Michael Fassbender
Biography
Michael Fassbender is a German-Irish actor, producer, and racing driver born on April 2, 1977, in Heidelberg, Germany. Raised in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, he is the son of a German father and an Irish mother. Throughout his career, Fassbender has received significant professional recognition, including a Volpi Cup win and nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, The Irish Times ranked him ninth on its list of Ireland's greatest film actors. He is known for his extensive body of work, having accumulated 95 known credits in the film and television industry.
Career overview
Fassbender studied at the Drama Centre London before beginning his professional acting career. His early television work includes appearances in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers in 2001 and the Sky One fantasy drama Hex, which aired between 2004 and 2005. He made his feature film debut in 300 in 2006. He first gained widespread prominence for his portrayal of Bobby Sands in the 2008 drama Hunger, marking the beginning of a notable collaboration with director Steve McQueen that continued with the films Shame in 2011 and 12 Years a Slave in 2013.
His filmography expanded significantly during the following years with roles in various high-profile projects. Notable appearances include the 2009 films Fish Tank and Inglourious Basterds. He is also recognized for his work in major franchise and genre films, including X-Men: First Class in 2011, Prometheus in 2012, and X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014. Throughout his career, Fassbender has demonstrated versatility across both independent dramas and large-scale studio productions.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Hope (2026) as Ma'veyyo
- LifeHack (2026) Executive Producer
- Black Bag (2025) as George Woodhouse
- Black Bag (2025) Associate Producer
- The Agency (2024) as Brandon 'Martian' Colby / Paul Lewis
- The Agency (2024) Executive Producer
- Kneecap (2024) as Arló
- Karavidhe (2024) Executive Producer
- The Killer (2023) as The Killer
- The Kitchen (2023) Executive Producer
- Next Goal Wins (2023) as Thomas Rongen
- Scrapper (2023) Executive Producer
- Road to Le Mans - The Film (2023) as Self
- Calm with Horses (2020) Executive Producer
- Good Thanks, You? (2020) Executive Producer
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- Dark Phoenix (2019) as Erik Lensherr / Magneto
- Michael Fassbender: Road to Le Mans (2019) as Self
- This Is the Winter (2019) Executive Producer
- Love Pool (2019) Executive Producer
- Late Night Berlin (2018) as Self
- Alien: Covenant (2017) as David / Walter
- The Snowman (2017) as Harry Hole
- Song to Song (2017) as Cook
- Alien: Covenant - Prologue: Phobos (2017) as Walter
- Alien: Covenant - Crew Messages (2017) as David
- X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto
- Assassin's Creed (2016) as Callum Lynch / Aguilar de Nerha
- Assassin's Creed (2016) Producer
- The Light Between Oceans (2016) as Tom Sherbourne
- Movies with Ali Plumb (2016) as Self
- Trespass Against Us (2016) as Chad Cutler
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self
- Steve Jobs (2015) as Steve Jobs
- Macbeth (2015) as Macbeth
- Slow West (2015) as Silas
- Slow West (2015) Executive Producer
- SLOW WEST in SUPER EIGHT (2015) as Self
- Zero (2015) Executive Producer
- Four Photographic Sonatas Starring Michael Fassbender (2015)
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors (2014) as Self
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) as Erik Lehnsherr
- Frank (2014) as Frank
- Double Take: Xavier & Magneto (2014) as Self
- Truth of the Situation: Making 'The Counselor' (2014) as Self
- The Counselor (2013) as The Counselor
- 12 Years a Slave (2013) as Edwin Epps
- 1 (2013) as Narrator
- Prometheus (2012) as David
- The Furious Gods: Making Prometheus (2012) as Self
- X-Men: First Class 35mm Special (2012) as Self
- Pitch Black Heist (2012) as Michael
- Pitch Black Heist (2012) Executive Producer
- Gina Carano in Training (2012)
- Shame (2011) as Brandon
- Jane Eyre (2011) as Edward Rochester
- Haywire (2011) as Paul
- A Dangerous Method (2011) as Carl Jung
- Children of the Atom - Filming X-Men: First Class (2011) as Self
- X-Men: First Class (2011) as Erik Lehnsherr
- Conan (2010) as Self - Guest
- Centurion (2010) as Centurion Quintus Dias
- Jonah Hex (2010) as Burke
- Inglourious Basterds (2009) as LT. Archie Hicox
- Blood Creek (2009) as Richard Wirth
- Fish Tank (2009) as Connor O'Reily
- Man on a Motorcycle (2009) as Man on a Motorcycle
- Eden Lake (2008) as Steve
- The Devil's Whore (2008) as Thomas Rainsborough
- Hunger (2008) as Bobby Sands
- Goldfish (2008) as Christian
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self - Guest
- 300 (2007) as Stelios
- Angel (2007) as Esmé
- Wedding Belles (2007) as Barney
- Our Hidden Lives (2005) as B. Charles
- Hex (2004) as Azazeal
- Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004) as Guy Fawkes
- A Bear Named Winnie (2004) as Harry Colebourn
- Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder (2004) as Charles Bravo
- Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking (2004) as Charles Allen
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- William and Mary (2003) as Lukasz
- Carla (2003) as Rob
- Things I Notice, Things You See (2003) as Tom
- Top Gear (2002) as Self
- Band of Brothers (2001) as Burton P. (Pat) Christenson
- Murphy's Law (2001) as Caz Miller
- Leute heute (1997) as Self
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- Kulturzeit (1995) as self
- Morgenmagazin (1992) as Self
- Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) as George Abernethie
- The Arrival Producer
- Kennedy as Joe Kennedy Sr.
- Kung Fury 2 as Colt Magnum
- The Origin of the World
- Entering Hades as Jack Unterweger