Michael Fassbender
Birthdate: April 2, 1977 (49 Years Old)
Birthplace: Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Michael Fassbender is a highly acclaimed, Oscar-nominated German-Irish actor who has delivered a wide range of roles from X-Men’s Magneto to lead parts in multiple movies directed by Ridley Scott, Steve McQueen and Steven Soderbergh. Fassbender made his feature debut as a Spartan soldier in co-writer/director Zack Snyder’s live-action comic book-based historical epic, 300 (2006), co-starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, and grossing $456 million for Warner Bros.
Fassbender’s first major role was as IRA prisoner Bobby Sands in director/co-writer Steve McQueen’s historical drama, Hunger (2008), with Liam Cunningham, premiering in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. Fassbender continued his Cannes premiere run when he joined the colorful cast of Quentin Tarantino’s WWII comedy-drama, Inglourious Basterds (2009), with Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, Til Schweiger, and Melanie Laurent, and which earned $321 million globally for The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival.
Michael Fassbender made it a Cannes trifecta as co-lead of Andrea Arnold’s acclaimed drama, Fish Tank (2009), with Katie Jarvis, Kierston Wareing, and Henry Treadaway, premiering in competition in Cannes and released in the U.S. by IFC Films. Fassbender was cast in his first superhero movie as part of the cast of Jonah Hex (2010), with Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Michael Shannon, and Wes Bentley under Jimmy Hayward’s direction and released by Warner Bros.
Fassbender starred in his first studio movie, Warner Bros.’s British historical movie, Centurion (2010), directed by Neil Marshall, and then Fassbender stayed in period playing Edward Rochester in the Cary Fukunaga-directed version of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (2011), starring Mia Wasikowska, Jamie Bell and Judi Dench, grossing $35 million for distributors Focus Features/Universal Pictures.
Fassbender had his long run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Magneto in the 20th Cenutory Fox-produced and released prequel, X-Men: First Class (2011), and reprising his role in the sequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), all three directed by Bryan Singer; and finally again as Magneto in X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), directed, written and produced by Simon Kinberg, with James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Jessica Chastain.
Michael Fassbender starred as Carl Jung in director David Cronenberg’s and writer/playwright Christopher Hampton’s A Dangerous Method (2011), co-starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Sarah Gadon and Vincent Cassel, and premiering at the Venice Film Festival. Michael Fassbender had a greater triumph that same year at Venice, reuniting with filmmaker Steve McQueen for the sexual drama, Shame (2011), and winning the festival’s Best Actor Volpi Cup before grossing over $20 million globally on a $6.5 million budget.
Fassbender starred in director/writer Steven Soderbergh’s thriller, Haywire (2012), co-starring Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas, and released by Relativity Media/Paramount Pictures. Fassbender played an android in two Ridley Scott movies for 20th Century Fox, first, the Alien prequel, Prometheus (2012), which was followed later by the immediate sequel, Alien: Covenant (2017), with the cast of Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, and then Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and Demian Bichir, grossing a combined $645 million globally.
Michael Fassbender continued with director/producer Ridley Scott as the title character in the crime drama written by Cormac McCarthy, The Counselor (2013), with Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt, and grossing $71 million for 20th Century Fox. Fassbender co-starred with Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scoot McNairy in the Lenny Abramson-directed black comedy written by journalist Jon Ronson (and Peter Straughan), Frank (2014), premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, and then Fassbender turned to another Sundance selection the following year as co-star and executive producer of director/writer John Maclean’s Western, Slow West (2015), starring Kodi Smit-McPhee with Ben Mendelsohn.
Fassbender took on two huge and hugely contrasting roles in 2015: First, as Macbeth, for the film version directed by Justin Kurzel, with David Thewlis and Marion Cotillard and premiering at the Cannes Film Festival; and then Fassbender portrayed Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in Steve Jobs (2015), adapted by Aaron Sorkin from Walter Isaacson’s biography and directed by Danny Boyle, with Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels, and which earned Fassbender a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
Fassbender joined the cast of director/writer Derek Cianfrance’s adaptation of M.L. Steedman’s novel, The Light Between Oceans (2016), co-starring Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, and Jack Thompson, which premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival before a disappointing release by Disney/Entertainment One/Reliance Entertainment. Fassbender co-starred with Brendan Gleeson in the Irish thriller, Trespass Against Us (2016), written and produced by Alastair Siddons and directed by Adam Smith for Film4/British Film Institute/Protagonist Pictures (along with six other co-producers), and with cast members Rory Kinnear and Sean Harris, and released by A24 after premiering at the Toronto Film Festival.
Michael Fassbender reunited as star-producer with director Justin Kurzel and co-stars Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, and Michael K. Williams for the $125 million video game adaptation, Assassin’s Creed (2016), produced via New Regency/Ubisoft and Kennedy/Marshall Company and released by 20th Century Fox for a $241 million box office return. Fassbender was cast by filmmaker Terrence Malick for his music-themed movie, Song to Song (2017), co-starring Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Val Kilmer and Holly Hunter, and released to poor box office results ($1.7 million) by Broad Green Pictures after premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
Fassbender was the first actor to portray best-selling crime novelist Jo Nesbø’s detective character, Harry Hole, in the Tomas Alfredson-directed The Snowman (2017), with Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling, Val Kilmer, and J.K. Simmons, produced by Working Title Films and released by Universal Pictures.
Fassbender returned to screen acting after a stint as a professional race car driver to star in the title role of director David Fincher’s thriller, The Killer (2023), with Arliss Howard and Tilda Swinton which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and released theatrically and on streaming by Netflix.
Michael Fassbender continued that same year by joining director/co-writer Taika Waititi for the sports comedy-drama, Next Goal Wins (2023), based on a true story by Mike Brett, and Steve Jamison, and with Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Will Arnett and Elisabeth Moss, and released to the disappointing box office ($18 million returns on $14 million costs) by Searchlight Pictures after a Toronto Film Festival premiere.
Fassbender took on one of his rare supporting roles in director/writer Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-British co-production, Kneecap (2024), premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT audience award before a Sony Pictures Classics release, and then Fassbender reunited with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh for the spy thriller co-starring Cate Blanchett, Black Bag (2025), written by David Koepp, featuring Pierce Brosnan, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris and Regé-Jean Page, and released by Focus Features/Universal Pictures.
Fassbender made his acting debut in Korean cinema by joining the mostly Korean cast of director/writer Na Hong-jin’s Hope (date to be announced), with Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, HoYeon Jung and Alicia Vikander, and filmed in both Korean and English. Fassbender then starred with Domhnall Gleeson and Ruth Negga in the James Marsh-directed crime movie about Irish criminals in Spain, Night Boat to Tangier (date to be announced), written by Kevin Barry and co-produced by DMC Film/Mogambo/Turbine Studios.
Personal life
Michael Fassbender was born in Heidelberg, former West Germany, and was raised in by his parents Adele (Irish-born housewife) and Josef (German-born chef) in Heidelberg and Killarney, Ireland, where his family moved when he was two years old. Fassbender has one sister, Catherine. Fassbender attended and graduated from Fossa National School and St. Brendan’s College. Fassbender chose an acting career at age 17 and attended Drama Centre London where he studied acting, but then dropped out after three years and joined the touring company of Oxford Stage Company. Fassbender has married actor Alicia Vikander since 2017; the couple has two children. Fassbender’s height is 6’. Fassbender’s estimated net worth is $40 million.
Michael Fassbender Movies
Actor
Collapse
Previous (24)
- 2024 |
- 2024 |
The Killer
asThe Killer
After being betrayed by her master, a disillusioned assassin takes one final shot with the intention of using the money to help a musician she accidentally blinded regain vision.
- 2023 |
Next Goal Wins
asThomas Rongen
The story of the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0.
- 2017 |
The Snowman
asHarry Hole
Detective Harry Hole investigates the disappearance of a woman whose scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman.
- 2017 |
Song to Song
asCook
Two intersecting love triangles. Obsession and betrayal set against the music scene in Austin, Texas.
- 2017 |
Alien: Covenant
asDavid
The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.
- 2017 |
Trespass Against Us
asChad Cutler
A man looks to find a way to escape the criminal ways of his outlaw family.
- 2016 |
Assassin's Creed
asCal Lynch
Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar de Nerha and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, before taking on the secret Templar society.
- 2016 |
The Light Between Oceans
asTom Sherbourne
A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from a drifting rowing boat.
- 2015 |
- -- | as Erik Lehnsherr
- -- | as Erik Lehnsherr
- -- | Steve Jobsas Steve Jobs
- -- | as Erik Lehnsherr
- -- | 12 Years a Slaveas Edwin Epps
- -- | The Counseloras Counselor
- -- | as David
- -- | Haywireas Paul
- -- | as Lt. Archie Hicox
- -- | as George Woodhouse
- -- | as Erik Lehnsherr
- -- | as Erik Lehnsherr
- -- | as Stelios
- -- | as Erik Lensherr
Producer
Collapse
Previous (1)
- 2016 |
Assassin's Creed
Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar de Nerha and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, before taking on the secret Templar society.
Facts About Michael Fassbender
Ancestry: Michael Fassbender’s mother is reputed to be the great-grandniece of Irish liberation leader, Michael Collins.
Jobs: Fassbender held down a wide range of jobs while he was a struggling actor, including postman, manual laborer, bartender, and market researcher.
Role Preparation: Michael Fassbender stayed on a strict diet of berries, sardines, and nuts to lose 33 pounds for his role as Bobby Sands in Steve McQueen’s drama, Hunger.
