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).
Acted in 72
2000s
- 2003
The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway
Movie
1970s
- 1970
The Games
Kubitsek
1960s
- 1969
Before Winter Comes
Count Kerassy
- 1967
Murderers Club of Brooklyn
Dyers
- 1966
Sperrbezirk
Inspector Wagner
- 1965
Licensed to Kill
Henrik Jacobsen
- 1964
- 1963
- 1960
Brainwashed
Baranow
I Aim at the Stars
Capt. Dornberger
Our Man in Havana
Dr. Braun
1950s
- 1959
- 1957
West of Suez
Langford
The Traitor
Friederich Suderman
- 1956
Anastasia
Mikhail Vlados
Armchair Theatre
TV
The Man in the Road
Dmitri Balinkev
- 1955
Man of the Moment
Lom
The Cockleshell Heroes
Assistant Gestapo Officer
Secret Venture
Zelinsky
A Prize of Gold
Dr. Zachmann
- 1954
Dangerous Cargo
Pliny
Tale of Three Women
Alfred Dykemann (segment "Final Twist' story)
- 1953
Rough Shoot
Diss
Never Let Me Go
Commissar
- 1952
Affair in Trinidad
Walters
Walk East on Beacon
Alexi Laschenkov / Gregory Anders
- 1951
The Third Visitor
Richard Carling
- 1950
1940s
- 1949
Golden Arrow
Schroeder
Give Us This Day
Jaroslav
Conspirator
Radek
- 1948
The Fallen Idol
First Secretary
Broken Journey
Swiss Officer (uncredited)
- 1946
- 1943
Escape to Danger
Franz von Brinkman
They Met in the Dark
Riccardo
- 1942
Secret Mission
Major Lang
Our Film
Soviet Visitor
- 1940
Alles Schwindel
Clubdiener
1930s
- 1939
Three Fathers for Anna
Matschek
The Leghorn Hat
Felix, Diener bei Farina
Hotel Sacher
Franz
Another Experience
Rechtsanwalt
War es der im 3. Stock?
Georg Kilby
- 1938
Narren im Schnee
Rolf Pinkenkötter
- 1937
The Bat
Attaché Baranoff / Orlovsky
- 1936
The Unknown
Manager at Regina's
Stronger Than Paragraphs
Robert Wendland
- 1935
Der Außenseiter
Otto Burian
The Grey Pikes Wharf
Ladewig
Pozdní láska
Movie
Na růžích ustláno
Movie
- 1933
Waltz War
Kellner Leopold
A Song for You
Theo Bruckner
- 1932
Spione im Savoy-Hotel
Jackson
Five from the Jazzband
Jean
Here's Berlin
Max
- 1931
Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf
Movie