Karel Stepanek

Biography

Karel Stepanek was a Czech actor and singer who generally played German-speaking roles onscreen. Born in Brno, he trained in acting and classical singing and began his stage career there in 1920, moving to Vienna a year later, where his work included the Raimund Theater and Graz Opera. He settled in Berlin in 1927, appearing in theater, opera and cabaret, and made his film debut in the 1928 silent romance A Love, A Thief, A Department Store, later billed in German films as Karl Stepanek. He moved to Britain in 1939, worked for the BBC's overseas section writing and recording German and Czech broadcasts, and acted on the West End stage. From Secret Mission in 1942 he became known for playing villainous Nazis in war films, and he went on to dozens more film and television roles as a villain, including a 1951 West End lead as Napoleon in George Bernard Shaw's The Man of Destiny.

81years old at death

Born October 29, 1899Brno
Died January 5, 1981Los Angeles
Star sign: ScorpioThe sign runs October 23 to November 21
Also credited as Karl Stepanek

Movie Career

Films: 13
Career span: 23 years1942 to 1965

Genres

Drama69%, 9 films
Thriller46%, 6 films
Romance38%, 5 films
Action23%, 3 films
Mystery23%, 3 films

First and latest

Did you know?!

About the name
Stepanek was billed as Karl Stepanek in his German films, Karl being the German form of the Czech name Karel.
Beyond film
Stepanek took the part of Napoleon in 1951, heading the cast of George Bernard Shaw's The Man of Destiny during its West End run.

Karel Stepanek movies on Netflix

The Heroes of Telemark1965IMDb rating 6.5as Hartmuller
Devil Doll1964IMDb rating 4.9as Dr. Heller
Sink the Bismarck!1960IMDb rating 7.2as Admiral Lutjens
Our Man in Havana1959IMDb rating 7.1as Dr. Braun
Anastasia1956IMDb rating 7.0as Mikhail Vlados
The Cockleshell Heroes1955IMDb rating 6.5as Assistant Gestapo Officer
City Beneath the Sea1953IMDb rating 5.5as Dwight Trevor
Affair in Trinidad1952IMDb rating 6.6as Walters
Walk East on Beacon1952IMDb rating 5.7as Alexi Laschenkov / Gregory Anders
State Secret1950IMDb rating 7.0as Dr. Revo
The Third Man1949IMDb rating 8.1as Actor at Josefstadt Theater
The Fallen Idol1948IMDb rating 7.6as First Secretary
Tomorrow We Live1942IMDb rating 6.3as Seitz

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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Sink the Bismarck!1960 Action, Drama, Historyas Admiral Lutjens
IMDb rating 7.29.3K votes
Devil Doll1964 Horroras Dr. Heller
IMDb rating 4.92.9K votes
The Fallen Idol1948as First Secretary
IMDb rating 7.611K votes
Affair in Trinidad1952as Walters
IMDb rating 6.63.6K votes
Anastasia1956as Mikhail Vlados
IMDb rating 7.010K votes
The Third Man1949as Actor at Josefstadt Theater
IMDb rating 8.1197K votes
Walk East on Beacon1952as Alexi Laschenkov / Gregory Anders
IMDb rating 5.7677 votes
State Secret1950as Dr. Revo
IMDb rating 7.0980 votes

Most often with

Carol Reed directed three of these films. Gerard Heinz appears in three of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Gerard Heinz

Trevor Howard

Ralph Richardson

Geoffrey Keen

Bernard Lee

Maurice Denham

Carol ReedDirector, 3 films

Films together

Gerard Heinz3 films together, 1948 to 1965
Gerard Heinz's page
- The Heroes of Telemark1965IMDb rating 6.5Stepanek as HartmullerHeinz as Erhardt
- State Secret1950IMDb rating 7.0Stepanek as Dr. RevoHeinz as Tomasi Bendel
- The Fallen Idol1948IMDb rating 7.6Stepanek as First SecretaryHeinz as Ambassador
Trevor Howard2 films together, 1949 to 1955
Trevor Howard's page
- The Cockleshell Heroes1955IMDb rating 6.5Stepanek as Assistant Gestapo OfficerHoward as Captain Thompson
- The Third Man1949IMDb rating 8.1Stepanek as Actor at Josefstadt TheaterHoward as Major Calloway
Ralph Richardson2 films together, 1948 to 1959
Ralph Richardson's page
- Our Man in Havana1959IMDb rating 7.1Stepanek as Dr. BraunRichardson as 'C'
- The Fallen Idol1948IMDb rating 7.6Stepanek as First SecretaryRichardson as Baines
Geoffrey Keen2 films together, 1948 to 1960
Geoffrey Keen's page
- Sink the Bismarck!1960IMDb rating 7.2Stepanek as Admiral LutjensKeen as A.C.N.S.
- The Fallen Idol1948IMDb rating 7.6Stepanek as First SecretaryKeen as Detective Davis
Bernard Lee2 films together, 1948 to 1949
Bernard Lee's page
- The Third Man1949IMDb rating 8.1Stepanek as Actor at Josefstadt TheaterLee as Sergeant Paine
- The Fallen Idol1948IMDb rating 7.6Stepanek as First SecretaryLee as Detective Hart
Maurice Denham2 films together, 1959 to 1960
Maurice Denham's page
- Sink the Bismarck!1960IMDb rating 7.2Stepanek as Admiral LutjensDenham as Commander Richards
- Our Man in Havana1959IMDb rating 7.1Stepanek as Dr. BraunDenham as Admiral
Carol ReedDirector, 3 films, 1948 to 1959
All films by Carol Reed
- Our Man in Havana1959IMDb rating 7.1Stepanek as Dr. Braun
- The Third Man1949IMDb rating 8.1Stepanek as Actor at Josefstadt Theater
- The Fallen Idol1948IMDb rating 7.6Stepanek as First Secretary
Also two films together4 more actors
- Jack HawkinsState Secret (1950) and The Fallen Idol (1948)
- Torin ThatcherAffair in Trinidad (1952) and The Fallen Idol (1948)
- Walter FitzgeraldThe Cockleshell Heroes (1955) and The Fallen Idol (1948)
- Dora BryanThe Cockleshell Heroes (1955) and The Fallen Idol (1948)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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