August Diehl Biography: Net Worth, Nationality, Children, Age, Height, Wife, Siblings

August Diehl is a German actor known for his versatility, shifting seamlessly from intense arthouse dramas to precise roles in historical epics.

Born in divided Berlin to theatrical parents, he trained at the Ernst Busch Academy and gained recognition with the psychological thriller 23. He earned international acclaim for playing an SS officer in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Franz Jägerstätter in Malick’s A Hidden Life.

Profile

• Full Name: August Diehl
• Stage Name: August Diehl
• Born: 4, January 1976
• Age: 49 years old
• Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
• Nationality: German
• Occupation: Actor
• Height: 1.80m
• Parents: Hans Diehl, and Mrs. Diehl
• Siblings: Jakob Diehl
• Spouse: Julia Malik (m.  1999-2016)
• Children: 2
• Relationship: Divorced
• Net Worth: $8 million

Early Life and Education

August Diehl was born on January 4, 1976, in Berlin, West Germany. His father, actor Hans Diehl, and his mother, a costume designer, introduced him to theater from an early age, surrounded by backstage life and rehearsals.

He grew up with his brother Jakob, now a composer and musician, in a family where performance was part of everyday life.

After finishing secondary school, Diehl trained at the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch in Berlin, focusing on physicality and psychological depth. He is ethnically German with strong Berlin roots, though he keeps his personal faith private.

Career

August Diehl made his screen debut in the late 1990s with small television roles, but 23 in 1998—playing a hacker unraveling under conspiracy paranoia—catapulted him to German cult status and earned a German Film Award nomination.

He followed with raw turns in Love the Hard Way (2001) opposite Adrien Brody and Anatomy 2 (2003), showcasing a chameleon-like ability to inhabit fractured minds.

The 2000s brought global notice: Quentin Tarantino cast him as the razor-sharp SS officer Dieter Hellstrom in Inglourious Basterds (2009), a scene-stealing interrogation that blended menace with dark humor.

He joined the Vienna Burgtheater ensemble from 2013 to 2014, tackling classics like Faust on stage while filming Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life (2019), where his portrayal of Austrian conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter drew Cannes praise for its quiet moral force. European indies like The Counterfeiters (2007) and Night Train to Lisbon (2013) kept his résumé eclectic.

August Diehl picks projects with surgical discernment, from the dystopian Plan A (2021) to the streaming thriller Munich – The Edge of War (2021).

His harmonica and guitar skills surface in soundtracks and rare live sets, while representation by die agenten GmbH ensures a steady flow of boundary-pushing scripts.

Diehl’s influence echoes in the way he humanizes history’s villains and saints alike, leaving audiences unsettled long after the lights rise.

Social Media

• August Diehl has no verified social media account.

Personal Life

August Diehl married actress Julia Malik in 1999; the couple welcomed a daughter in 2009 and a son in 2012 before separating amicably in 2016.

He maintains a low-key Berlin base, splitting time between film sets and family obligations while shielding his children from public view. Diehl unwinds with late-night guitar sessions or harmonica jams, occasionally joining brother Jakob for informal recordings.

Despite a packed schedule, he carves out quiet evenings for literature and long walks through Kreuzberg, valuing anonymity in a city that once watched him grow up backstage.

Filmography

• 23 (1998)
• Love the Hard Way (2001)
• Anatomy 2 (2003)
• The Counterfeiters (2007)
• Inglourious Basterds (2009)
• Night Train to Lisbon (2013)
• A Hidden Life (2019)
• Plan A (2021)
• Munich – The Edge of War (2021)
• The Perfumier (2022)

Net Worth

August Diehl holds an estimated net worth of $8 million, accrued through selective high-caliber roles in Oscar-winning ensembles, European festival favorites, and streaming originals.

Core revenue flows from Inglourious Basterds residuals, Malick-led prestige paydays, and steady German television fees, supplemented by stage contracts at Burgtheater and voice work in multiple languages that open international dubbing markets.