Michael Fassbender biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Michael Fassbender was born on April 2, 1977, in Heidelberg, Germany. His mother, Adele, is Irish, and his father, a former chef named Josef, is German. When Fassbender was a toddler, he and his family moved to Killarney, Ireland. Subsequently, Michael Fassbender speaks with an Irish accent. In Killarney Fassbender's parents ran a restaurant called West End House. They have since retired, and, retaining their ownership, have leased the restaurant out to new managers.

Fassbender received his primary education at Fossa National School, and then continued on to secondary school at St. Brendan’s College. As a teenager, he took a drama class hosted by Donie Courtney. Afterward, he enrolled in theater and acting classes at the Drama Centre London. 

Acting Career

Fassbender started acting at the age of 16, when his former teacher, Donie Courtney, offered him roles with Courtney’s theater troupe, Bricriu. When Fassbender was 17, he was hired to produce, direct and act in a stage adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's movie Reservoir Dogs. Fassbender continued to act on stage through 2006, when he co-starred with Mel Smith in the play Allegiance, which was featured in that year's Edinburgh Film Festival.

That same year, Fassbender made his breakthrough film performance as the warrior Spartan Stelios in Frank Miller's 300, which was released in 2007 to commercial success. The film Angel, in which Fassbender played a painter named Esmé, was also released in 2007.

Fassbender's role in the 2008 Steve McQueen film Hunger required Fassbender to lose a staggering 31 pounds. His unflinching commitment to the role of Irish Republican Bobby Sands paid off when he was awarded the British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an actor, and his performance garnered additional praise at the Cannes Film Festival.

Fassbender’s critical acclaim landed him a romantic role in Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank. His success at Cannes also reminded director Quentin Tarantino of the young actor's talent. Tarantino personally invited Fassbender to play Lieutenant Archie Hicox in the 2009 war film Inglorious Basterds.

In 2010, Fassbender appeared in the films Jonah Hex and Centurion. The following year brought the release of several successful films in which Fassbender held starring roles, including Dangerous Method, Steve McQueen's Shame, and the comic-book-based action film X-men: First Class.

In 2012, Fassbender co-starred with Noomi Rapace in director Ridley Scott's Prometheus, a prequel to the Alien movie series.