Michael Fassbender to be Honored at Palm Springs Film Festival
Michael Fassbender as Lt. Archie Hickox in a German uniform in 2009's Quentin Tarantino film "Inglourious Basterds. He'll be honored at the Palm Springs Film Festival on Jan. 2 (Photo by Universal Pictures).
LOS ANGELES - The Palm Springs International Film Festival plans to honor Michael Fassbender with its International Star Award at its awards event on Jan. 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
The 27th annual festival, also plans to honor Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Brie Larson, Tom McCarthy and Saoirse Ronan during the ceremony.
“Throughout his career, Michael Fassbender has brought to life riveting performances on the screen in films such as ‘Hunger,’ ‘Shame,’ ’12 Years a Slave,’ ‘Inglorious Basterds’ and ‘Prometheus,’” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In his latest film, ‘Steve Jobs,’ Fassbender delivers another stunning performance of subtlety and power, presenting the Apple co-founder as both a witty and engaging person and a conflicted Machiavellian.”
Past International Star Award honorees include Javier Bardem and Helen Mirren.Fassbender made his big-screen debut in Zack Snyder’s “300.” His other film credits include “X-Men: First Class,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Jane Eyre” and “Macbeth."
Born in Heidelberg, Germany, to a German father, Josef, and an Irish mother, Adele, Fassbender was raised in the town of Killarney, Co. Kerry, in south-west Ireland, where his family moved to when he was two years old. His parents ran a restaurant where his father served as chef.
Fassbender and his sister frequently spent summer holidays in Germany before at 19, he moved to London to study at the Drama Centre London. In 1999 he dropped out of the Drama Centre and toured with the Oxford Stage Company to perform the play "Three Sisters." His first screen role was that of Burton "Pat" Christenson in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's award-winning WW II television miniseries "Band of Brothers" in 2001. He would ultimately gain fame in 2006 with the breakthrough role of Stelios, a young Spartan warrior, in director Zack Snyder's "300," a fantasy action film.
