Austrian actor Karl Markovics began signing for onscreen work in the early '90s -- typically in projects in his native country -- and became immediately known for performances and characterizations of marked intensity in such continental productions as Helmut Dietl's Late Show (1999, a supporting turn) and Houchang Allahyari's Geboren in Absurdistan (2001). Markovics received lead billing in the latter -- a #92;black comedy about a member of the Australian government who sternly opposes immigration and becomes implicated in a horrid mix-up involving the swap of his newborn baby with a Turkish infant at the local hospital. The actor achieved some international crossover success that same year, with a small role in Stefan Ruzowitzky's #92;farce All the Queen's Men (2001), but really only came to the forefront of public attention with his lead in the arthouse hit The Counterfeiters (2007). In the latter -- a bleak WWII-era #92;drama -- Markovics played an artist willingly tapped by the Nazis to use his penmanship for dark and nefarious means. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide