldsengel.’ In 1995 his performance in another great Rainer Kaufmann film, ‘Stadtgespräch’ saw him celebrated as a great new talent. Since his appearance in ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door,’ for which he was awarded both the “Ernst Lubitsch Prize’ and the ‘German Film Prize,’ Moritz Bleibtreu has become one of the shooting stars of modern German cinema. Since then he has appeared in Tom Twyker’s popular film ‘Run Lola Run and Detlev Buck’s ‘Liebe Deine Nächste.’

Birgit Minichmayr – Emmi Straube
Born in 1977 in Linz, Birgit Minichmayr studied drama at the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar in Vienna. She had her first break with the Burgtheatre in Vienna, where she appeared in numerous plays, including "Der Reigen" by A. Schnitzler (Director: S.E Bechtolf), "Troilus and Cressida" by William Shakespeare (Director:D. Donellan) and "Der Färber und sein Zwillingsbruder" by J. Nestroy (Director: K.H.Hackl).She made her cinema debut in 1999 as Barbara Brecht in Jan Schütte's "Abschied", playing alongside Sepp Bierbichler and Monika Bleibtreu. In 2000, Birgit Minichmayr appeared in Peter Sämann's television thriller (in the Tatort series), "Böses Blut". Birgit was awarded the Austrian Nestroy Prize for "Best Young Talent" in 2000.

Oleg Tabakov – Colonel Dymshitz
Oleg Tabakov is one of Russia's leading actors. Born in 1935, he has appeared in more than 85 productions and has played among others the roles of Nikolai Rostov, King Ludwig and Stalin. In 1997 he was nominated for a NIKA, the 'Russian Oscars' as best supporting actor for his role in the film "Three Stories". His list of credits include such films as "Sympathy Seeker" (1997), "The White Dunes" (1996), "Moscow Vacations" (1995), "The Inner Circle" (1992), "The Hat" (1990) and "Expansive Pleasure" (1988).

Ulrich Tukur – Helmut Roder
Ulrich Tukur is one of Germany's most versatile talents. He can adapt his artistic style to suit the needs of cinema, stage or variety acting.

Born in 1957 in Viernheim, Germany, he studied at the Stuttgart Academy of Music and Performing Arts. He was cast in his first theatre roles at the age of 25 and just two years later was awarded the O.-E-Hasse prize for his performance as SS Officer Kittel in Peter Zadek's "Ghetto". At the "Deutsche Schauspielhaus" in Hamburg he performed -among many roles - as Hamlet, in Munich as Mcbeth and in Vienna as Peer Gynt. Two of his most important cinema roles were in Reinhard Hauf's "Stammheim" (1986) and in Sander/Brahms/Trotta's "Felix" (1986). Turkur became something of a household name through his role as a yuppie in the television film "Das Milliardenspiel" (directed by Peter Keglevic in 1989). In the past two years, he has enjoyed great success with "Jedermann" at the Salzburg Theatre Festival.

Together with Ulrich Wallert Ulrich Tukur is the Artistic Supervisor of "Hamburger Kammerspiele". There he played the part of Major Steve Arnold in the 1999 production of the play "Taking Sides".

Full cast credits