Advanced search

Swen Temmel was born in Graz, Austria's second-largest city. He moved to America with his parents in 1997 and became a U.S. citizen in 2018. Starting school at Santa Monica Elementary and graduating from Malibu High, he quickly learned English and adapted to American culture. Swen completed a 2-year program at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, took classes at the Groundlings Theatre in Hollywood, and studied Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, whose alumni include Anthony Hopkins and Orlando Bloom. Passionate about film and TV, Swen also performs on stage. Notably, he starred in "The Sunshine Boys" at the Malibu Playhouse with Dick Van Dyke. In film, Swen has worked with top actors like Sylvester Stallone, Matthew Modine, Bruce Willis, Michael Chiklis, and Al Pacino. His roles include a bank robber in "Backtrace," a thief in "10 Minutes Gone," a rebel in "After," and a lawyer in "American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally." He also appeared in "Concrete Cowboy" with Idris Elba, "Breach" with Bruce Willis, and "Force of Nature" with Kate Bosworth and Emile Hirsch. Swen is proud of his work in "The Covenant" directed by Guy Ritchie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the upcoming "Den of Thieves 2" with Gerald Butler and O'Shea Jackson. Swen has collaborated with stars like Antonio Banderas, John Travolta, John Malkovich, Robert DeNiro, Josh Duhamel, and Mel Gibson. His goals are to play Wolverine, win an Oscar, and continue working with top talent in the film industry.

Marisa Mell was born on 24 February 1939 in Graz, Austria. She was an actress, known for Danger: Diabolik (1968), One on Top of the Other (1969) and The Great Swindle (1971). She was married to Henri Tucci. She died on 16 May 1992 in Vienna, Austria.

Aglaia Szyszkowitz was born on 11 January 1968 in Graz, Austria. She is an actress, known for Die Wunderübung (2018), Der Todestunnel - Nur die Wahrheit zählt (2005) and Das Sams (2001). She has been married to Marcus Müller since 1992. They have two children.

Gerhard Liebmann was born on 20 April 1970 in Graz, Styria, Austria. He is an actor, known for M - A City Hunts a Murderer (2019), Murer: Anatomy of a Trial (2018) and Wenn du wüsstest, wie schön es hier ist (2015).

Christian Rub was born on 13 April 1886 in Graz, Styria, Austria. He was an actor, known for You Can't Take It with You (1938), Peter Ibbetson (1935) and Girls' Dormitory (1936). He was married to Amy. He died on 14 April 1956 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.

Sissy Löwinger was born on 22 June 1941 in Graz, Styria, Austria. She was an actress and director, known for Der Dorfcasanova (1988), Naughty Roommates (1969) and Zwei Männer und kein Mann (1976). She was married to Hans-Peter Blechinger, Peter Rapp, Herbert Hisel and Rudi Grimas. She died on 25 September 2011 in Altlengbach, Lower Austria, Austria.

Elisabeth Lanz was born on 12 June 1971 in Graz, Austria. She is an actress and writer, known for In aller Freundschaft (1998), The Leaving (2003) and Rote Rosen (2006). She has been married to Jan Batu-Lanz since 2008. They have one child.

Peter Simonischek was born on 6 August 1946 in Graz, Austria. He was an actor, known for Toni Erdmann (2016), The Interpreter (2018) and Hierankl (2003). He was married to Brigitte Karner and Charlotte Schwab. He died on 29 May 2023 in Vienna, Austria.

Marie Kreutzer was born on 4 December 1977 in Graz, Styria, Austria. She is a director and writer, known for Corsage (2022), The Ground Beneath My Feet (2019) and The Fatherless (2011).

Richard Pottier, born in 1906 in Budapest, began his career as Sternberg's assistant. His debut as a director coincided with the coming of the talkies. He broached many genres along his long career: plenty of comedies ("Si J'Etais Le Patron" ), adventures ("Les Secrets De La Mer rouge"), sci -fi ("Le Monde Tremblera", with its machine which could predict the date of your death), detective films ("Picpus" ) musicals ("Violettes Imperiales"), melodramas ("Defense D'Aimer" ), you name it. He was a solid craftsman and certainly did not deserve the critics' contempt. Without him, "Some like it hot" would never have happened for Billy Wilder used the German remake of "fanfare D'Amour" as a model. He was the first to talk about euthanasia in "Meurtres" (1950) at a time when the subject was thoroughly taboo; his buoyant "Caroline Chérie" predated the "Angélique Marquise Des Anges" saga by ten years. His rural thriller "La Ferme Aux Loups" renewed the story of twins. His career neatly declined after 1950,and his last works were cheap sword and sandals flicks such as "David Et Goliath" (starring Orson Welles) and "L'Enlèvement Des Sabines" (starring Roger Moore). He retired in the mid-sixties. He was to live thirty more years.(d.1994)

Michael Glawogger was born on 3 December 1959 in Graz, Austria. He was a writer and director, known for Workingman's Death (2005), Untitled (2017) and Whores' Glory (2011). He died on 23 April 2014 in Liberia.

Franz Buchrieser was born on 26 December 1937 in Graz, Austria. He is an actor, known for Kill Cruise (1990), Murer: Anatomy of a Trial (2018) and Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980).

Inge Morath was born on 27 May 1923 in Graz, Austria. She is known for Personal Velocity (2002), Angela (1995) and Love, Marilyn (2012). She was married to Arthur Miller and Jack Ernest Lionel Birch. She died on 30 January 2002 in New York City, New York, USA.

Brigitte Kren was born on 27 January 1954 in Graz, Austria. She is an actress, known for The Debt (2010), Blood Glacier (2013) and Rammbock: Berlin Undead (2010).

Carl Meyer was the son of a stock speculator who committed suicide. He had to leave school at 15 to work as a secretary. Mayer moved away from Graz to Innsbruck and then Vienna, where he worked as a dramatist. Meanwhile, the events of the First World War turned him into a pacifist.

In 1917 he went to Berlin, where he worked at the small Residenztheater. He befriended Gilda Langer, the leading actress of the theatre and probably fell in love with her. He was tired of his job at the theatre when he wrote the script for "Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari" (1920) together with Hans Janowitz. It is thought that Gilda Langer was supposed to star in the movie, but she suddenly engaged herself with director Paul Czinner and then died unexpectedly early in 1920. Mayer took care of her tombstone and notes from Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" were engraved in it (this was found out by Olaf Brill who rediscovered the tombstone in 1995).

"Das Kabinett" made Mayer famous and soon he was a leading film writer, working with the best directors in Germany. He worked with F.W. Murnau on "Der Letzte Man" (1924, known as "The Last Laugh" in the USA) and he also wrote the scenario for Murnau's "Sunrise" (1927). But he was a perfectionist who worked slowly and this frequently resulted in conflicts or financial trouble.

Being a Jew as well as a pacifist, he had to flee Germany in 1933 after the Nazis came to power. He went to England, where he worked as an adviser to the British film industry. In London he became friends with director Paul Rotha.

In 1942 he was diagnosed with cancer. Near the end of his life he wanted to make a documentary on London, but due to anti-German sentiments he was unable to find a producer. His illness was maltreated and he died in 1944, poor and almost forgotten. All he left was 23 pounds and two books. He was buried at Highgate Cemetery and his epitaph reads 'Pioneer in the art of the cinema. Erected by his friends and fellow workers.' The city of Graz named a prize after him.

Julian Weigend was born on 27 August 1971 in Graz, Styria, Austria. He is an actor, known for R.I.S (2007), Schimanski (1997) and Angélique (2013).

Rudolf Lenz was born on 25 May 1920 in Graz, Austria. He was an actor, known for The Story of Vickie (1954), Der Jäger von Fall (1956) and Das Schweigen im Walde (1955). He died on 12 July 1987 in Inzell, Bavaria, West Germany.

Renate Muhri was born on 24 July 1951 in Graz, Styria, Austria. She is an actress, known for Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006).

Stefan Pohl was born on 6 January 1981 in Graz, Styria, Austria. He is an actor, known for L'animale (2018), The Bathtub (2016) and Maximilian (2017).

Antonia Reininghaus was born in 1954 in Graz, Styria, Austria. She was an actress, known for Theodor Chindler - Die Geschichte einer deutschen Familie (1979), Die Eroberung der Zitadelle (1977) and Der Mädchenkrieg (1977). She died in October 2006 in Graz, Austria.

Pia Hierzegger was born on 2 February 1972 in Graz, Styria, Austria. She is an actress and writer, known for Family Dinner (2022), Waidmannsdank (2020) and The Ground Beneath My Feet (2019).

Joe Rabl - CEO & Founder, Pelican Pictures

Joe Rabl answered the call to "go west," moving to the United States to pursue his passion for acting. He honed his craft at renowned institutions in Los Angeles, including Harry Mastrogeorge and Stella Adler, and at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. He financed his studies by working as a private chef for notable clients such as James Newton Howard, David Geffen, Pete Sampras, William Robinson, and Mark Mack Architects. His television career began with roles in The Visitor and Brooklyn South, followed by appearances in acclaimed short films, including Ice Cream Sundae, starring Tippi Hedren (written and directed by Désirée Nosbusch, with music by Harald Kloser), and A.W.O.L., starring David Morse and John McGinley (written by Shane Black). He then made his feature film debut in Godzilla (TriStar Pictures, directed by Roland Emmerich and produced by Dean Devlin), followed by Breakdown with Kurt Russell (Paramount Pictures, produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by Jonathan Mostow). After returning to Europe, Joe continued to act in both Hollywood blockbusters-U-571 (Universal) and Spectre (Eon)-and independent films such as Snakebite and Schilf. In the German-speaking world, he has gained recognition through TV series, commercial campaigns, and print work, collaborating with brands and networks such as 3Austria, EnBW, Sixt Germany, DEKRA, Bang & Olufsen, Mercure Hotels, Best Western, Siemens, Mercedes-Benz, Raiffeisen Bank Austria, Porsche, Württemberger Wine, Pro7, Sat1, Arte, ARD, and ORF. The Art of Finding Ideas - Pelican Pictures Pelican Pictures was born from a passion for storytelling and a commitment to challenging perspectives. Whether through independent films, national advertising campaigns, or short-form digital content, the company crafts compelling narratives that inspire audiences to see the world differently. Joe Rabl founded Pelican Pictures not only as a platform for his own projects but also to foster international collaboration among creative talents. As an executive producer, producer, director, and screenwriter, he is committed to creating films that strike a balance between commercial appeal and artistic integrity. Currently, he is working on feature projects including Solar Storm, In the Shadow of the Red Salamander, and Merka and Kolo. Pelican Pictures is more than a production company-it is a hub where filmmakers connect, collaborate, and bring high-quality films to life.

Johanna Moder was born in 1979 in Graz, Austria. She is a director and writer, known for High Performance (2014), Once Were Rebels (2019) and Mother's Baby (2025).

Andreas Guenther was born in 1973 in Graz, Austria. He grew up in Constance and attended the Waldorf school in Ueberlingen. After his graduation in 1995 he moved to Munich, where he earned his living as a bartender and had a job at a parcel service, before he started to work as a driver and a set production assistant for a film production company. From there it was only a small step to his first role in a short film ("Zwischen den Wegen" by Mathias Frik). In the same year he played his first leading role in the short film Martin - Das erste Mal by Markus Herling, and acted in Sönke Wortmann's Charleys Tante.

From 1997 to 2000 Andreas took private acting lessons and attended several workshops. In 1999 he made his cinema debut in Stefan Ruzowitzky's Anatomie, and played the lead in the made-for-TV thriller _Jenny Berlin Tod am Meer (2000) (TV)_ , directed by Johannes Fabrick, the same year. In 2001 Andreas moved to Berlin. Since then he has acted in numerous television films and movies, e.g. Gott ist tot opposite Götz George and the international co-production Baltic Storm directed by Reuben Leder, starring Greta Scacchi, Jürgen Prochnow and Donald Sutherland. One of his new movies, Riding Up Front by Markus Herling, will have its world premiere at the Berlinale 2006. In FC Venus by Ute Wieland, which are in German cinemas in April 2006, Andreas is starring as the attractive kindergarten teacher Jurij Zille. He is one of the new guard of German actors. 2006 In 2008, Andreas Guenther brought a live, and a personal Coach to his side, with whom he worked over a year. In 2009 he took over the part of Detective Anton Pöschel in the successful crime series "Polizeiruf 110 - Rostock" (TV) ARD/NDR. In addition he played leading-episodes-charakters in different series like, "Alarm für Cobra11" Danni Lowinski" "Club der roten Bänder", "Der Bergdoktor" and many more. In 2014 he took on the RTL Event Movie "Götz von Berlichingen" alongside Henning Baum one of the leading roles. For his Character "Lerse" he learned horse riding and sword fighting. He performed in different TV-Movies; "Familie", "Tod auf der Insel", "Eins ist nicht von Dir" and one very special Moment was the work with his Mentor and friend Markus Herling on the Degeto Movie, "Opa wird Papa". Then he starts in a new series; "Split Homicide" playing a Pilot and boyfriend of the female leading actress. In 2017 he took over in the new and successful German-Austrian Coproduction ARD/Degeto/ORFPrimetime series "Blind ermittelt" the leading role Niko Falk. "Blind ermittelt" is produced by Monafilm Production. Thomas Hroch is the Producer and managing director of Monafilm.

Born on December 18, 1863, the eldest son of Archduke Karl-Ludwig von Habsburg and his wife, Princess Annunziata di Borbone, Franz Ferdinand was third in line to the thrown of the Austro-Hungarian Empire upon his birth. After his cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide in 1889 and his father died in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir of his aging uncle Emperor Franz Josef. He eloped with Countess Sophie Chotek in 1900, but this marriage was considered unequal and they were forced to renounce rights of rank and succession for their three children. A radical reformist, Franz Ferdinand had a number of new ideas he planned to implement when he became Emperor, one of them giving Slavs an equal voice in the empire. After the annexation of Bosnia by Austria, he decided to go on a tour of his new province in 1914 in hopes of fostering good will with his new subjects. A Serbian terrorist group called The Black Hand sent three of its members to murder Franz Ferdinand and his wife as they visited Sarajevo. Their first assassination attempt, throwing a bomb at the Archduke's car, failed, though a number of bystanders were wounded. The assassins almost gave up their plans, and one of them, Gavrilo Princip, wandered off down the street. Meanwhile, the Archduke and Archduchess decided to visit the wounded in the hospital, but their driver took a wrong turn and they ended up on the same street as Princip. Seizing his chance, Princip stepped forward and fired several times into the car, fatally wounding both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie. They were raced to the governor's mansion where they were pronounced dead. Not only did this act of violence orphan their three young children, it also set off a series of events that led directly to World War I.