Klaus Maria Brandauer

Austrian actor, film director, and professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna. Brandauer was born as Klaus Georg Steng as the son of Maria Brandauer and Georg Steng. His father was German, his mother Austrian. He grew up first with his grandparents in Altaussee, later with his parents at various places in Austria and Germany. He subsequently took his mother's maiden name as part of his professional name, Klaus Maria Brandauer.

Brandauer began acting onstage in 1962. After working in national theatre and television, he made his film debut in 1972. His starring and award-winning role in István Szabó's Mephisto (1981), based on the book by Klaus Mann, playing a self-absorbed actor, launched his international career.

Following his role in Mephisto, Brandauer appeared in his first English-speaking role in playing Maximillian Largo in Never Say Never Again (1983), a remake of the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. Roger Ebert said of his performance: "For one thing, there's more of a human element in the movie, and it comes from Klaus Maria Brandauer, as Largo. Brandauer is a wonderful actor, and he chooses not to play the villain as a cliché. Instead, he brings a certain poignancy and charm to Largo, and since Connery always has been a particularly human James Bond, the emotional stakes are more convincing this time.". He starred in Out of Africa (1985), opposite Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, for which he was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe, and Szabó's Oberst Redl (1985).

In 1988 he appeared in Hanussen opposite Erland Josephson and Ildikó Bánsági. He co-starred with Connery in The Russia House (1990).

Brandauer directed his first film in 1989, Georg Elser - Einer aus Deutschland, with himself in the title role.