Best Actors to portray famous WWII German personalities?

[Helmut Von Moltke]

hi, which famous actors you think would portray famous WWII German personalities the best, in war movies?

here is my list:

Ed Harris as Erwin Rommel
Arnold Schwartzenagger as Hans Ulrich Rudel (of course, with a bit of make up to look younger)
Peter O Toole as Rundsdedt
Nicolas Cage / Adrian Brody / Ralph Fines as Peiper
Dian Lane / Annabella Sciorra as Hanna Reitsch (fellow member 'Stalingrad', you would love this... )
Morgan Freemann as Grand Mufti Haj Amin
Sean Connery as Manstein
Bruce Willis as Walter Model (the tough face)
Matt Damon as Erich Hartmann / Michael Wittmann
Mel Gibson as Leon Degrelle

well, just my rough guess. Please members, add in more.


thanks!

Kevin

[Helmut Von Moltke]

Got some changes, perhaps it is possible to make this thread a sticky if I use the edit option?

Anyway,

Tom Cruise/Thomas Kretschmann as Hans Ulrich Rudel
Matt Damon/Thomas Kretschmann as Hans Joachim Marsaille (missed that one out )
Jet Li as Leutnant Chiang Wei Kuo, the son of Chiang Kai Shek who served in the Wehrmacht
and again, Sean Connery as Finnish Marhsal Mannerheim.
Rowan Atkinson as a comedian in the Britische Freikorps/ Adolf Galland

seems like Matt Damon could take quite a few roles of youthful Reich personalities! please add.

Kevin

[panzerschreck1]

Here's one John Goodman as Hermann Göring!

[Cott Tiger]

Kevin,

I thought you detested how the “biased” Hollywood industry portrayed the German Armed Forces in WWII. Surely then, to cast so many of Hollywood’s icons into such significant roles would lead to rather burlesque productions, would it not?

[Helmut Von Moltke]

hi Cott Tiger, yes sometimes I refeer to rubbish Hollywood war movies like Enemy at the Gates, U571, etc. But, it should not be a generalisation, considering that Hollywood and it's famous actors also produced and starred in famous good movies like The Longest Day, Cross of Iron, The Desert Fox, The Desert Rats, A Bridge too far, etc. Sign it is improving - the Hollywood TV series 'Band of brothers" has a good speech at the end by the German general, saying that the German soldiers had fought honourably and proudly, and were a band of brothers. No need to be so pessimisitc, eh?

And beside, this thread was just something like what people wish to see portrayed, etc.

Kevin

[Cott Tiger]

Hi Kevin,

Personally, I would only cast German speaking actors in roles for German officers. For real authenticity I think it is paramount for Germans to be speaking German, Russians Russian etc.

[Helmut Von Moltke]

hi Cott Tiger,

intresting point. It could be taken a few ways though. There aren't many famous German actors other than the recent Bruno Ganz as Old Grofaz or Thomas Kretschmann. And, perhaps, what if the foreign actors speak good German and act well? It all depends on how actors peform, etc. Remember in Stalingrad, the famous bald Ameriacn actor from Star Trek plays General Paulus? It was done quite well, and I did not notice any difference between him and the other German actors, etc. well, just my guess. And for foreigners like Degrelle and Haj Amin, I am not that sure...

[Stalingrad]

"Dian Lane / Annabella Sciorra as Hanna Reitsch (fellow member 'Stalingrad', you would love this... )"

I would, Helmut Von Moltke, I would Hmm... Ed Harris as Erwin Rommel... That's what I've been thinking to
Helmut Von Moltke. If someone does a remake of "The Desert Fox", well Ed Harris is the actor

Regards,
S.

[Cott Tiger]

hi Cott Tiger,

intresting point. It could be taken a few ways though. There aren't many famous German actors other than the recent Bruno Ganz as Old Grofaz or Thomas Kretschmann. And, perhaps, what if the foreign actors speak good German and act well? It all depends on how actors peform, etc. Remember in Stalingrad, the famous bald Ameriacn actor from Star Trek plays General Paulus? It was done quite well, and I did not notice any difference between him and the other German actors, etc. well, just my guess. And for foreigners like Degrelle and Haj Amin, I am not that sure...

I don’t think many of Hollywood’s stars speak German. Most of them struggle badly with a English accent never mind a Prussian military officer’s.

I don’t necessarily think the actors have to been famous (apart from commercial reasons of course). There are many superb actors out there who are not super stars. Certainly Bruno Granz wasn’t famous in the UK and I very much doubt he was in the US either, but that doesn’t detract from his superb performance as Hitler.

Does Patrick Stuart’s Paulus speak German in Stalingrad, I can’t remember?

[Doktor Krollspell]

I don’t think many of Hollywood’s stars speak German. Most of them struggle badly with a English accent never mind a Prussian military officer’s.

Invert this thought, and who do you have... Arnold Schwarzenegger! The greatest son of Graz, Steiermark!

Hmm, add a facial scar and imagine a (somewhat more beefy) Otto Skorzeny! Arnold squeesing himself into a Storch with a computer animated Marlon Brando (of Apocalypse Now bald-headedness) as Il Duce...


Cineastic regards,

Krollspell

[Michael N. Ryan]

I believe Brian Cox's portrayal of Goering in Nurnberg is unsupassable.

At the same time I think Leonardo DiCaprio could easily portray either Hartmann or Marsellies. The guy who played Picard on Star Trek Next Generation might do Canaris well though the guy who portayed Curiachen from Man from Uncle might do a better job.

[pzrmeyer2]

How about the British Actor Paul Bettany (firewall, da vinci code) as Peiper? much better than Cage or Brody. hardly Aryan-looking types...

[DXTR]

hi Cott Tiger,

intresting point. It could be taken a few ways though. There aren't many famous German actors other than the recent Bruno Ganz as Old Grofaz or Thomas Kretschmann. And, perhaps, what if the foreign actors speak good German and act well? It all depends on how actors peform, etc. Remember in Stalingrad, the famous bald Ameriacn actor from Star Trek plays General Paulus? It was done quite well, and I did not notice any difference between him and the other German actors, etc. well, just my guess. And for foreigners like Degrelle and Haj Amin, I am not that sure...

Where do you get the idea that Patrick Stewart was in Stalingrad? It is not listed on IMDB or his own official fan club webpage http://www.thepsn.org/psn/filmlist.asp

[Helmut Von Moltke]

If someone does a remake of "The Desert Fox", well Ed Harris is the actor

that would be intresting, more 21st century freaks would stop their generalisations of German soldiers!

Does Patrick Stuart’s Paulus speak German in Stalingrad, I can’t remember?

yup. I watched Stalingrad again a few weeks ago, and I clearly remember it. If I am wrong, why would German film producers hire an English speaking American guy as Paulus then?

Hmm, add a facial scar and imagine a (somewhat more beefy) Otto Skorzeny!

excellent idea Doc, and I was thinking maybe Bruce Willis could play the Duce too? After all, in many of his movies not too long ago, he looked bald.

I also was wandering about Harrison Ford playing Rudel, and perhaps Jane Seymour, now older, playing Magda Goebbels. And about the language bit, no doubt Morgan Freeman would do a good job as Grand Mufti Haj Amin, considering that Mr Freeman looks old enough for that role, plus has the same skin colour as Haj Amin. The problem though, I doubt Morgan Freeman knows Arabic....

Kevin

[Helmut Von Moltke]

I thought of another one last night just before I went to sleep when I was starring at a portrait of Kesserling on my wall. Maybe Robin Williams or Bruce Willis, with a heavily shaved head, could do a good job as Kesserling. Also perhaps Ed Harris, could play Doenitz reasonably.

Kevin