Michael Fassbender

Although Fassbender still visits church and lights candles, he has become a lapsed Catholic.

He was born on April 2, 1977, in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany to Josef Fassbender and Adele. He is of German descent from his father’s side and Irish from his mother’s side, who according to family lore of Fassbender is the great-grand-niece of Irish revolutionary, soldier and politician Michael Collins.

His parents wanted their children to grow up in the countryside and hence relocated from Germany to Killarney in southwestern Ireland when he was two years old. His older sister Catherine became a neuropsychologist.

He grew up as a Catholic and served as an altar boy at the church attended by his family. His father worked as a chef in their own restaurant in Killarney called West End House.

He studied at the Fossa National School and thereafter at the St. Brendan's College. He was cast in a Donal Courtney play following which at age 17, he resolved to pursue career in acting. He attended drama class by Donie Courtney for some time.

He relocated to London at age 19 and started attending British drama school ‘Drama Centre London’, however dropped out in 1999 and went on a tour with the Oxford Stage Company to perform in the ‘Three Sisters’ play. He did several odd jobs including as a labour, bartender, and postman and also worked for Dell computers before getting acting assignments.

He made his on-screen debut playing Technical Sergeant Burton Christenson in the 2001 award-winning American television war drama miniseries ‘Band of Brothers’ executive produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

He starred in music video of the November 10, 2003 released single ‘Blind Pilots’ by British alternative rock band, ‘The Cooper Temple Clause’.

The BBC Northern Ireland produced ten-part radio serialisation of Dracula aired in radio program ‘Book at Bedtime’ between November 24 and December 5 in 2003 saw Fassbender playing Jonathan Harker.

He starred as Azazeal in the British television series ‘Hex’ that premiered on Sky One on October 17, 2004. Over the years he has featured in several television productions including in series’ ‘Murphy's Law’ (2005) and ‘The Devil's Whore’ (2008) and television films like ‘Gunpowder, Treason & Plot’ (2004) and ‘Wedding Belles’ (2007).

He was part of ‘The Quarrel’, a Guinness TV ad that went on to garner gold medal at the 2005 FAB Awards.