Jan Niklas

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Jan Niklas
Born October 15, 1947 (1947-10-15) (age 60)
Munich, Germany
Other name(s) Yan Nicklas
Occupation film, television actor
Years active 1974-present
Official website

Jan Niklas is a Golden Globe- winning German actor. Best known for playing in TV films such as Peter The Great, Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna and Anne Frank: The Whole Story. He also played in the Hungarian film Colonel Redl which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early Life

Jan Niklas was born October 15, 1947 in Munich, Germany. After attending boarding school in England, he took acting classes in London, following this he completed three years of acting classess at the Max Reinhardt Academy in Berlin[1].

[edit] Film Career

Niklas in a promotional shot for Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna
Niklas in a promotional shot for Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna

Niklas made his first television appearance on an episode of the German tv series Sonderdezernat K1 as Juniorchef. After playing in a couple of TV movies and miniseries Niklas slowly gained populairity, his breakthrough came in 1985, when he was cast to have a supporting role in István Szabó's war film Oberst Redl. But things went really well when in 1986 he was cast to portray a young Peter the Great in the miniseries Peter the Great, a lot of newspapers and magazines stated that it was Niklas' performance that made the miniseries so believable, the Miami Herald stated:

"It’s Niklas’ vigorously effective portrayal of the younger Peter that hooks a viewer into caring about this legendary figure. Due to his energetic performance the first two parts of “Peter the Great” are the most absorbing"[2],

the TV Guide stated that Niklas was the Discovery of the year 1986[2]. Niklas got the Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television but lost it to James Woods (Promise). However, later that same year, his "style and flair" was recognized throughout the industry[1], and brought him to the historical drama Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna in which he portrayed Prince Erich, The Boston Globe called it "A Performance Worth Remembering"[2] Niklas won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for his performance. After this Niklas played in movies such as: The Rosegarden, Dr. M, Red Hot and The House of the Spirits. He stayed unnoticed for a while, until in 2001 he was cast to portray Fritz Pfeffer in the Emmy Award- winning miniseries Anne Frank: The Whole Story. Which was, according to the Detroit News, "Completely Believable"[2]. His latest appearance was in the German film Die Zeit, die man Leben nennt.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Official Website. Biography. Retrieved on April 27, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d Official Website. Press Reviews. Retrieved on April 27, 2008.

[edit] External Links