Matthias Schweighöfer

Early life

He is the son of actors.

Career

His first role in a feature film was Changing Skins (1997), directed by Andreas Dresen. In the following years, he appeared in projects such as Soloalbum (2003), Off Beat (2004), Eight Miles High (2007) and Rabbit Without Ears. Schweighöfer portrayed Lieutenant Franz Herber in Valkyrie, a 2008 film dramatizing the failed 20 July assassination and political coup plot to kill Adolf Hitler. The international release of Valkyrie and the all-star cast (including Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp and Bill Nighy) not only allowed Schweighöfer to be recognized abroad, it provided an opportunity for him to be cast in other English speaking roles.

In 2009, Schweighöfer founded the fashion label German Garment with TV presenter Joko Winterscheidt.

In 2010, he made his debut as film director with the romantic comedy What a Man, followed in 2013 by his second movie Break Up Man. In 2017, he directed, produced and played the lead role in You Are Wanted, Amazon Studios' first non-English-language TV series.

In 2021, Schweighöfer appeared in the Netflix film Army of the Dead, directed by Zack Snyder, as Ludwig Dieter. He reprised his role in the prequel film, Army of Thieves, which he also directed.

In 2021/2022, he took on the role of real-life music producer Frank Farian in the biopic Girl You Know It's True about the scandalous pop duo Milli Vanilli, written and directed by Simon Verhoeven, produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film. The film was released theatrically by Leonine in December 2023.

In 2023, he portrayed physicist Werner Heisenberg in the Christopher Nolan biopic Oppenheimer.

Personal life

Between 2004 and 2012, Schweighöfer dated Ani Schromm, and they got together again in the summer of 2013. They have a daughter born in 2009 and a son born in 2014. Schweighöfer and Schromm later separated, and as of 2018 Schweighöfer has been in a relationship with his Army of Thieves co-star Ruby O. Fee. The couple were married in January 2026. Schweighöfer lives in Berlin.

Awards

2000: German Television Prize – Promotional Award for the performance in Verbotenes Verlangen

2002: Günter Strack TV Award – Best Young Actor for the performance in Tatort - Gewaltfieber

2003: Golden Camera – "Curt Jürgens Memorial Camera" for best newcomer and performances in Friends of Friends & Soloalbum

2003: Adolf Grimme Award – For the performance in Friends of Friends

2003: New Faces Award – Best Actor

2004: Bavarian Film Award – Best Young Actor

2004: Baden-Baden TV and Film Festival – Special award for the outstanding performances in Baal and Cold Spring

2005: Undine Award – Best Young Actor (TV) for the performance in The Young Schiller

2006: DIVA-Award – Best Actor for the performances in Kammerflimmern, The Young Schiller and Polly Blue Eyes

2007: Undine Award – Best Young Actor (feature film) for the performance in Eight Miles High

2007: Bambi Award – Film – National – Male

2009: Golden Camera – Best German Actor for the performance in The Author of Himself: The Life of Marcel Reich-Ranicki

2010: Jupiter Award – Best Male Actor (TV) for his performance in The Author of Himself: The Life of Marcel Reich-Ranicki

2011: GQ Man of the Year – Film National

Selected filmography

Director

Actor

Theatre

2004: One, Two, Three – Otto Ludwig Pfiffl, Hebbel Theatre, Berlin

2007: North, directed by Frank Castorf, Volksbühne, Berlin

Audiobooks

2008: Slam by Nick Hornby, ISBN 978-3867178600

2008: Die Traumnovelle by Arthur Schnitzler, ISBN 978-3829122092