Thomas Schubert | |
|---|---|
 Schubert at the2025 Austrian Film Awards [de] | |
| Born | (1993-08-15)15 August 1993 (age 32) Vienna, Austria |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Thomas Schubert (born 15 August 1993)[1] is an Austrian actor. He attained prominence through his acting in the Austrian feature filmBreathing (2011).
The son of a dental technician and a teacher, Schubert was born inVienna, Austria, where he grew up with two siblings. He spent a year in Australia with his family. He attended gymnasium in the Vienna district ofDonaustadt, but dropped out in his final year to pursue a career in acting.[2][3]
Schubert came to acting by chance when, as a 17-year-old student, he accompanied a friend to the open casting forKarl Markovics's 2011 feature filmBreathing (German: 'Atmen'), which had been advertised at various schools.[4] In his amateur acting debut, Schubert plays the role of a young prisoner who, while on day release, takes a job at a Viennese funeral home. Markovics had insisted on hiring an amateur actor for the leading role, which determined the casting of all the other actors. "I was looking for a non-professional actor because I didn't want a 22-year-old drama school graduate playing an 18-year-old; I really wanted an 18-year-old who is still a child in some moments," said Markovics.[4]
Schubert was selected from approximately 300 candidates during three casting sessions.[4] Director Karl Markovics placed great importance on his leading actor remaining authentic, so he only gave Schubert basic breathing and facial expression training.[5] According to Schubert, the greatest challenge in assuming this role was maintaining concentration during long rehearsals.[2]
Breathing premiered at the64th Cannes Film Festival in 2011 in parallel to theDirectors' Fortnight, where the film was awarded the Europa Award. Described as a "taciturn, documentary-like social drama",[6] the film was critically acclaimed, screened at more than 60 film festivals, and was selected as Austria's candidate for theAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2012. Schubert also received praise, receiving the Best Actor Award at theSarajevo Film Festival and theAustrian Film Award for his acting debut. The Austrian daily newspaperKurier praised his talent for his sensitive and reserved performance as the introverted juvenile convict Roman Kogler.[2] According to a review by German magazineFilmdienst, the inner drama plays out on the face of the "superb amateur actor".[6] Additionally, Munich-based newspaperSüddeutsche Zeitung praised Schubert's facial expressions in the film.[7]
Schubert described the success ofBreathing as a "major turning point in his life",[2] crediting his feature film debut for scoring him an appearance on the Austrian TV seriesFast Forward in October 2011.[5] He had further roles in theORF miniseriesPregau [de], the TV filmDas Sacher, and the crime-drama seriesSOKO Donau. Schubert soon reached a larger audience with a role on theNetflix original seriesKing of Stonks, which was released mid-2022; in the series, he played the main character Felix Armand. For his portrayal of Leon inChristian Petzold'sAfire (2023), he was nominated forBest Actor at the36th European Film Awards.[8] In May 2024, Schubert became a member of theEuropean Film Academy.[9]
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