Michael Fassbenderis a German-Irish actor. After studying at the Drama Centre London he became known for playing intense roles in film and television. He is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, he was listed at number nine on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
Fassbender made his feature film debut in 300 (2006). Early roles include in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) and the Sky One fantasy drama Hex (2004–2005). He first came to prominence playing Bobby Sands in the drama Hunger (2008). Subsequent roles include the 2009 films Fish Tank and Inglourious Basterds, and the 2011 films Jane Eyre and A Dangerous Method. He gained mainstream success for playing Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto in the X-Men series, and David⁸ and Walter One in Prometheus (2012), and its sequel, Alien: Covenant (2017).
For his portrayal of a sex addict in Steve McQueen's drama Shame (2011), he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA Award. He received two Academy Award nominations: for Best Supporting Actor playing Edwin Epps in the historical drama 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Best Actor for his portrayal of the title role in biographical drama Steve Jobs (2015). He also starred in The Counselor (2013), Frank (2014), and Macbeth (2015). After a hiatus, he starred in the action thriller film The Killer (2023) and the spy film Black Bag (2025).
Fassbender began competing in auto racing in 2017 with the Ferrari Challenge. As of 2023, he races in the European Le Mans Series, driving for Proton Competition. He married Swedish actress Alicia Vikander in 2017.
