Actor August Diehl debuted in productions in his native Germany beginning in the late '90s, and thereafter did the preponderance of his screen work in continentally produced German-language productions. Early projects -- which found Diehl ascending rapidly from bit parts to supporting roles -- included Stefan Ruzowitzky's #92;medical #92;thriller Anatomy (2000) and its 2003 sequel, and Peter Sehr's #92;romantic drama Love the Hard Way (2001). Diehl tackled one of his premier leads in Robert Schwentke's gruesome #92;post-noir #92;thriller Tattoo (2002), as a rookie detective assigned to homicide, where he must solve a bizarre series of ritual murders. Diehl netted international crossover attention and retained lead billing with his work in such critical darlings as Volker Schlöndorff's 2004 #92;psychological dramaThe Ninth Day (as a Gestapo officer) and Stefan Ruzowitzky's The Counterfeiters (2007), as a World War II-era collotype specialist continually interfering with a Nazi counterfeiting scheme. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide