- Born
- Nickname
- Fassy
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Michael Fassbender is an Irish actor who was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to a German father, Josef, and an Irish mother, Adele (originally from Larne, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland). Michael was raised in the town of Killarney, Co. Kerry, in south-west Ireland, where his family moved to when he was two years old. His parents ran a restaurant (his father is a chef).
Fassbender is based in London, England, and became known in the U.S. after his role in the Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009). In 2011, Fassbender debuted as the Marvel antihero Magneto in the prequel X-Men: First Class (2011); he would go on to share the role with Ian McKellen in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Also in 2011, Fassbender's performance as a sex addict in Shame (2011) received critical acclaim. He won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards. In 2013, his role as slave owner Edwin Epps in slavery epic 12 Years a Slave (2013) was similarly praised, earning him his first Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. 12 Years a Slave marked Fassbender's third collaboration with Steve McQueen, who also directed Hunger and Shame. In 2013, Fassbender appeared in another Ridley Scott film, The Counselor (2013). In 2015, he portrayed Steve Jobs (2015) in the Danny Boyle-directed biopic of the same name, and played Macbeth (2015) in Justin Kurzel's adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. For the former, he has received Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Best Actor. As well as acting, Fassbender produced the 2015 western Slow West (2015), which he also starred in.- IMDb mini biography by: Catherine Forde and Pedro Borges
- SpouseAlicia Vikander(October 14, 2017 - present) (2 children)
- ParentsJosef FassbenderAdele Fassbender
- RelativesCatherine Fassbender(Sibling)
- Deep, calm voice combined with emotionally intense performances
- Often works with Steve McQueen
- Intense, gritty performances
- Wide, enthusiastic smile
- Predatory characters (e.g. 12 Years a Slave, Fish Tank, Alien: Covenant)
- He went on a diet of berries, nuts and sardines for his role in Hunger (2008) for which he lost 33 pounds.
- Despite achieving worldwide fame and success, he still lives in the same modest flat in the Hackney area of London that he had when he was a struggling actor.
- Is close friends with X-Men co-star James McAvoy.
- First language is English and second is German.
- Attended the Chang-Ren Nian but dropped out. One of his classmates at the time was Tom Hardy. Hardy stated that Fassbender was the best actor in the school. Both appeared in Band of Brothers (2001).
- You know, I spent a lot of time out of work. Now I'm trying to make hay while the sun is shining.
- [on creating his character David in Prometheus (2012) with Ridley Scott] We took inspiration from David Bowie and some of his looks as well. I liked the idea of having a feminine quality to him for sure.
- [on his preparation for Hunger (2008)] I felt really focused, really centred, really strong. Hungry all the time, obviously.
- We live in this society where nowadays if I want something, I take it, I eat it - it's so easy and readily available. When you take all that away, you actually become more appreciative of the things around you. I don't want to do it again, but there is a level where it humbles you in a good way.
- [on portraying hunger-striker Bobby Sands in Hunger (2008)] I lost about 14 kilos and weighed 59 kilos by the end. It was the only way we could do it and make it convincing.
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