The 10 Best Christoph Waltz Roles, Ranked (According to IMDb)

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz has had an active career in television and film for over four decades. Coming from a long line of silent film and stage actors, Waltz got his start as a stage actor in Switzerland before making the move to a prolific television career.

Waltz came to the attention of a much larger audience when he starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, for which he won an Academy Award. He is still very active in cinema, appearing in two highly anticipated films of 2020, Cary Fukunaga’s No Time To Die and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. Here are the 10 best Christoph Waltz roles currently, according to IMDB.

10 The Legend of Tarzan (2016): 6.2

Directed by David Yates, best known for his work in the Harry Potter franchise, The Legend of Tarzan is a star-studded addition to the many adaptations of the Tarzan of the Apes novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Christoph Waltz stars as the main antagonist playing Captain Leon Rom, the avaricious Belgian captain sent to secure the diamonds of Opar in the Congo basin by order of King Leopold II.

Waltz’s character is based on the actual Captain Leon Rom, famed for his brutality among the Congolese. The Legend of Tarzan has received mixed critical reception, but for fans of adventure and Waltz sinister acting, the film is sure to please.

9 Spectre (2015): 6.8

No doubt one of the most thrilling aspects of the 24th installment in the James Bond spy franchise is Christoph Waltz’s portrayal of the sinister Ernst Stavro Blofeld (also known as Franz Oberhauser). Bond’s nemesis and mastermind behind the global criminal organization SPECTRE has had a hatred for Bond since their shared childhood after Bond was orphaned.

Waltz became interested in the role after learning that the film dealt with technology-assisted mass surveillance, calling it a “relevant social issue.” Waltz is set to reprise his role as Blofeld in the upcoming Bond sequel, No Time To Die, slated for a November release.

8 Water For Elephants (2011): 6.9

Based on the novel by Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants is a delightful romantic drama centered on a young man’s decision to become a veterinarian for circus animals. Waltz plays the murderously cruel August Rosenbluth, the ringmaster and head animal trainer for the Benzini Bros. circus, a role among many which allow him to showcase his sinister acting ability.

While Water for Elephants portrays Waltz’s cruelty to the titular creatures, all scenes of abuse were actually due to the clever use of special effects and CGI. The film was met with mixed to positive reviews and was a box office success.

7 Georgetown (2019): 7.0

Debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival, and originally titled The Worst Marriage in Georgetown, Georgetown was the feature directorial debut of Christoph Waltz. Waltz stars as Ulrich Mott, a social climber who marries a wealthy Washington D.C socialite and becomes the primary suspect after her murder.

The crime film is based on the true story of journalist and writer Viola Herms Drath’s murder at the hands of her abusive second husband in 2011. Georgetown received positive praise for its unique story.

6 Big Eyes (2014): 7.0

Directed by Tim Burton, Big Eyes is a biographical drama about Margaret Keane, an American artist known for her portraits of people with big eyes and the lawsuit between her and her husband who claimed credit for her successful paintings. Amy Adams stars as Margaret with Christoph Waltz playing her wicked husband Walter.

The film was a critical success, with the real-life Margaret Keane reportedly shocked that someone would make a film of her life. In the scene where Waltz and Adams paint in front of the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, Margaret Keane can be seen in a cameo appearance reading a book.

5 Carnage (2011): 7.2

Directed and co-written by Roman Polanski and based on the play Le Dieu du Carnage by Yasmina Reza, who also co-wrote the film, Carnage is a black comedy about two sets of bickering parents. Waltz stars, alongside Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, and John C. Reilly, as Alan Cowan, a BlackBerry addicted businessman whose rationality in the role is nearly show-stealing.

The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and was met with critical acclaim, especially for the cast and Polanski’s direction. Carnage was the recipient of numerous international film awards.

4 Alita: Battle Angel (2019): 7.3

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and based on the manga series Gunnm, Alita: Battle Angel is an action-packed cyberpunk film about a cyborg who awakens in a new body with no memory of her past. Waltz stars as Dr. Dyson Ido, a cyborg scientist and bounty hunter who discovers Alita and becomes a father figure for her.

The film was met with mixed critical reviews but was praised for its impressive visual effects. A sequel to the film has been hinted at, although Waltz has called a sequel unlikely after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox and the film not fitting in with the Disney brand.

3 Kopfstand (1981): 7.5

Kopfstand (German for Headstand) is an Austrian black and white drama. The film stars Waltz as a young man with a troubled home life. A fight with his mother gets him sent to a mental asylum for being unbalanced, despite his sanity. In the asylum, he is brutalized but encouraged to stay strong by the inmates that he befriends.

The film has been contrasted with popular American film One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975), which also deals with a man wrongfully committed to a mental asylum. Waltz would work with the director Veith Von Furstenburg in his next film after Kopfstand, titled Feuer und Schwert: Die Legende von Tristan und Isolde.

2 Inglourious Basterds (2009): 8.3

Inglourious Basterds is often the film credited with bringing Waltz to a much wider audience in his role as the malevolent SS officer Hans Landa, a part which writer and director Quentin Tarantino called “unplayable.” Later he would say Waltz’s phenomenal performance gave him his movie.

For the role, Waltz won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes film festival and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor among the eight Academy Awards the film was nominated for. Waltz is fluent in English, German, and French, all of which he speaks in the film.

1 Django Unchained (2012): 8.4

Django Unchained would mark the second time Christoph Waltz worked with Quentin Tarantino and the second time he would receive an Academy Award, again for Best Supporting Actor. In Django Unchained, Waltz plays Dr. King Schultz, a dentist turned bounty hunter who purchases, frees, and then partners up with Django, played by Jamie Foxx.

The film was met with critical acclaim and netted two of the five Academy Awards it was nominated for, the other being Best Original Screenplay. Quentin Tarantino has expressed interest in a possible sequel or a potential miniseries comprised of additional unused footage from the original film shoot.

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