Karl Stepanek
Born
October 27, 1899
Died
December 25, 1980 (81 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Brünn, Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now Brno, Czech Republic]
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

The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway
2003

The Games
Kubitsek
1970

The File of the Golden Goose
Mueller
1969

Before Winter Comes
Count Kerassy
1969

Murderers Club of Brooklyn
Dyers
1967

The Frozen Dead
General Lubeck
1966

Sperrbezirk
Inspector Wagner
1966

The Heroes of Telemark
Hartmuller
1965

Licensed to Kill
Henrik Jacobsen
1965

Operation Crossbow
Prof. Hoffer
1965

Devil Doll
Dr. Heller
1964
Aufstand der Gehorsamen
Jawor Stranski
1963

Das Kriminalmuseum
Dr. Robert Großmann · (1 episode)
1963

Brainwashed
Baranow
1960

Sink the Bismarck!
Admiral Lutjens - 'Bismarck'
1960

Our Man in Havana
Dr. Braun
1960

Operation Amsterdam
Diamond Merchant
1959

West of Suez
Langford
1957

The Traitor
Friederich Suderman
1957

Anastasia
Mikhail Vlados
1956

The Man in the Road
Dmitri Balinkev
1956

The Cockleshell Heroes
Assistant Gestapo Officer
1955

Secret Venture
Zelinsky
1955

A Prize of Gold
Dr. Zachmann
1955

Man of the Moment
Lom
1955

Dangerous Cargo
Pliny
1954

Tale of Three Women
Alfred Dykemann (segment "Final Twist' story)
1954

City Beneath the Sea
Dwight Trevor
1953

Rough Shoot
Diss
1953

Never Let Me Go
Commissar
1953

Affair in Trinidad
Walters
1952

Walk East on Beacon
Alexi Laschenkov / Gregory Anders
1952

No Highway in the Sky
1951

The Third Visitor
Richard Carling
1951

State Secret
Dr. Revo
1950

Cairo Road
Edouardo Pavlis
1950

Golden Arrow
Schroeder
1949

Give Us This Day
Jaroslav
1949

The Third Man
Actor at Josefstadt Theater (uncredited)
1949

Conspirator
Radek
1949

The Fallen Idol
First Secretary
1948

Counterblast
Professor Inman
1948

Broken Journey
Swiss Officer (uncredited)
1948

The Captive Heart
Forster
1946

Escape to Danger
Franz von Brinkman
1943

They Met in the Dark
Riccardo
1943

Tomorrow We Live
Seitz
1943

Secret Mission
Major Lang
1942

Our Film
Soviet Visitor
1942

The Leghorn Hat
Felix, Diener bei Farina
1939

Hotel Sacher
Franz
1939

War es der im 3. Stock?
Georg Kilby
1939

Narren im Schnee
Rolf Pinkenkötter
1938
Klatovští dragouni
1938

Die Fledermaus
Attaché Baranoff / Orlovsky
1937

The Unknown
Manager at Regina's
1936

Der Außenseiter
Otto Burian
1935

Pozdní láska
1935
Na růžích ustláno
1935
Hermine and the Seven Upright Men
Ruckstuhl
1935

Waltz War
Kellner Leopold
1933

A Song for You
Theo Bruckner
1933

Spione im Savoy-Hotel
Jackson
1932

Five from the Jazzband
Jean
1932

Here's Berlin
Max
1932

Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf
1931