August Diehl

August Diehl (; born 4 January 1976) is a German actor, primarily known to international audiences for playing Gestapo major Dieter Hellstrom in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Michael "Mike" Krause, Evelyn Salt's husband, in the movie Salt. He is also known for his leading roles in the films The Counterfeiters (2007), The Young Karl Marx (2017), and Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life (2019).

Life and career

Diehl was born in West Berlin. His father is actor Hans Diehl, his mother is a costume designer, and his brother is a composer. His family was frequently moving around. Diehl spent his childhood in Auvergne, France, and moved back to West Germany when he was nine years old. The family lived in Hamburg, Vienna, and Düsseldorf.

Growing up in a family of artists, at the age of 18, he played Franz Moor in a school theatre production of Die Räuber by Friedrich Schiller. After passing the Abitur exams, Diehl studied acting at the renowned Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch in Berlin.

In 2000, he was named one of European film's Shooting Stars by the European Film Promotion.

In 2009, Diehl played Gestapo major Dieter Hellstrom in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

In 2024, he appeared in the fantasy-drama The Master and Margarita, based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, playing a devil-like character called Woland. He also appeared in the historical drama Bonhoeffer.

His upcoming projects are The Disappearance, in which he portrays Josef Mengele, and the action film Control.

In 2025, Diehl appeared in Lucile Hadžihalilović's fantasy-drama The Ice Tower.

Personal life Diehl was married to actress Julia Malik, but the marriage ended amicably in 2016. They have two children: a daughter born in May 2009 and a son born in 2012. Diehl plays the guitar and speaks German, Spanish, French, and English.

Filmography Film

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult 1999 German Film Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 23 Bavarian Film Awards Best Young Actor 2000 Berlin International Film Festival Shooting Stars 2005 German Film Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role The Ninth Day German Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor Love in Thoughts 2007 Bambi Awards Best Actor Nothing But Ghosts 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Inglourious Basterds 2011 German Film Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role If Not Us, Who? German Film Critics Association Awards Best Actor The Coming Days 2012 Nestroy Theatre Prize Best Actor The Prince of Homburg 2013 German Screen Actors Awards Best Leading Actor Shores of Hope 2014 Jupiter Awards Best German Actor Frau Ella Nestroy Theatre PrizeBest Actor Hamlet 2016 Diese Geschichte von Ihnen 2025 Russian Guild of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor The Master and Margarita