One of the few contemporary German-speaking actors to have become established as an international star, Klaus Maria Brandauer first came to prominence for his compelling performance as Hendrik Hofgen, an ambitious young actor adopted by the Nazi party during the 1930s, in Hungarian director Istvan Szabo's Oscar-winning Best Foreign Film "Mephisto" (1981). A longtime member of Vienna's Burgtheater (The National Theater of Austria), the compact, burly, stage-trained Brandauer won acclaim for his performances as several Shakespearean heroes (Hamlet, Romeo, Petruchio) and has been a perennial
Began working with Vienna's Burgtheater (the National Theater of Austria) as actor and director
1972
Film acting debut in Lee H Katzin's "The Salzberg Connection", produced by Ingo Preminger, brother of Otto
1981
First feature with Istvan Szabo, "Mephisto", based on the true story of German actor Hendrik Hofgen, noted for his portrayal of Mephistopheles in Goethe's "Faust", who ironically made his own Faustian bargain with the Nazis
