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    Michael Fassbender

    Academy Member

    Michael Fassbender was born on 2nd April 1977 and raised in Co.Kerry, Ireland and after attending drama school in London, his first major role was in Steven Spielberg's 2001 award-winning mini-series Band of Brothers. Later roles came on British dramas such as Hex, Trial & Retribution and Murphy's Law in addition to a now well-known Guinness television commercial. Michael's breakthrough role came in 2006 as Spartan warrior Stelios in fantasy action film 300, which grossed almost $500 million worldwide.

    His next role, playing the real-life 1980's Northern Irish prisoner Bobby Sands in the film Hunger won him several international accolades and the IFTA Rising Star. The awards ceremony was the culmination of a year in which the actor had exploded into the mainstream with the films success, both in Ireland and internationally where he was honoured by organisations such as BIFA and BAFTA for his performance. Fassbender has since spent recent years working with some of Hollywood's most accomplished directors such as Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Bastards), Ridley Scott (Prometheus) Andrea Arnold (Wuthering Heights), Joel Schumacher (Blood Creek), Neil Marshall (Centurion), Matthew Vaughan (X Men: First Class), Stephen Soderbergh (Haywire) and David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method).

    He won the IFTA for Best Actor in 2011 for his role in Steve McQueen's Shame. Described as "a brilliant, ferocious performance" by The Hollywood Reporter, it was also nominated for BAFTA, Golden Globe and European Film Awards. In 2013, Michael collaborated with McQueen again on the acclaimed film 12 Years A Slave. The role won him Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirit Award nominations, as well as the IFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. Recent projects include Lenny Abrahamson's comedy Frank, alongside Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

    The role won him Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirit Award nominations, as well as the IFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor – as well as garnering the actor his first Oscar nomination

    Fassbender debuted as the Marvel Comics supervillain Magneto in X-Men: First Class (2011), and went on to share the role with Ian McKellen in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) before reprising it again in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and Dark Phoenix (2019)

    2015 proved to be another breakthrough year for Fassbender with acclaimed starring roles in three Hollywood films that cemented the actor’s versatility – he portrayed a taciturn bounty hunter in the Wild West in John Maclean’s Slow West, the torn power-hungry titular character in Justin Kurzel’s adaptation of Macbeth and he also gave a complex and layered portrayal of late Apple tycoon Steve Jobs in Danny Boyle’s film Steve Jobs. For the latter project, Fassbender received Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG nominations as well as his second Oscar nomination – this time for Best Actor

    More recently, In 2023 he starred in David Fincher's Thriller The Killer and Next Goal Wins ,where he plays Sports coach Thomas Rongen. In 2025 Michael was IFTA nominated for his roles in both Kneecap and the Agency.

    Video

    "It's nice to come home to the IFTAs and be amongst friends and family. It's pretty special"

    Michael Fassbender

    Awards & Recognition

    Kneecap
    • IFTA Nominee, Best Supporting Actor - Film (2025)
    The Agency
    • IFTA Nominee, Best Lead Actor - Drama (2025)
    Steve Jobs
    • IFTA Winner, Best Lead Actor - Film (2016)
    • Oscar Nominee, Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role (2016)
    • BAFTA Nominee, Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role (2016)
    • Golden Globe Nominee, Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Motion Picture - Drama (2016)
    12 Years a Slave
    • IFTA Winner, Best Supporting Actor - Film (2014)
    • Oscar Nominee, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (2014)
    • Golden Globe Nominee,  Actor in a Supporting Role (2014)
    • BAFTA Nominee, Best Supporting Actor (2014)
    • Screen Actors Guild Nominee, Actor in a Supporting Role (2014)
    The Light Between Oceans
    • IFTA Nominee, Best Lead Actor - Film (2017)
    Frank
    • IFTA Nominee, Best Lead Actor - Film (2015)
    Shame
    • IFTA Winner, Best Lead Actor (2011)
    • Golden Globe Nominee, Best Performance by an Actor (2011)
    • BAFTA Nominee, Best Leading Actor (2011)
    Hunger
    • IFTA Winner, Best Lead Actor (2009)
    • IFTA Rising Star (2009)
    • European Film Award Nominee, Best Actor (2009)

    Key Credits

    • Black Bag (2025) George Woodhouse
    • The Agency (2024-) Martian
    • Kneecap (2024) Arló Ó Cairealláin
    • Next Goal Wins (2023) Thomas
    • The Killer (2023) The Killer
    • Dark Phoenix (2019) Erik Lehnherr
    • Song to Song (2017) Cook
    • Alien: Covenant (2017) David / Walter
    • Assassin's Creed (2016) Callum Lynch / Aguilar de Nerha
    • The Light Between Oceans (2016) Tom Shelbourne
    • X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) Erik Lehnherr
    • Trespass Against Us (2016) Chad Cutler
    • Steve Jobs (2015) Steve Jobs
    • Macbeth (2015) Macbeth
    • X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) Erik Lehnherr
    • Frank (2014) Frank
    • The Counselor (2014) Counselor
    • 12 Years a Slave (2013) Edwin Epps
    • Prometheus (2012) David
    • Haywire (2011) Paul
    • Shame (2011) Brandon
    • A Dangerous Method (2011) Carl Jung
    • X-Men: First Class (2011) Erik Lehnherr
    • Jane Eyre (2011) Rochester
    • Inglorious Basterds (2009) Lt. Archie Hicox
    • Hunger (2008) Bobby Sands

    Gallery

    Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender
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