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Born on April 2nd, 1977 in Heidelberg, Germany, Michael Fassbender grew up in quite an international household. His father is German and his mother is Irish, and by age two, his family ended up moving to his mother's homeland. He knew he wanted to be an actor in his late teens, and would attend a theatre college before dropping out. His first serious role was with Tom Hanks in the TV series, Band of Brothers, directed by Steven Spielberg.
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One of Michael Fassbender's most famed roles is his portrayal of "Magneto" in the X-Men action film series: First Class (2011), Days of Future Past (2014), Apocalypse (2016), and Dark Phoenix (2019). Dark Phoenix is his highest grossing film to date, having grossed over $747 million in the box office.
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You know you've made it as an actor once you're casted in a Tarantino film. Fassbender starred in 2009's Inglourious Basterds, alongside all-star cast Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger and Eli Roth. The cast earned themselves a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
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In his first Steve McQueen film, Fassbender's role as a prisoner earned him a British Independent Film Award, an Irish Film & Television Award, and a London Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Actor. Fassbender lost 33 pounds for this role, which is centered around a prison hunger strike in Northern Ireland.
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On the outside, Frank may look like an animated film, but Fassbender is actually wearing a papier-mâché headpiece throughout a majority of the film. In the movie, he plays an eccentric musician, based off the real comedic musician Frank Sidebottom. Fassbender was, again, nominated for multiple Best Supporting Role awards, respectively.
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In Fassbender's third collaboration with director Steve McQueen, he portrays the intense slave owner, "Edwin Epps". His performance earned him an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film overall was up for 9 Oscar nominations in 2014, winning three in total: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o.
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In 2016, Fassbender starred in the romantic drama, The Light Between Oceans, based off the 2012 novel of the same name. The movie also stars Rachel Weisz and Swedish actress Alicia Vikander. In a true Hollywood (or European) fairytale, Vikander (pictured) and Fassbender met on set, began dating, and married in a private ceremony in October 2017 in Ibiza, Spain.
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Michael Fassbender stars as "David 8" in the sci-fi film Prometheus (2012). Directed by the king of science fiction films, Ridley Scott, Fassbender plays an android who works alongside actresses Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron. Fassbender returned in the sequel of the film: Alien: Covenant (2017).
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In 2015, Fassbender starred in the Shakespeare adaptation of Macbeth, playing the title role. He was also nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. Who knew Macbeth could be so handsome?
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In 2015, Fassbender portrayed Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, which was a well-received performance and film. The German-Irish actor was nominated for an Oscar and Academy Award for Best Actor in 2016, but lost to Leonardo DiCaprio's performance in The Revenant. Steve Jobs stars Leo's Titanic co-worker, Kate Winslet.
Michael Fassbender is one of the greatest actors of our time. His intense performances have earned him multiple awards and top nominations throughout the span of his career. We're showing you his best roles from the start of his career in the early 2000's up until today.
Enjoy the gallery!