Much celebrated, often criticized: Til Schweiger turns 60

Actors - Much celebrated, often criticized: Til Schweiger turns 60

He combines the German "Lindenstraße" with Hollywood and the world-famous director Quentin Tarantino. However, many people think of Til Schweiger primarily in terms of his comedies, which became box office hits in Germany. The actor has repeatedly come in for harsh criticism in the press. Either way, he has left his mark on the German film industry like few others. Schweiger turns 60 on December 19.

In the meantime, he has broken at least one resolution in his life: "The next film in which I can be seen is the new Guy Ritchie film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare", in which I play a Nazi for the first time, although I had sworn never to do so," Schweiger recently told the German Press Agency. It is an action espionage film.

He took off with "Manta, Manta"

In recent decades, he has made it to the very top. In Tarantino' s American World War II film "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), Schweiger played Sergeant Hugo Stiglitz alongside international star Brad Pitt as the leader of a group of Nazi killers.

This was unthinkable when he starred in Germany's popular classic series"Lindenstraße" in the early 1990s. ARD describes his character Jo Zenker as a "friendly contemporary who, as a big brother, always has an open ear for his sisters Iffi and Valerie".

His cinema debut was "Manta, Manta" in 1991 - a fuel comedy about a group of young people with lots of perms and jeans in North Rhine-Westphalia who have nothing but love and their Manta cars on their minds. The car comedy catapults us straight into the present day, as a very successful second "Manta" part has led to some of the harshest criticism of Schweiger to date in recent months.

He talks about his alcohol problems

The news magazine "Der Spiegel" got the ball rolling in the spring and reported on alleged harassment and a "climate of fear" on the "Manta" film set. The production company Constantin Film then initiated an investigation, and an external law firm presented mixed results. Schweiger spoke at length in an interview with "Stern" in October. Among other things, he said: "I don't want anyone to be afraid of me." He also spoke about his alcohol problems and explained that he was in therapy.

Schweiger recently told dpa on the occasion of his current cinema comedy "Das Beste kommt noch!" about two best friends and a fatal illness: "I am at peace with myself and I can look in the mirror in the morning, despite the mistakes I have made and for which I have taken responsibility. Not everyone does that either."

The fact that Schweiger has always polarized so much may also be due to the fact that he has taken part in debates on social media. And lashing out at critics of his films - for example, once calling them "idiots" for a "Tatort" film.

Films about love and family

Over the past decades, Schweiger has made a lot of films and achieved considerable success. Schweiger is not only an actor, but has also worked as a director and producer. His portfolio includes "Männerpension", "Der bewegte Mann", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", "Keinohrhasen", "Zweiohrküken", "Kokowääh", "Honig im Kopf" and "Lieber Kurt". He also played the Hamburg "Tatort" detective Nick Tschiller at times.

His first documentary in 2020 was about soccer star Bastian Schweinsteiger. In addition to his film career, Schweiger runs an interior design company. Years ago, he also set up a foundation to help children in need.

One of his cinematic trademarks is that he always has his children in his films. Is there anything else typical of Schweiger? The film star answered this question as follows: "My films, regardless of the genre, revolve around love and family, the two central themes that have occupied me since I was a teenager. Love within the family, but also love between two friends, or even girlfriends. My films often also deal with fears and illnesses, but they all have a conciliatory, hopeful ending."