A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 040
1956 —   ACTOR

CHRISTOPHWALTZ

Oct 4, 1956Austria

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The year he turned 21, he made his first appearance on a stage in Vienna, his hometown. The year he turned 34, he led the cast of The Gravy Train on Channel 4. The year he turned 39, he appeared in Catherine the Great.

The year he turned 40, he appeared in a German film about the singer Roy Black. The year he turned 44, he directed the television film Wenn man sich traut.

The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 53, he won the best actor award at Cannes for Inglourious Basterds, days after the film screened there.

The year he turned 54, he won the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the Academy Award for best supporting actor for that role. The year he turned 55, he played August, who heads the circus, in Water for Elephants. The year he turned 56, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Django Unchained.

The year he turned 57, he won a second Golden Globe and a second Oscar for Django Unchained, and was named to the Cannes jury. The year he turned 58, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Big Eyes.

The year he turned 59, Spectre opened in the UK with him as Franz Oberhauser. The year he turned 60, he played Léon Rom in The Legend of Tarzan. The year he turned 61, he directed Falstaff at Opera Vlaanderen.

The year he turned 63, he directed and starred in Georgetown, which premiered at Tribeca. The year he turned 64, he was nominated for an Emmy for Most Dangerous Game. The year he turned 65, he appeared in No Time to Die.

The year he turned 67, The Consultant premiered on Prime Video. The year he turned 68, he received the Icon Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival. The year he turned 69, he joined Only Murders in the Building and appeared in Frankenstein. In 2026, the year he turns 70, Dracula reached U.S. theaters and Minions & Monsters opened.

Christoph Waltz made his first stage appearance in 1977, the year he turned 21, and became known on May 24, 2009, the year he turned 53, when he won the Cannes best actor award for Inglourious Basterds. He won his first Oscar in 2010, the year he turned 54, and his second in 2013, the year he turned 57.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 28 records1977 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 21 · 1977
  2. 34 · 1990
  3. 39 · 1995
  4. 40 · 1996
  5. 44 · 2000
  6. 53 · 2009
  7. 54 · 2010
  8. 54 · 2010
  9. 54 · 2010
  10. 55 · 2011
  11. 56 · 2012
  12. 57 · 2013
  13. 57 · 2013
  14. 57 · 2013
  15. 58 · 2014
  16. 59 · 2015
  17. 60 · 2016
  18. 61 · 2017
  19. 63 · 2019
  20. 64 · 2020
  21. 65 · 2021
  22. 67 · 2023
  23. 68 · 2024
  24. 69 · 2025
  25. 69 · 2025
  26. 70 · 2026
  27. 70 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1977–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Christoph Waltz when he became famous?
He won best actor at Cannes for Inglourious Basterds on May 24, 2009, the year he turned 53. Deutsche Welle wrote that the film catapulted him into fame.
How old was Christoph Waltz when he won his first Oscar?
He won the Oscar for best supporting actor for Inglourious Basterds on Mar 7, 2010, the year he turned 54.
When did Christoph Waltz win his second Oscar?
He won it on Feb 24, 2013, the year he turned 57, for Django Unchained.
How old was Christoph Waltz when Spectre came out?
Spectre opened in the UK on Oct 26, 2015, the year he turned 59, with him as Franz Oberhauser.
How old is Christoph Waltz?
Born in 1956, he turns 70 in 2026 (69 as of Sep 30, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION040Christoph Waltz / CHRISTOPH WALTZ

Film & TV · Austria
Oct 4, 1956 —

Sources and method37 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1956: the year of the event minus 1956, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Wikipedia · Christoph Waltz (German) ↗First stage appearance in Vienna in 1977; not confirmed in news reports
  2. GQ · We’ve been expecting you, Mr Waltz ↗May 2015; The Gravy Train (Channel 4, 1990), Catherine the Great (1995), a 1996 film about Roy Black, unknown to most English-speaking cinema-goers until Inglourious Basterds, role of Franz Oberhauser in Spectre
  3. Mint (AFP) · Oscars 2013: The rise of Christoph Waltz ↗Feb. 25, 2013; Du bist nicht allein – Die Roy Black Story; Inglourious Basterds thrust him into the Hollywood spotlight; second Oscar for Django Unchained
  4. Deutsche Welle · Hollywood’s favorite bad guy Christoph Waltz turns 60 ↗Oct. 4, 2016; directorial debut with the TV film Wenn man sich traut in 2000; Inglourious Basterds catapulted him into fame; first opera, Der Rosenkavalier, in Antwerp in 2013
  5. Variety · Tarantino reflects on Basterds ↗May 17, 2009; the film bows at Cannes on Wednesday; Waltz described as a German TV actor cast as Hans Landa
  6. IndieWire · Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds Plays Cannes ↗May 20, 2009; the film’s Cannes screening; Tarantino found Waltz for the role of Col. Hans Landa
  7. The Guardian · Cannes film festival: Michael Haneke takes the Palme d’Or ↗May 24, 2009; the best actor award went to Christoph Waltz
  8. San Diego Union-Tribune (AP) · Haneke’s The White Ribbon wins Cannes top prize ↗May 24, 2009; Waltz earned the best-actor award for Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds
  9. Festival de Cannes · Awards 2009 ↗Archived list of 2009 awards; Award for Best Actor, Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
  10. Jewish Journal · Christoph Waltz takes Golden Globe for Basterds ↗Jan. 18, 2010; won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor
  11. ScreenCrave · Golden Globes 2010: Christoph Waltz wins for best supporting actor ↗Dated Jan. 17, 2010, the night of the ceremony
  12. BroadwayWorld · Christoph Waltz, Colin Firth, The Hurt Locker win at BAFTA Awards ↗Feb. 21, 2010; won best supporting actor for Inglourious Basterds
  13. CNN · Hurt Locker is best picture, wins six Oscars ↗March 7, 2010; Waltz won the first Oscar of the night, best supporting actor for Inglourious Basterds
  14. NPR · Under the big top, with an elephant in the room ↗Review posted April 21, 2011; Waltz as August, who heads the circus in Water for Elephants
  15. Digital Spy · Golden Globes nominations 2013 ↗Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012; Waltz on the list for best supporting actor
  16. Los Angeles Times · Golden Globes 2013: Christoph Waltz wins first award for Django ↗Jan. 13, 2013; second supporting actor Golden Globe for a Tarantino film, after 2010
  17. Los Angeles Times · Oscars 2013: Christoph Waltz wins best supporting actor ↗Feb. 24, 2013; supporting actor Oscar for Django Unchained, playing Dr. King Schultz
  18. Variety · Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Ang Lee among Cannes jury members ↗April 23, 2013; Steven Spielberg jury president; festival May 15 to 26
  19. Golden Globes · Christoph Waltz (Big Eyes) ↗Dec. 29, 2014; nominated for the lead in Big Eyes, as Walter Keane
  20. Deadline · Big Eyes review ↗Dec. 24, 2014; Waltz and Amy Adams both nominated for Golden Globes
  21. The Guardian · Spectre breaks box office record with £6.3m opening day gross ↗Oct. 29, 2015; 24th Bond film opened in the UK on a Monday at 8.15pm and took £4.1m; £6.3m on Tuesday
  22. The Guardian · The Legend of Tarzan review ↗July 7, 2016; Waltz as the functionary Léon Rom, at the head of Belgian troops in the Congo
  23. BroadwayWorld · Christoph Waltz directs Verdi’s Falstaff for Opera Vlaanderen ↗Nov. 16, 2017 announcement; premiere Wednesday Dec. 13 at Opera Antwerp; his first opera as director was Der Rosenkavalier in 2013
  24. Tribeca Festival · Georgetown ↗World Premiere at the 2019 festival; directed by Christoph Waltz, who plays Ulrich Mott
  25. Vanity Fair · Quibi was nominated for 10 Emmys ↗July 28, 2020; nominations for Christoph Waltz, Laurence Fishburne and Anna Kendrick
  26. Television Academy · Christoph Waltz ↗Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, 2020, Most Dangerous Game, Quibi
  27. USA Today · Watch the trailer for Georgetown ↗April 28, 2021; Waltz as Blofeld in No Time to Die, in theaters Oct. 8
  28. The Guardian · The Consultant review ↗Feb. 24, 2023; Prime Video series; Waltz as Regus Patoff
  29. Amazon MGM Studios · Prime Video announces premiere date for The Consultant ↗Jan. 3, 2023; all eight episodes premiere on February 24
  30. MovieMaker · 25th Newport Beach Film Festival opens with Christoph Waltz as the Old Guy ↗Oct. 18, 2024; festival honored the 68-year-old actor with the Icon Award at the Oct. 17 opening night
  31. Deadline · Only Murders in the Building season 5 premiere date ↗July 2025; season 5 debuts on Hulu September 9; Waltz in the cast
  32. Variety · Only Murders in the Building season 5 casts Christoph Waltz ↗March 21, 2025; joined season 5 in a recurring role
  33. Netflix Tudum · Frankenstein cast guide ↗Nov. 12, 2025; Waltz as Heinrich Harlander; the film is now in select theaters and on Netflix
  34. Variety · Christoph Waltz on Dracula, process and method acting ↗Feb. 6, 2026; Frankenstein received nine Oscar nominations in January; Landa scene described as the one that made him a star
  35. IGN · Dracula 2026 ending explained ↗Feb. 7, 2026; Dracula hit U.S. theaters that weekend after opening in some parts of the world the year before; Waltz as a never-named Priest
  36. NBC · Minions & Monsters cast breakdown ↗2026; debuted in theaters July 1; Waltz in the voice cast
  37. Variety · Box Office: No Time to Die debuts with $56 million ↗Oct. 10, 2021; debuted to $56 million from 4,407 theaters at the domestic box office

Fact-checked: 2026.09.30 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.