Matthias Habich

Matthias Habich (born 12 January 1940) is a German actor who has appeared in more than 110 film and television productions since 1965. Habich was born in Danzig (present-day Gdańsk, Poland) and lives in Paris.

In his career, he appeared in a number of internationally recognized films. In the 2001 film Enemy at the Gates about Stalingrad, he played the part of General (later Field Marshal) Friedrich Paulus. In the 2004 film Downfall, he portrayed Werner Haase. In the 2008 Oscar-winning drama The Reader he appeared as the father of the title character.

Films (selection)

1973: Die merkwürdige Lebensgeschichte des Friedrich Freiherrn von der Trenck (TV miniseries, directed by Fritz Umgelter) – Friedrich von der Trenck 1973: Abenteuer eines Sommers (directed by Helmut Pfandler) – Michelitsch 1974: (TV film, directed by Fritz Umgelter) – Miroslav als Erwachsener 1975: (TV miniseries, directed by Fritz Umgelter) – Orlov 1975: Abenteuerlicher Simplizissimus (TV miniseries, directed by Fritz Umgelter) – Simplex 1976: Fluchtgefahr (TV film, directed by Markus Imhoof) – Winarski 1976: Coup de Grâce (directed by Volker Schlöndorff) – Erich von Lhomond 1977: (directed by Bernhard Sinkel and Alf Brustellin) – Jan Amery 1977: (directed by Jean-Claude Tramont) – Bruno 1978: (directed by Bernhard Sinkel) – Leonard 1978: (TV film, directed by Egon Günther) – Zwingli 1980: (directed by Robert van Ackeren) 1982: Imperative (directed by Krzysztof Zanussi) – Theologist 1982: Jack Holborn (TV miniseries, directed by Sigi Rothemund) – Kapitän & Richter / Captain & Lord Sharingham 1983: Embers (directed by Thomas Koerfer) 1984: Les Morfalous (directed by Henri Verneuil) – Karl 1987: Pink Palace, Paradise Beach (directed by Milan Dor) – Daniel 1987: The Cry of the Owl (TV film, directed by ) – Robert 1988: The Passenger – Welcome to Germany (directed by Thomas Brasch) – Körner 1988: Straight for the Heart (directed by Léa Pool) – Pierre Kurwenal 1988: Crash (TV film, directed by Tom Toelle) – Richard Jansen 1988: (directed by Jacques Rouffio) – Schulze-Bousen 1989: Noch ein Wunsch (TV film, directed by Thomas Koerfer) – Martin 1990: Farendj (directed by Sabine Prenczina) – Bruno 1990: (TV film, directed by Ludvík Ráža) – Magnus 1991: (directed by Rainer Simon) – Hauptmann / Teiresias 1991: The Savage Woman (La Demoiselle sauvage) (directed by Léa Pool) – Élysée 1992: (TV film, directed by ) – Franz 1992: Extralarge (TV series, episode: "Cannonball", directed by Enzo G. Castellari) – Dr. Shuby 1993: The Last U-Boat (TV film, directed by Frank Beyer) – Mellenberg – General 1994: Lauras Entscheidung (TV film, directed by Uwe Janson) – Joachim Böllinger 1995: Deutschlandlied (TV miniseries, directed by Tom Toelle) – Konrad Schuhbeck 1995: (directed by Jean-Pierre Mocky) – Chris Corday 1995: Das zehnte Jahr (directed by Käthe Kratz) – Max 1996: Slaughter of the Cock (directed by Andreas Pantzis) 1996: Tatort: (TV, directed by Nina Grosse) – Prof. Otto Sorensky 1996: Beyond Silence (directed by Caroline Link) – Gregor (Clarissa's husband) 1997: (directed by Andreas Kleinert) – Kommissar Norbert Michaelis 1997: The Rat (TV film, directed by ) – Markus Frank 1997: (TV film, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel) – Der Fremde 1998: Sugar for the Beast (TV film, directed by ) – Dr. Kaltenbach 1999: Picknick im Schnee (TV film, directed by ) – Johannes Breutigam 1999: Klemperer – Ein Leben in Deutschland (TV series, directed by and Kai Wessel) – Victor Klemperer 2000: (TV miniseries, directed by Margarethe von Trotta) – Heinrich Cressphal 2001: Boran (directed by ) – Boran 2001: Enemy at the Gates (directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud) – General Paulus 2001: Nowhere in Africa (directed by Caroline Link) – Walter Süßkind 2003: (TV film, directed by Gernot Roll) – General von Habich 2003: Two Days of Hope (TV film, directed by Peter Keglevic) – Otto Kaminski 2003: Getting a Life (directed by Vivian Naefe) – Michael Berkhoff 2004: Nero (TV film, directed by Paul Marcus) – Seneca 2004: Downfall (directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel) – Prof. Werner Haase 2005: Waves (TV film, directed by Vivian Naefe) – Rolf von Buttlär 2005: (TV film, directed by Roland Suso Richter) – Richard – Catherine's Father 2005: A Witch's Kiss (TV film, directed by Diethard Küster) – Der Herr der Finsternis 2005: The Call of the Toad (directed by Robert Gliński) – Alexander Reschke 2006: (TV film, directed by Matti Geschonneck) – Ben 2007: Afrika, mon amour (TV miniseries, directed by ) 2007: Caótica Ana (directed by Julio Medem) – Klaus 2008: The Reader (directed by Stephen Daldry) – Peter Berg 2009: Tatort: (TV, directed by ) – Roland Plauer 2009: (TV film, directed by ) – Peter Grabowski 2009: Der Großvater (Short, directed by ) 2009: (directed by ) – Alain Laroche 2010: Nanga Parbat (directed by Joseph Vilsmaier) – Pfarrer 2010: Barriere (directed by Andreas Kleinert) – Hans Meinhold 2010: Last Moment (TV film, directed by Sathyan Ramesh) – Peter Romberg 2010: Die Schwester (TV film, directed by Margarethe von Trotta) – Gregor Antonion 2010: (TV film, directed by ) – Peter 2011: Bloch: Der Heiland (TV, directed by ) – Martin Weidner 2011: (TV film, directed by ) – Harry Berg 2012: (TV film, directed by ) – Utz von Zernikow 2012: (TV film, directed by Dror Zahavi) – Paul 2012: Liebe am Fjord – Abschied von Hannah (TV film, directed by ) – Henrik Agdestein 2013: (directed by Vivian Naefe) – Carsten Lexow 2014: Die Toten von Hameln (TV film, directed by Christian von Castelberg) – Dr. Georg Bischoff 2014: (TV film, directed by Jan Georg Schütte) – Helge Löns 2014: Where I Belong (directed by Fritz Urschitz) – Friedrich 2015: (directed by Margarethe von Trotta) – Paul Kromberger 2015: (TV film, directed by Matti Geschonneck) – Holm Hardenberg 2017: Berlin Syndrome (directed by Cate Shortland) – Erich 2020: Lassie Come Home (directed by Hanno Olderdissen) – Graf von Sprengel