Christian Berkel Biography: Books, Wife, Movies, Age, Religion, Awards, Ethnicity

Christian Berkel is a German actor and author who has become widely known for his performances in both national and international cinema.

He earned substantial recognition for his role as Prof. Dr. Ernst-Günther Schenck in the film Der Untergang / Downfall (2004), and went on to appear in major productions such as Valkyrie (2008) and Inglourious Basterds (2009).

Profile

• Full name: Christian Berkel
• Date of birth: 28 October 1957
• Age: 68 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: West Berlin, West Germany
• State of origin: Berlin
• Nationality: German
• Profession: Actor, author
• Parents: Father – Otto Berkel (military doctor); Mother – Sala (Ursula) Berkel (Jewish descent)
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: Andrea Sawatzki (married December 2011)
• Children: Two sons (born 1999 and 2002)
• Relationship status: Married
• Religion: Jewish
• Ethnicity: Caucasian (German, Jewish maternal heritage)
• Net worth: $5 million

Early Life and Education

Christian Berkel, now aged 68, was born on 28 October 1957 in West Berlin. His father served as a military doctor during and after the Second World War, while his mother escaped persecution in Nazi Germany, spending time in internment and exile before returning to Germany.

At the age of 14 he moved to Paris, where he took acting lessons with Jean-Louis Barrault and Pierre Bertin.

After his secondary education he studied at the German Film and Television Academy (Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin). He then worked in theatre across German-language stages including Augsburg, Düsseldorf, Munich, Vienna and Berlin’s Schiller Theatre.

Personal Life

Christian Berkel has been married to actress Andrea Sawatzki since December 2011 after a long relationship. The couple have two sons, born in 1999 and 2002, and reside in Berlin.

Career

Christian Berkel’s career began in the late 1970s, with early film appearances such as in Das Schlangenei (1977). He achieved broader recognition with his portrayal of Prof. Dr. Ernst-Günther Schenck in Der Untergang (2004) and subsequently appeared in films such as Black Book (2006), Valkyrie (2008) and Inglourious Basterds (2009).

Alongside his film work he also became a familiar face on television, especially in the ZDF crime series Der Kriminalist where he played inspector Bruno Schumann from 2006 to 2020.

In recent years, Berkel has also established himself as an author, publishing best‐selling novels such as Der Apfelbaum (2018) and Ada (2020).

Awards and Nominations

• 1998: Goldener Gong for his role in the episode Tatort – Schwarzer Advent.
• 2004: Bambi Award for his performance in Der Untergang.
• 2009: Goldene Kamera – Best National Actor.
• 2020: Deutscher Hörbuchpreis – Best Interpreter (for his audiobook work).

Net Worth

Christian Berkel’s net worth is estimated to be in the range of $5 million, accumulated from acting and authoring.

Social Media

• Instagram: @christian.berkel

Filmography

• Das Schlangenei (1977)
• Tatort: Rot – rot – tot (1978)
• Rossini – oder die mörderische Frage, wer mit wem schlief (1997)
• Das Experiment (2001)
• Der Untergang (2004)
• Flightplan (2005)
• Black Book (2006)
• Valkyrie (2008)
• Inglourious Basterds (2009)
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
• Elle (2016)
• Beat (TV series) (2018)
• Die verlorene Tochter (2020)
• Trügerische Sicherheit (2022)
• Querschuss (2024)

Books

• Der Apfelbaum (2018)
• Ada (2020)