Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Biography: Age, Wife, Kids, Height, Net Worth, Parents, Siblings, Movies
Florian Maria Georg Christian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck, widely known as Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, is a German-Austrian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer celebrated for intellectually driven films.
His international breakthrough came through The Lives of Others, which earned him the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
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He later directed The Tourist and Never Look Away.
| Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck | |
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Florian Maria Georg Christian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck |
| Stage Name: | Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck |
| Born: | May 2, 1973 (age 53 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Cologne, West Germany |
| Nationality: | German, Austrian |
| Ethnicity: | German |
| Height: | 205 cm |
| Religion: | Catholicism |
| Parents: | Leo-Ferdinand Henckel von Donnersmarck, Anna Maria von Berg |
| Siblings: | Sebastian Henckel von Donnersmarck |
| Spouse: | Christiane Asschenfeldt |
| Relationship: | Married |
| Children: | Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck, Leo Sylvester Henckel von Donnersmarck, Alexis Jaguar Henckel von Donnersmarck |
| Occupation: | Film Director, Screenwriter, Producer |
| Net Worth: | $20 million |
Early life and education
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck was born on May 2, 1973, in Cologne. He was brought up by his parents, Leo-Ferdinand Henckel von Donnersmarck and Anna Maria von Berg.
His father was a Lufthansa manager and prominent member of the Order of Malta, while his mother worked as a sociologist.
He grew up alongside his younger brother, Sebastian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who also became a filmmaker. His family belongs to the historic Henckel von Donnersmarck noble family.
His childhood was spent in New York, Berlin, Frankfurt and Brussels, giving him an international upbringing. In Brussels, he completed his international secondary-school examination in 1991.
He then studied Russian in Saint Petersburg from 1991 to 1993, becoming qualified as a Russian teacher. From 1993 to 1996, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at New College, University of Oxford, graduating with a master’s degree.
He later completed a directing internship under Richard Attenborough before entering the University of Television and Film Munich in 1997 to study feature-film directing.
Career
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck began his filmmaking career during his studies in Munich, creating short films including Mitternacht, Das Datum, Dobermann and Der Templer.
Dobermann earned the Max Ophüls Prize for Best Short Film in 2000, establishing him as a promising young German filmmaker. Der Templer, made alongside his brother Sebastian, also received major festival recognition.
His feature-film breakthrough came in 2006 when he wrote and directed The Lives of Others, a drama centered on surveillance and life in East Germany under the Stasi.
The film became an international success and earned numerous awards, including the German Film Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay, European Film Awards for Best Film and Best Screenwriter, and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2007.
In 2010, he directed The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. The film received three Golden Globe nominations.
After several years away from feature filmmaking, he returned in 2018 with Never Look Away, a historical drama inspired by the life and work of German artist Gerhard Richter.
The film received two Academy Award nominations, including Best International Feature Film and Best Cinematography.
Awards and nominations
- Max Ophüls Prize — Best Short Film: Won, 2000, for Dobermann
- Shocking Shorts Award — Best Short Film: Won, 2000, for Dobermann
- Eastman Award: Won, 2002, for The Crusader
- Bavarian Film Award — Best Screenplay: Won, 2006, for The Lives of Others
- Bavarian Film Award — Best Young Director: Won, 2006, for The Lives of Others
- German Film Award — Best Director: Won, 2006, for The Lives of Others
- German Film Award — Best Screenplay: Won, 2006, for The Lives of Others
- European Film Award — Best Film: Won, 2006, for The Lives of Others
- European Film Award — Best Screenwriter: Won, 2006, for The Lives of Others
- Academy Award — Best Foreign Language Film: Won, 2007, for The Lives of Others
- BAFTA Award — Best Film Not in the English Language: Won, 2008, for The Lives of Others
- BAFTA Award — Best Director: Nominated, 2008, for The Lives of Others
- BAFTA Award — Best Original Screenplay: Nominated, 2008, for The Lives of Others
- César Award — Best Foreign Film: Won, 2008, for The Lives of Others
- Golden Globe — Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical: Nominated, 2011, for The Tourist
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film: Nominated, 2019, for Never Look Away
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography: Nominated, 2019, for Never Look Away
Personal life
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 53 years old, is married to Christiane Asschenfeldt, a lawyer and former international executive director of Creative Commons. They have three children: Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck, Leo Sylvester Henckel von Donnersmarck and Alexis Jaguar Henckel von Donnersmarck.
Lara was born in 2003, Leo in 2005 and Alexis in 2007. The family has lived in Los Angeles, while Donnersmarck has also maintained connections to Europe. His height is 205 cm (6 ft 8½ in).
He holds a deep fascination for Russian literature. He has specifically cited Fyodor Dostoevsky as a major influence, going so far as to weave structural elements from Dostoevsky’s novel Demons into the plot of his thriller The Tourist.
Before fully committing to cinema, his original academic pursuit at Oxford was structured around the goal of becoming a novelist.
He possesses an eclectic taste in movies, famously stating that a film succeeds whenever it has psychological depth, regardless of genre.
He rates the commercial classic Back to the Future just as highly as Akira Kurosawa‘s masterpiece Ikiru. He frequently credits filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, François Truffaut, Peter Weir, David Lean, and Steven Spielberg as his primary creative influences. He has also named The Truman Show, Groundhog Day, and The Talented Mr. Ripley among his favorite modern films.
Net worth
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s net worth is $20 million USD. His principal income has come from directing, screenwriting and producing films.
His commercially successful productions, particularly The Lives of Others, The Tourist and Never Look Away, have formed the central part of his professional earnings.
He has also earned from publishing and other filmmaking activities, including his 2015 book Kino!.
Filmography
- Mitternacht (1997) — Director, writer, producer, editor
- Das Datum (1998) — Director, producer, editor
- Dobermann (1999) — Director, writer, editor
- Petits mythes urbains (2003/2004) — Director
- The Templar (Der Templer) (2002) — Director
- The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) (2006) — Director, writer, co-producer
- The Tourist (2010) — Director, writer
- Never Look Away (Werk ohne Autor) (2018) — Director, writer, producer
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