Karl Stepanek
Known for Acting · 74 credits
- Born
- 1899-10-27
- Died
- 1980-12-25
- Place of birth
- Brünn, Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now Brno, Czech Republic]
- Also known as
- Karl Stepanek · Karel Štěpánek · Karel Stepanek
Biography
Though born in Czechoslovakia, actor Karel Stepanek was generally regarded as a German actor due to his extensive film work in Germany (as Karl Stepanek) in the years before World War II. Stepanek fled to England in 1940, where, like many European refugee actors, he specialized in portraying Teutonic villains. He tried to stay away from out-and-out Nazi roles, but his predilection for wearing black uniforms and barking out guttural commands left little doubt as to the political preferences of Stepanek's screen characters. One of his most typical characterizations could be found in the 1946 POW drama, The Captive Heart; Stepanek also registered well as a friendlier foreigner in The Fallen Idol (1949). Commuting between London and Hollywood, Karel Stepanek continued to fight World War II, usually on the wrong side, into such '60s films as Sink the Bismarck! (1960), I Aim at the Stars (1960) and Operation Crossbow (1965).
Known For
TV Shows (4)
Movies (70)
The Third Man
1949
as Actor at Josefstadt Theater (uncredited)
Na růžích ustláno
1935
The Heroes of Telemark
1965
as Hartmuller
The Bat
1937
as Attaché Baranoff / Orlovsky
Conspirator
1949
as Radek
Sink the Bismarck!
1960
as Admiral Lutjens - 'Bismarck'
Affair in Trinidad
1952
as Walters
Counterblast
1948
as Professor Inman
The Fallen Idol
1948
as First Secretary
Pozdní láska
1935
No Highway in the Sky
1951
Anastasia
1956
as Mikhail Vlados
The Cockleshell Heroes
1955
as Assistant Gestapo Officer
Operation Crossbow
1965
as Prof. Hoffer
State Secret
1950
as Dr. Revo
Alles Schwindel
1940
as Clubdiener
Our Man in Havana
1960
as Dr. Braun
The File of the Golden Goose
1969
as Mueller
Brainwashed
1960
as Baranow
Secret Mission
1942
as Major Lang
City Beneath the Sea
1953
as Dwight Trevor
Before Winter Comes
1969
as Count Kerassy
Three Fathers for Anna
1939
as Matschek
Never Let Me Go
1953
as Commissar
The Captive Heart
1946
as Forster
Another Experience
1939
as Rechtsanwalt
Tale of Three Women
1954
as Alfred Dykemann (segment "Final Twist' story)
Give Us This Day
1949
as Jaroslav
The Games
1970
as Kubitsek
A Prize of Gold
1955
as Dr. Zachmann
They Met in the Dark
1943
as Riccardo
Operation Amsterdam
1959
as Diamond Merchant
War es der im 3. Stock?
1939
as Georg Kilby
Walk East on Beacon
1952
as Alexi Laschenkov / Gregory Anders
Devil Doll
1964
as Dr. Heller
The Frozen Dead
1966
as General Lubeck
The Man in the Road
1956
as Dmitri Balinkev
Man of the Moment
1955
as Lom
Murderers Club of Brooklyn
1967
as Dyers
Cairo Road
1950
as Edouardo Pavlis
Rough Shoot
1953
as Diss
Sperrbezirk
1966
as Inspector Wagner
Broken Journey
1948
as Swiss Officer (uncredited)
Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf
1931
The Traitor
1957
as Friederich Suderman
Dangerous Cargo
1954
as Pliny
The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway
2003
Tomorrow We Live
1943
as Seitz
Secret Venture
1955
as Zelinsky
The Leghorn Hat
1939
as Felix, Diener bei Farina
The Unknown
1936
as Manager at Regina's
Hotel Sacher
1939
as Franz
Licensed to Kill
1965
as Henrik Jacobsen
The Third Visitor
1951
as Richard Carling
Golden Arrow
1949
as Schroeder
A Song for You
1933
as Theo Bruckner
Waltz War
1933
as Kellner Leopold
Spione im Savoy-Hotel
1932
as Jackson
Five from the Jazzband
1932
as Jean
Der Außenseiter
1935
as Otto Burian
Escape to Danger
1943
as Franz von Brinkman
Our Film
1942
as Soviet Visitor
West of Suez
1957
as Langford
The Grey Pikes Wharf
1935
as Ladewig
Here's Berlin
1932
as Max
Aufstand der Gehorsamen
1963
as Jawor Stranski
Narren im Schnee
1938
as Rolf Pinkenkötter
Hermine and the Seven Upright Men
1935
as Ruckstuhl
Stronger Than Paragraphs
1936
as Robert Wendland
Klatovští dragouni
1938
About Karl Stepanek
Though born in Czechoslovakia, actor Karel Stepanek was generally regarded as a German actor due to his extensive film work in Germany (as Karl Stepanek) in the years before World War II. Stepanek fled to England in 1940, where, like many European refugee actors, he specialized in portraying Teutonic villains. He tried to stay away from out-and-out Nazi roles, but his predilection for wearing black uniforms and barking out guttural commands left little doubt as to the political preferences of Stepanek's screen characters. One of his most typic… With 74 credits spanning from 1931 to 2003, Karl Stepanek has appeared in 70 films and 4 TV shows.
Fans searching for Karl Stepanek movies, Karl Stepanek filmography, or the latest projects starring Karl Stepanek can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Karl Stepanek Movies
- The Third Man (1949) — as Actor at Josefstadt Theater (uncredited)
- Na růžích ustláno (1935)
- The Heroes of Telemark (1965) — as Hartmuller
- The Bat (1937) — as Attaché Baranoff / Orlovsky
- Conspirator (1949) — as Radek
Where to Watch Karl Stepanek Films
Most Karl Stepanek movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Karl Stepanek, check our movies catalogue and browse page.