Born in Vienna, Austria; educated at the Universitiy of Zurich (art history) & University of Munich. Darkly handsome Austrian-born lead who made his screen debut in the mid-1950s and appeared in a number of German films before arriving in Hollywood in 1958. Schell earned a best actor Oscar® for his role as a defense attorney in JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961), though it was some time before he would receive similar acclaim, for his character roles in films such as THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH (1975) and JULIA (1977). In the meantime he turned to producing, with a 1968 adaption of Franz Kafka's "The Castle," and directing, with ERSTE LIEBE / FIRST LOVE (1970), based on a story by Turgenev. It was Switzerland's nominee for best foreign language film of 1970. He wrote, co-produced and starred in his second feature as a director, DER FUßGÄNGER / THE PEDESTRIAN (1974), which was nominated for an Oscar as best foreign film. Schell's fascinating 1984 documentary, MARLENE, centered on an "interview" with Marlene Dietrich, in which the legendary star (who refused to appear on camera) continued to stage-manage her career with a combination of charm, guile and deliberate obfuscation. He continues to appear in American and European feature films: THE FRESHMAN (1990), LITTLE ODESSA (1994), JOHN CARPENTER'S VAMPIRES and DEEP IMPACT (both 1998), I LOVE YOU, BABY (2000), FESTIVAL IN CANNES (2001), DAS HAUS DER SCHLAFENDEN SCHÖNEN / HOUSE OF THE SLEEPING BEAUTIES (2006), and THE BROTHERS BLOOM (2008). Much of his work in the 2000s has been for television, including a recurring role on the German TV series "Der Fürst und das Mädchen" (2003-2007). Schell is the son of poet and playwright Ferdinand Hermann Schell and actress Margarethe Schell Noé; his sister was actress Maria Schell (1926-2005) and is the subject of his 2002 Austrian documentary MEINE SCHWESTER MARIA / MY SISTER MARIA. In 1985, he married Russian actress Natalya Andrejchenko (b. 1956). At present, they are still married, but have filed for divorce. They have one child. Visit the Internet Movie Database for a fuller listing of Schell's film and television credits.  Actor 1961: JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG  Nominated for Actor 1975: THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1977: JULIA 3 nominations, 1 Award