Karl Stepanek

Acting

Karl Stepanek

Born October 27, 1899 · Brünn, Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now Brno, Czech Republic]

Died December 25, 1980 · aged 81

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 blac…

Known For

The Third ManThe Third Man · 1949
The Third Man
★ 7.91949
MovieThrillerMystery
In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna.
The Heroes of TelemarkThe Heroes of Telemark · 1965
The Heroes of Telemark
★ 6.91965
MovieActionDrama
Set in German-occupied Norway, resistance fighter Knut Straud enlists the reluctant physicist Rolf Pedersen in an effort to destroy the German heavy water production plant in rural Telemark.
Sink the Bismarck!Sink the Bismarck! · 1960
Sink the Bismarck!
★ 6.91960
MovieWarDrama
The story of the breakout of the German battleship Bismarck—accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen—during the early days of World War II. The Bismarck and her sister ship, Tirpitz, were the most powerful battleships in the European theater of World War II. The British Navy must find and destroy Bismarck before it can escape into the convoy lanes to inflict severe damage on the cargo shipping which was the lifeblood of the British Isles. With eight 15 inch guns, it was capable of destroying every ship in a convoy while remaining beyond the range of all Royal Navy warships.
The Fallen IdolThe Fallen Idol · 1948
The Fallen Idol
★ 7.21948
MovieDramaThriller
Phillipe, the son of an ambassador in London, hero-worships his father's butler Baines. His perception of the man changes when he accidentally discovers the secret that Baines keeps and witnesses the consequences that adults' lies can cause.
City Beneath the SeaCity Beneath the Sea · 1953
City Beneath the Sea
★ 5.11953
MovieAdventureAction
Divers Brad and Tony arrive in Jamaica to attempt salvage of the Lady Luck, sunk with all hands and a million in gold. They charter the American Beauty, skippered by attractive Terry, but cannot find the ship. But there's more to the Lady Luck than meets the eye, and undersea skullduggery forms a counterpoint to Brad's romance with Terry, and Tony's with cabaret singer Venita.
The Cockleshell HeroesThe Cockleshell Heroes · 1955
The Cockleshell Heroes
★ 5.91955
MovieWar
During WW2, German ships are "safely" docked upriver at Bordeaux, but the British send a team of kayakers to attack them.
Our Man in HavanaOur Man in Havana · 1960
Our Man in Havana
★ 6.71960
MovieComedyThriller
Jim Wormold is an expatriate Englishman living in pre-revolutionary Havana with his teenage daughter Milly. He owns a vacuum cleaner shop but isn’t very successful so he accepts an offer from Hawthorne of the British Secret Service to recruit a network of agents in Cuba.
Operation CrossbowOperation Crossbow · 1965
Operation Crossbow
★ 6.71965
MovieDramaWar
Allied agents infiltrate the Nazi rocket complex at Peenemunde in order to obtain their secrets and sabotage the plant. The film alternates between German developments of the V-1 missile and V-2 rocket (with a German cast speaking their own language) and discovery by British Intelligence of the weapon.

Filmography

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