Andreas Wisniewski

Andreas Wisniewski (born 3 July 1959) is a German actor and former dancer. He is best known for his portrayals of Necros in the 1987 Bond film The Living Daylights, Max's companion in the 1996 film Mission: Impossible, and as one of Hans Gruber's henchmen, Tony, in 1988's Die Hard.

Early life Wisniewski was born in West Berlin, West Germany, to a Polish father and a German mother, and spent the early part of his life dancing before turning to acting.

Career Wisniewski made his big-screen debut in Gothic (1986), a film about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, in which Wisniewski plays the role of Fletcher.

In the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights, the Wisniewski portrays the assassin Necros. His next mainstream role was as one of Hans Gruber's henchmen, Tony Vreski, in the 1988 film Die Hard.

Wisniewski then had roles in the TV shows Superboy, Mann & Machine and Northern Exposure. He later appeared in the 1995 science fiction film Death Machine playing Weyland, and again in 1996 in a non-speaking role as Max's companion in another box office smash, Mission: Impossible.

Wisniewski then moved into German films, after which he reappeared to UK audiences in an episode of the TV series Lock, Stock...The Series based on the gangster film by Guy Ritchie. Two years later he was in an episode of the ITV hit series Ultimate Force alongside popular soap opera star Ross Kemp playing Serbian terrorist Savo Glasnovic. Wisniewski hit the screens (although his face is never seen) in the UK again in 2008 after a six-year break when he co-starred in Mark Tonderai's cat-and-mouse thriller Hush.

Wisniewski has also appeared in two music videos. He was in the video "Venus", sung by the girl group Bananarama, and also appeared as a soldier in the background of Elton John's video "Nikita", where he can be seen as Elton John's Bentley Continental pulls up to the security gate.

In 2001, Wisniewski turned his hand to directing, making the short film Inspiration, starring English actors Danny Webb and Christine Adams. Another Andreas Wisniewski, credited in the biopic Surviving Picasso alongside Anthony Hopkins, is a different actor. Wisniewski has kept a low profile since this time to spend time with his family and children and to concentrate on Buddhism.

He made an appearance in ITV's police drama The Bill. He appeared on 10 July 2008 in the episode Gun Runner: Pay and Spray, in which he played a short one-minute role as a Russian criminal 'Dimitri' purchasing guns and ammunition.

Fifteen years after his first appearance in a Mission: Impossible film, he had another non-speaking part in 2011's Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, playing the same character from the first film of the series.

Personal life Wisniewski has three children and lives in Berlin. He is a practising Zen Buddhist.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1986 Gothic Fletcher 1987 Aria Segment "Nessun dorma" 1987 The Living Daylights Necros 1988 Die Hard Tony Vreski 1993 The Hit List Lance 1994 Death Machine Weyland 1996 Mission: Impossible Max's Companion 1996 Surviving Picasso German Soldier 1998 The Tribe Lieutenant 1998 Urban Ghost Story Quinn 1998 Helden und andere Feiglinge (Heroes and Other Cowards) Ernesto 2008 Hush The Tarman 2008 The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior Pollux 2010 Centurion Commander Gratus 2011 Urban Explorer Neo-Nazi 2011 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The Fog's Contact 2013 Bela Kiss: Prologue Private Charles Nagy (voice) 2017 Instrument of War Karl Herrmann

Television Year Title Role Notes 1989 Superboy Android Episode: "Superboy... Rest in Peace" 1992 Northern Exposure Arthur Episode: "Wake Up Call" 1992 Mann & Machine John Stepka Episode: "Billion Dollar Baby" 1994 Between the Lines Maus Episodes: "The End User: Part I" and "The End User: Part II" 1996 Ein starkes Team Rohler Episode: "Eins zu Eins" 1997 Supply & Demand John Howard Episode: "Pilot" 1997 Gegen den Wind Glen Episode: "Die Herausforderung" 1997 Der Fahnder Episode: "Beckers letzter Fall" 1998 Die Wache Bruno Mögelsdorf Episode: "Tod eines Indianers" 1998 Kidnapping Mom & Dad Holger Television film 1998 Balko Jürgen Fromm Episode: "Blutige Beute" 1998 Alarm for Cobra 11 – The Highway Police Harry Episode: "Die Anhalterin" 1999 The Waiting Time Ernst Raub Television film 1999 Coast Guard Waschnikow Episode: "Das trojanische Pferd" 2000 In the Name of the Law Klaus Jacobi Episode: "Tod auf Raten" 2000 Lock, Stock... Heinrich Episode: "...and Spaghetti Sauce" 2000 Die Motorrad-Cops – Hart am Limit Killian Episode: "Volles Risiko" 2002 Our Charly Lutz Rabenau Episode: "Mausefallen" 2002 Coast Guard Kessler Episode: "Unter Feuer" 2002 Ultimate Force Glasnovic Episode: "Something to Do with Justice" 2003 SOKO München Dr. Fritz Haas Episode: "Bube, Dame, Mord" 2008 The Bill Dimitri Episodes: "Gun Runner: Spray and Pray" and "Gun Runner: Fire Fight" 2020 GOSH interviews Himself Talk show

Music videos Year Title Role Artist 1985 "Nikita" Officer Elton John 1986 "Venus" Dancer Bananarama