Tilman Valentin "Til" Schweiger (born December 19, 1963) is a German actor, director, and producer. He is one of Germany’s most successful filmmakers. Since 1968, when the FFA started counting, no other German actor has drawn more people to the cinemas. He runs his own production company, Barefoot Films, in Berlin.Schweiger was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. He married American model Dana Carlson on June 19, 1995. The couple has had four children: Valentin Florian (b. 1995), Luna Marie (b. 1997), Lilli Camille (b. 1998), and Emma Tiger (b. October 2002). They separated in 2005, but have not divorced.
Schweiger's debut as a producer and (uncredited) director came in 1997 with Knockin' on Heaven's Door. The film remains a cult favourite for audiences worldwide. He also directed and produced Der Eisbär (The Polar Bear) in 1998. Schweiger won a prestigious Bambi Award for Barfuß (Barefoot) in 2005, which he wrote, directed and starred in. He also won a Bambi for his lead role in Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1. In 2008, Keinohrhasen (this literally translates to "no ear rabbits" while the English title is Rabbit Without Ears), which was written, produced and directed by Schweiger, became the most successful film in German theaters with a box office result of USD 62,000,000. The film won a Bambi, a Bavarian Film Award, the German Comedy Award, two DIVA Awards, a Jupiter Award and the Ernst Lubitsch Award. The sequel, Zweiohrküken (Rabbit Without Ears 2), was released the following year and was also a huge success with over 4.2 million viewers and a box office of USD 45,000,000. Schweiger then went on to direct, produce and star in 1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde, which also proved a huge cinema hit on its release in 2008. The movie Kokowääh came to German cinemas in February 2011. His daughter Emma stars beside him, and the movie is also directed, co-written and produced by him.
