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Maximilian Schell

Maximilian Schell

Actor, also director, producer and writer · Died February 1, 2014, aged 83 · Vienna, Austria

Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was a Swiss actor. Born in Austria, his parents were involved in the arts and he grew up surrounded by performance and literature. While he was still a child, his family fled to Switzerland in 1938 when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany, and they settled in Zürich. After World War II ended, Schell took up acting and directing full-time. Schell won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing a lawyer in the legal drama Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). He was Oscar-nominated for playing a character with multiple identities in The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) and for playing a man resisting Nazism in Julia (1977). Fluent in both English and German, Schell earned top billing in a number of Nazi-era themed films. He acted in films such as Topkapi (1964), The Deadly Affair (1967), Counterpoint (1968), Simón Bolívar (1969), The Odessa File (1974), A Bridge Too Far (1977), and Deep Impact (1998). On television, he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the NBC film Miss Rose White and the HBO television film Stalin (1992), the later of which earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. He also portrayed Otto Frank in the TV film The Diary of Anne Frank (1980), the Russian emperor Peter the Great in the NBC series Peter the Great (1986), Frederick the Great in the British series Young Catherine (1991), and Brother Jean le Maistre in the miniseries Joan of Arc (1999). Schell also performed in a number of stage plays, including a celebrated performance as Prince Hamlet. Schell was an accomplished pianist and conductor, performing with Claudio Abbado and Leonard Bernstein, and with orchestras in Berlin and Vienna. His elder sister was the internationally noted actress Maria Schell; he produced the documentary tribute My Sister Maria in 2002. Description above from the Wikipedia article Maximilian Schell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 8, 1930
Died
February 1, 2014 (aged 83)
From
Vienna, Austria
Works as
Actor, also director, producer and writer
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 113 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 15% in 30 days

What are Maximilian Schell's films like?

Across their 36 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
39%
Survival
18%
Self
16%
Bonds
13%
Power
7%
Society
5%
Ideas
3%
Justice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 36 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 10 · Dark 21

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 18 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 16 · Intense 14

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 22 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 27 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 20 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 22 · Full focus 6

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 15

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 23 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

28 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 10 of 28 analyzed roles.

Shadow
10 of 28
Mentor
8 of 28
Hero
5 of 28
Herald
2 of 28
Shapeshifter
1 of 28
Ally
1 of 28
Threshold guardian
1 of 28
Show the 28 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
26
Melancholic
16
Dread
11
Contemplative
10
Thrilling
6
Other
24

How their films linger

Thought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 10 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet16
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Maximilian Schell's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Maximilian Schell's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

113 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 40 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Making Montgomery Clift(2018)

    as Hans Rolfe

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Les brigands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Mr. Escher

  • Jedermann Remixed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Jedermann (archive footage)

  • Black Flowers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Jacob Krinsten

  • Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Actor

  • The Brothers Bloom(2008)

    as Diamond Dog

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Imperium der Päpste (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 3 episodes · Creator · as Sprecher

  • The Shell Seekers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Lawrence Sterne

  • Die Rosenkönigin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Karl Friedrich Weidemann

  • House of the Sleeping Beauties(2006)

    as Kogi

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Die Alpenklinik (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Dr. Alexander Ohlendorf

  • Die Liebe eines Priesters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Father Christoph

  • The Hard Cops(2004)

    as Fernando Hereira

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Coast to Coast(2003)

    as Casimir

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Alles Glück dieser Erde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Xaver Schönborn

  • Der Fürst und das Mädchen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 40 episodes · as Friedrich Fürst von Thorwald

  • Der Bestseller - Mord auf italienisch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Karl Steingraf

  • My Sister Maria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director · Executive Producer · as Himself

  • Liebe, Lügen, Leidenschaften (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Franz Steininger

  • Festival in Cannes(2001)

    as Viktor Kovner

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • I Love You, Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Walter Ekland

  • Just Messing About (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Poser

  • Joan of Arc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · as Brother Jean le Maistre

  • On the Wings of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Hochberg

  • Vampires(1998)

    as Cardinal Alba

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Deep Impact(1998)

    as Jason Lerner

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Left Luggage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Mr. Silberschmidt

  • Telling Lies in America(1997)

    as Dr. Istvan Jonas

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Zwischen Rosen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Carl Stern

  • The Eighteenth Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Father Simeon

  • The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years(1996)

    as Cardinal Vittorio

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Vampyre Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Rodan

  • Little Odessa(1994)

    as Arkady Shapira

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Abraham (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Pharao

  • Abraham (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 2 episodes · as Pharao · as Pharaoh

  • Candles in the Dark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director · as Colonel Arkush

  • Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Isaak Kohler

  • A Far Off Place(1993)

    as Col. Mopani Theron

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Stalin(1992)

    as Vladimir Lenin

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Miss Rose White (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Mordecai Weiss

  • Labyrinth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as The Filmmaker

  • Why Havel? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Actor

  • Young Catherine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 2 episodes · as Frederick the Great

  • You Can't Live Like That (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as German Commentator

  • The Freshman(1990)

    as Larry London

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Rose Garden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Aaron

  • Wiseguy(1987)

    Show 9 episodes · as Amado Guzman

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Peter the Great (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 4 episodes · as Peter the Great

  • Die Föhnforscher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Co-Producer

  • The Assisi Underground(1985)

    as Col. Müller

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Marlene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · as Himself

  • Man Under Suspicion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Lawyer Landau

  • Les Îles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Fabrice

  • The Phantom of the Opera(1983)

    as Sandor Korvin/Phantom

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Chosen(1981)

    as Professor David Malter

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Diary of Anne Frank(1980)

    as Otto Frank

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Black Hole(1979)

    as Dr. Hans Reinhardt

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Together? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Giovanni

  • Avalanche Express(1979)

    as Colonel Nikolai Bunin

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Players (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Marco

  • Tales from the Vienna Woods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Theatre Visitor

  • Julia(1977)

    as Johann

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • A Bridge Too Far(1977)

    as General der Waffen-SS Wilhelm Bittrich

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Cross of Iron(1977)

    as Hauptmann Stransky

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • St. Ives(1976)

    as Dr. John Constable

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Clown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Producer

  • The Day That Shook the World(1975)

    as Đuro Šarac

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • End of the Game(1975)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Robert Schmied on Audiotape (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Man in the Glass Booth(1975)

    as Arthur Goldman

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Odessa File(1974)

    as Eduard Roschmann

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Pedestrian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Andreas Giese

  • Pope Joan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Adrian

  • Paulina 1880 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Count Michele Cantarini

  • Trotta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Screenplay

  • First Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Vater

  • Simón Bolívar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Simón Bolívar

  • Krakatoa: East of Java(1968)

    as Captain Chris Hanson

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Heidi(1968)

    as Richard Sessemann

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Castle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Writer · as K

  • Counterpoint(1967)

    as Gen. Schiller

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Desperate Ones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Marek

  • Alles zum Guten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • The Deadly Affair(1967)

    as Dieter Frey

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Die venezianischen Zwillinge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Zanetto und Tonio

  • John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as German Narrator

  • Return from the Ashes(1965)

    as Stanislaw Pilgrin

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Der seidene Schuh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 4 episodes · as Don Rodrigo

  • Topkapi(1964)

    as Walter Harper

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Reluctant Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Giuseppe

  • The Condemned of Altona(1962)

    as Franz von Gerlach

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Five Finger Exercise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Walter

  • Hamlet(1960)

    as Hamlet

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Judgment at Nuremberg(1961)

    as Hans Rolfe

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Fifth Column (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Actor

  • Eine Dummheit macht auch der Gescheiteste (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Jegor Dmitritsch Glumow

  • Judgment at Nuremberg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Otto Rolfe

  • Die sechste Frau (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Henry Howard

  • Die Bernauerin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Herzog Albrecht von Bayern

  • Children of the Mountains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Josef Ospel

  • Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Young Lions(1958)

    as Capt. Hardenberg

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Der Meisterdieb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Actor

  • The Last Ones Shall Be First (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Lorenz Darrandt

  • Taxichauffeur Bänz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Toni Schellenberg

  • Ein Herz kehrt heim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Wolfgang Thomas, beider Sohn

  • Playhouse 90 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · as Otto Rolfe

  • Die Ehe des Dr. med. Danwitz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Dr. Oswald Hauser

  • The Girl from Flanders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Alexander Haller

  • Ripening Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Jürgen Sengebusch

  • The Plot to Assassinate Hitler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Mitglied des Kreisauer Kreises

  • Children, Mother, and the General (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Soldat, der nicht mehr mitmacht

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Rose's Father

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 112 titles from 1951 to 2015; peak year 1978.

Biggest box office

Deep Impact (1998)

$349M worldwide

Highest rated

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Deep Impact (1998)

Film career

19512015

Peak 1978 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 9 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting106 of 112: 99 only acting, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thDirecting8 of 112: 2 only directing, 6 with another roleWriting6 of 112: 1 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing7 of 112: 2 only producing, 5 with another roleOther crew1 of 112: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

112 titles, 8 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1950s18 · acting1960s20 · 19 acting · 2 crew1970s19 · 17 acting · 6 crew1980s11 · 9 acting · 2 crew1990s23 · 23 acting · 1 crew2000s19 · 18 acting · 2 crew2010s2 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 15% of 26 roles
58687893

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Maximilian Schell's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 38; across their 36 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Approval · how many liked their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Reach · how many have seen their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 36

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

20 of their 39 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser20
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · actor

The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years (1996)

69th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Midcredits 99th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 34 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Maximilian Schell's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles38–89 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles14–58 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles14–72 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles16–52 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles49–82 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Maximilian Schell work with?

People who share at least 2 of Maximilian Schell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Vanessa Redgrave shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers