Karl Stepanek

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

67

Gender

Male

Birthday

1899-10-27

Day of death

1980-12-25 (81 years old)

Place of Birth

Brünn, Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now Brno, Czech Republic]

Karl 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

  • Das Kriminalmuseum

    Das Kriminalmuseum

  • The Captive Heart

    The Captive Heart

  • The Heroes of Telemark

    The Heroes of Telemark

  • Operation Crossbow

    Operation Crossbow

  • Golden Arrow

    Golden Arrow

  • The Third Man

    The Third Man

  • Tale of Three Women

    Tale of Three Women

  • Anastasia

    Anastasia

  • Sperrbezirk

    Sperrbezirk

  • Escape to Danger

    Escape to Danger

  • Walk East on Beacon

    Walk East on Beacon

  • The Games

    The Games

  • Sink the Bismarck!

    Sink the Bismarck!

  • Aufstand der Gehorsamen

    Aufstand der Gehorsamen

  • The Cockleshell Heroes

    The Cockleshell Heroes

  • The Unknown

    The Unknown

  • The Fallen Idol

    The Fallen Idol

  • Our Film

    Our Film

  • Klatovští dragouni

    Klatovští dragouni

  • Broken Journey

    Broken Journey

  • Overseas Press Club - Exclusive!

    Overseas Press Club - Exclusive!

  • Waltz War

    Waltz War

  • The Traitor

    The Traitor

  • Secret Mission

    Secret Mission

  • Tomorrow We Live

    Tomorrow We Live

  • No Highway in the Sky

    No Highway in the Sky

  • The Frozen Dead

    The Frozen Dead

  • The Man in the Road

    The Man in the Road

  • Secret Venture

    Secret Venture

  • City Beneath the Sea

    City Beneath the Sea

  • Cairo Road

    Cairo Road

  • Operation Amsterdam

    Operation Amsterdam

  • Hotel Sacher

    Hotel Sacher

  • Never Let Me Go

    Never Let Me Go

  • Five from the Jazzband

    Five from the Jazzband

  • The Leghorn Hat

    The Leghorn Hat

  • Counterblast

    Counterblast

  • A Song for You

    A Song for You

  • Rough Shoot

    Rough Shoot

  • A Prize of Gold

    A Prize of Gold

  • Dangerous Cargo

    Dangerous Cargo

  • State Secret

    State Secret

  • Affair in Trinidad

    Affair in Trinidad

  • Man of the Moment

    Man of the Moment

  • West of Suez

    West of Suez

  • Licensed to Kill

    Licensed to Kill

  • The File of the Golden Goose

    The File of the Golden Goose

  • Conspirator

    Conspirator

  • Before Winter Comes

    Before Winter Comes

  • Na růžích ustláno

    Na růžích ustláno

  • Spione im Savoy-Hotel

    Spione im Savoy-Hotel

  • Our Man in Havana

    Our Man in Havana

  • Pozdní láska

    Pozdní láska

  • Devil Doll

    Devil Doll

  • They Met in the Dark

    They Met in the Dark

  • Give Us This Day

    Give Us This Day

  • Brainwashed

    Brainwashed

  • Murderers Club of Brooklyn

    Murderers Club of Brooklyn

  • Hermine and the Seven Upright Men

    Hermine and the Seven Upright Men

  • The Third Visitor

    The Third Visitor

  • Here's Berlin

    Here's Berlin

  • Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf

    Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf

  • Die Fledermaus

    Die Fledermaus

  • The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway

    The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway

  • War es der im 3. Stock?

    War es der im 3. Stock?

  • Der Außenseiter

    Der Außenseiter

  • Narren im Schnee

    Narren im Schnee