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
No Hiding Place
1959
as Professor Remi
Das Kriminalmuseum
1963
as Dr. Robert Großmann
The Third Man
1949
as Actor at Josefstadt Theater (uncredited)
Armchair Theatre
1956
Overseas Press Club - Exclusive!
1957
as Rubici
Sink the Bismarck!
1960
as Admiral Lutjens - 'Bismarck'
TV Shows (4)
Movies (70)
The Third Man
1949
as Actor at Josefstadt Theater (uncredited)
Sink the Bismarck!
1960
as Admiral Lutjens - 'Bismarck'
Operation Amsterdam
1959
as Diamond Merchant
Broken Journey
1948
as Swiss Officer (uncredited)
The Heroes of Telemark
1965
as Hartmuller
Waltz War
1933
as Kellner Leopold
Operation Crossbow
1965
as Prof. Hoffer
The Fallen Idol
1948
as First Secretary
The Cockleshell Heroes
1955
as Assistant Gestapo Officer
Secret Venture
1955
as Zelinsky
Affair in Trinidad
1952
as Walters
Anastasia
1956
as Mikhail Vlados
No Highway in the Sky
1951
Our Man in Havana
1960
as Dr. Braun
The Games
1970
as Kubitsek
The Captive Heart
1946
as Forster
Conspirator
1949
as Radek
Brainwashed
1960
as Baranow
A Prize of Gold
1955
as Dr. Zachmann
State Secret
1950
as Dr. Revo
The File of the Golden Goose
1969
as Mueller
Cairo Road
1950
as Edouardo Pavlis
City Beneath the Sea
1953
as Dwight Trevor
Never Let Me Go
1953
as Commissar
Walk East on Beacon
1952
as Alexi Laschenkov / Gregory Anders
Before Winter Comes
1969
as Count Kerassy
Devil Doll
1964
as Dr. Heller
Secret Mission
1942
as Major Lang
The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway
2003
Rough Shoot
1953
as Diss
Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf
1931
The Traitor
1957
as Friederich Suderman
Dangerous Cargo
1954
as Pliny
Murderers Club of Brooklyn
1967
as Dyers
They Met in the Dark
1943
as Riccardo
Here's Berlin
1932
as Max
The Frozen Dead
1966
as General Lubeck
Counterblast
1948
as Professor Inman
Escape to Danger
1943
as Franz von Brinkman
Man of the Moment
1955
as Lom
The Man in the Road
1956
as Dmitri Balinkev
Three Fathers for Anna
1939
as Matschek
Sperrbezirk
1966
as Inspector Wagner
Alles Schwindel
1940
as Clubdiener
The Leghorn Hat
1939
as Felix, Diener bei Farina
Golden Arrow
1949
as Schroeder
Hotel Sacher
1939
as Franz
Five from the Jazzband
1932
as Jean
Give Us This Day
1949
as Jaroslav
A Song for You
1933
as Theo Bruckner
The Third Visitor
1951
as Richard Carling
The Unknown
1936
as Manager at Regina's
Tomorrow We Live
1943
as Seitz
Tale of Three Women
1954
as Alfred Dykemann (segment "Final Twist' story)
Aufstand der Gehorsamen
1963
as Jawor Stranski
Licensed to Kill
1965
as Henrik Jacobsen
Stronger Than Paragraphs
1936
as Robert Wendland
The Bat
1937
as Attaché Baranoff / Orlovsky
Another Experience
1939
as Rechtsanwalt
Hermine and the Seven Upright Men
1935
as Ruckstuhl
Na růžích ustláno
1935
Our Film
1942
as Soviet Visitor
West of Suez
1957
as Langford
The Grey Pikes Wharf
1935
as Ladewig
Spione im Savoy-Hotel
1932
as Jackson
Der Außenseiter
1935
as Otto Burian
Klatovští dragouni
1938
Pozdní láska
1935
Narren im Schnee
1938
as Rolf Pinkenkötter
War es der im 3. Stock?
1939
as Georg Kilby
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)
- Sink the Bismarck! (1960) — as Admiral Lutjens - 'Bismarck'
- Operation Amsterdam (1959) — as Diamond Merchant
- Broken Journey (1948) — as Swiss Officer (uncredited)
- The Heroes of Telemark (1965) — as Hartmuller
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.