Simon Schwarz

Early life and education

Simon Schwarz was born on 10 January 1971 in Vienna, Austria.

Career

Acting

Film and TV

Schwarz is known for his role as the neurotic Austrian private detective Rudi Birkenberger in the very successful Franz Eberhofer series of films, opposite Sebastian Bezzel as Eberhofer, who is also a personal friend.

In 2015 he played the lead role in the Oscar-nominated short drama film Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut), as a divorced father who decides to kidnap his own daughter. The film was directed by Patrick Vollrath, and won several awards.

Schwarz played country doctor Chris Wegner in the medical drama TV series **, opposite German actress Rebecca Immanuel. The series, which started filming in autumn 2015, premiered on 16 September 2016 on Das Erste, with episode 15 broadcast on 15 November 2024. It was produced by UFA Fiction for ARD Degeto.

He played German Nazi diplomat Martin Luther in the award-winning 2022 film Die Wannseekonferenz (The Conference).

In 2025, he stars opposite Slovak actress Rebeka Poláková in Slovak-Austrian director Alexandra Makárová's second feature film, Perla.

Documentary

Schwarz and his friend, Eberhofer actor Sebastian Bezzel feature as themselves in a documentary TV series for BR Bezzel & Schwarz - Die Grenzgänger (Bezzel & Schwarz - The Border-crossers), in which they live and travel in a motorhome through Bavaria, Germany, over a period of six weeks. The series was launched in 2019. The fifth series was released in 2023, and another series in 2024.

Stage

Schwarz also performs live on stage. He plays opposite actor and cabaret artist Manuel Rubey in Das Restaurant.

Other roles and activities

Schwarz co-produced, along with Konstantin Seitz of Alternative Productions-Konstantin Seitz, the debut directorial feature by Alexandra Makárová, titled Crush My Heart (Zerschlag mein Herz), released in 2018.

Personal life

Schwarz was previously married to actress ; the couple had two children.

Sustainability is important to him, and he says he is aware of the environmental impact of his travel for work purposes, so tries to use the least damaging means of transport. He also advocates for a more sustainable agriculture and the preservation of cultural landscapes. he eats only plant-based foods at home, and

Accolades

Schwarz won the Max Ophüls Award as Best Young Actor in 1998.

Selected filmography

References

References

1. (10 January 1971). "Simon Schwarz".
2. "Manuel Rubey & Simon Schwarz".
3. (20 October 2025). "Star- und Promi-News aus Film und Fernsehen".
4. Debruge, Peter. (26 February 2016). "Film Review: ‘2016 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Live Action’".
5. Vollrath, Patrick. "Alles wird gut Everything Will Be Ok / Tout ira bien".
6. Robbins, Caryn. (17 December 2015). "EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY Nominated for Short Film of the Year".
7. (21 November 2024). "Medical-Reihe für Das Erste".
8. "Die Wannseekonferenz, TV-Film, Drama, Drittes Reich / NS, Historisch, 2020-2021".
9. Makarová, Alexandra. (5 March 2025). "Review".
10. (4 June 2024). "Sebastian Bezzel und Simon Schwarz beziehen Stellung zu "grünen Ökospinnern"!".
11. Schmidt, Annika. (19 July 2023). "Sebastian Bezzel und Simon Schwarz im Interview: "Es ist nicht lustig, über einer Jauchegrube zu hängen"".
12. "Manuel Rubey und Simon Schwarz".
13. (18 May 2025). "Crush My Heart (Zerschlag mein Herz)".
14. (2 December 2018). "Simon Schwarz will nochmal heiraten". [[ORF (broadcaster).
15. (20 October 2015). "'Todo irá bien', de Patrick Vollrath, en la Sección Oficial de La Cabina 2015".