Michael Fassbender is an Irishman known for his notable acting performances in films and stage. His first major role was in the fantasy action epic 300 as a Spartan soldier; his other acting roles have been on TV including in the Sky One series, Harry Potter and the Twilight saga. Michael is also noted for his memorable portrayal of Daniel Plainview in the movie The DaVinci Code. Michael is married to Lisa Marie Fox, with whom he has three children.
Michael Fassbender’s career began at the age of eighteen when he appeared in an Irish play called Something Beautiful. It was based on a book about a young woman, Annabel, who is sold into slavery to a Moorish master. After twelve years of servitude, she is freed along with her other slaves by an English knight. The experiences that she gains in this small adventure motivate her to undertake dangerous tasks throughout her life. In this movie star plays the role of Banquo, a Moorish shipmaster who captures the main character, Annabel, and forces her to work as a slave in his employ.
Michael Fassbender first served as an assistant to famed director Stanley Gordon during the production of the BBC television movie, Batman: The Movie. He went on to play different parts in several more films, including Cleopatra, Crazy Heart, and finally Hunger. Although his experience on stage and screen was impressive, his most noteworthy performance to date would be his memorable turn as the gladiator Marullus in the movie The Gladiator.
One movie star that shares a common link with Fassbender’s work is Tobey Maguire. Though he is a much-criticized member of Hollywood for the entire length of his career, Fassbender managed to redeem himself in a large way with the hit Spiderman trilogy. From his brief appearances as the nerdy Peter Parker, to his starring turn as the aging Peter Parker in the latest Spiderman movie, Tobey Maguire made audiences fall in love with the venom web-swinging hero. Like Fassbender, Maguire too was forced to serve a short stint as a slave in Africa, but he rose above the hardships to become one of the best known African American actors of his time. Both actors were instrumental in paving the way for the future roles they would both have roles in today.
It was an experience that Michael Fassbender never dreamed of when he auditioned for the part of Max Kruger in the German film, Theiking. Though the role would later become very famous in German and English films, Fassbender was unable to live up to the expectations of the casting director. Though Fassbender did not receive the level of notice that he would have hoped for, he nevertheless garnered critical acclaim for his performance. Though the role was not well received in Germany, it was a chance for Fassbender to showcase his acting abilities on the big screen.
In the lead role of the successful German film, Theiking, Michael Fassbender played the role of Max Kruger, an escaped slave who travels to Ireland with his friend Jeanette. Though not originally from Ireland, the Irish mother of one of Kruger’s victims had been told that she would be better able to care for her son if she married him. Though the woman’s husband had died several years before, the role would cast Fassbender into a new role in German culture; that of an undercover agent. Fassbender’s portrayal of the character of Max Kruger was a sensation among German and international audiences. Although the real story may not have followed precisely the same path, Fassbender made one of the most memorable performances of his career. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in Theiking.
Michael Fassbender also returned to his native Germany in the lead role of the equally successful German crime melodrama, Amadeus. The movie chronicles the rise of the rapacious prince of Bavaria (Maximilian). Though the film is set in the late eighteen hundreds, many of the events that are depicted happened nearly a century earlier. Though Michael Fassbender’s appearance in the movie did not immediately lead him to stardom, as the success of Amadeus did, he was nominated for an Oscar for his work in that film as well as for his performance of Maximilian in the remake of the musical Noises Off. It was later reported that he had approached director Tom Ford about a role in the upcoming sequel of Blade Runner, which Ford subsequently replaced by Ridley Scott.
It was also rumored that Michael Fassbender may have been approached to play the villain of the future science fiction blockbuster, Exmorphemus, in the proposed sequel of Star Wars. Though it has never surfaced, Fassbender’s career spanned two decades during the classic period of the Star Wars trilogy, and from there he moved into feature films directed by none other than George Lucas. He also received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Dr. Sarval in Doctor Who, which was one of the most well received Doctors ever portrayed on the big screen. Though Michael Fassbender’s star career has waned considerably, he remains a beloved and respected actor to this day.
