
Karl Stepanek
Known for Acting · 74 credits
- Born
- 1899-10-27
- Died
- 1980-12-25
- Place of birth
- Brünn, Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now Brno, Czech Republic]
- Also known as
- Karl Stepanek · Karel Štěpánek · Karel Stepanek
Biography
Though born in Czechoslovakia, actor Karel Stepanek was generally regarded as a German actor due to his extensive film work in Germany (as Karl Stepanek) in the years before World War II. Stepanek fled to England in 1940, where, like many European refugee actors, he specialized in portraying Teutonic villains. He tried to stay away from out-and-out Nazi roles, but his predilection for wearing black uniforms and barking out guttural commands left little doubt as to the political preferences of Stepanek's screen characters. One of his most typical characterizations could be found in the 1946 POW drama, The Captive Heart; Stepanek also registered well as a friendlier foreigner in The Fallen Idol (1949). Commuting between London and Hollywood, Karel Stepanek continued to fight World War II, usually on the wrong side, into such '60s films as Sink the Bismarck! (1960), I Aim at the Stars (1960) and Operation Crossbow (1965).
Known For
TV Shows (4)
Movies (70)

The Third Man
1949
as Actor at Josefstadt Theater (uncredited)

Operation Crossbow
1965
as Prof. Hoffer

Conspirator
1949
as Radek

Secret Venture
1955
as Zelinsky

Waltz War
1933
as Kellner Leopold

Sink the Bismarck!
1960
as Admiral Lutjens - 'Bismarck'

Operation Amsterdam
1959
as Diamond Merchant

Anastasia
1956
as Mikhail Vlados

The Fallen Idol
1948
as First Secretary

Hotel Sacher
1939
as Franz

The Heroes of Telemark
1965
as Hartmuller

The Cockleshell Heroes
1955
as Assistant Gestapo Officer

Broken Journey
1948
as Swiss Officer (uncredited)

Affair in Trinidad
1952
as Walters

Brainwashed
1960
as Baranow

Our Man in Havana
1960
as Dr. Braun

Cairo Road
1950
as Edouardo Pavlis

No Highway in the Sky
1951

The Traitor
1957
as Friederich Suderman

The Games
1970
as Kubitsek

Golden Arrow
1949
as Schroeder

Before Winter Comes
1969
as Count Kerassy

State Secret
1950
as Dr. Revo

Counterblast
1948
as Professor Inman

A Song for You
1933
as Theo Bruckner

Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf
1931

The File of the Golden Goose
1969
as Mueller

A Prize of Gold
1955
as Dr. Zachmann

Devil Doll
1964
as Dr. Heller

Dangerous Cargo
1954
as Pliny

City Beneath the Sea
1953
as Dwight Trevor

The Man in the Road
1956
as Dmitri Balinkev

Tomorrow We Live
1943
as Seitz

They Met in the Dark
1943
as Riccardo

Never Let Me Go
1953
as Commissar

Give Us This Day
1949
as Jaroslav

Walk East on Beacon
1952
as Alexi Laschenkov / Gregory Anders

Secret Mission
1942
as Major Lang

Sperrbezirk
1966
as Inspector Wagner

Man of the Moment
1955
as Lom

Rough Shoot
1953
as Diss

The Unknown
1936
as Manager at Regina's

The Captive Heart
1946
as Forster

Na růžích ustláno
1935

Alles Schwindel
1940
as Clubdiener

The Frozen Dead
1966
as General Lubeck

Murderers Club of Brooklyn
1967
as Dyers

Escape to Danger
1943
as Franz von Brinkman

The Bat
1937
as Attaché Baranoff / Orlovsky

Three Fathers for Anna
1939
as Matschek

The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway
2003

Tale of Three Women
1954
as Alfred Dykemann (segment "Final Twist' story)

Five from the Jazzband
1932
as Jean

The Third Visitor
1951
as Richard Carling
Hermine and the Seven Upright Men
1935
as Ruckstuhl

Licensed to Kill
1965
as Henrik Jacobsen

Another Experience
1939
as Rechtsanwalt

The Leghorn Hat
1939
as Felix, Diener bei Farina

West of Suez
1957
as Langford

Here's Berlin
1932
as Max

The Grey Pikes Wharf
1935
as Ladewig

Spione im Savoy-Hotel
1932
as Jackson
Aufstand der Gehorsamen
1963
as Jawor Stranski

Stronger Than Paragraphs
1936
as Robert Wendland

Narren im Schnee
1938
as Rolf Pinkenkötter

Der Außenseiter
1935
as Otto Burian

Pozdní láska
1935

Our Film
1942
as Soviet Visitor
Klatovští dragouni
1938

War es der im 3. Stock?
1939
as Georg Kilby
About Karl Stepanek
Though born in Czechoslovakia, actor Karel Stepanek was generally regarded as a German actor due to his extensive film work in Germany (as Karl Stepanek) in the years before World War II. Stepanek fled to England in 1940, where, like many European refugee actors, he specialized in portraying Teutonic villains. He tried to stay away from out-and-out Nazi roles, but his predilection for wearing black uniforms and barking out guttural commands left little doubt as to the political preferences of Stepanek's screen characters. One of his most typic… With 74 credits spanning from 1931 to 2003, Karl Stepanek has appeared in 70 films and 4 TV shows.
Fans searching for Karl Stepanek movies, Karl Stepanek filmography, or the latest projects starring Karl Stepanek can stream many of these titles on HinFlix, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Karl Stepanek Movies
- The Third Man (1949) — as Actor at Josefstadt Theater (uncredited)
- Operation Crossbow (1965) — as Prof. Hoffer
- Conspirator (1949) — as Radek
- Secret Venture (1955) — as Zelinsky
- Waltz War (1933) — as Kellner Leopold
Where to Watch Karl Stepanek Films
Most Karl Stepanek movies and series are available to stream on HinFlix in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Karl Stepanek, check our movies catalogue and browse page.


