Michael Haneke

MICHAEL HANEKE

Date of Birth: March 23, 1942

The son of German director/actor Fritz Haneke and actress Beatrix Degenschild, Michael Haneke was born in Munich, Germany and raised in the city of Wiener Neustadt, Austria. He studied philosophy, psychology and theater at the University of Vienna before becoming a theater playwright, screenwriter and director.

He has worked on theater productions in Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin and Vienna, as well as working in television for 21 years before moving to film directing. His first feature was The Seventh Continent in 1989, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Ernest Artaria Award at the Lorcarno International Film Festival.

At the Cannes Film Festival, awards Haneke has won include the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury for Code Unknown (2000), Grand Prize of the Jury for The Piano Teacher (2001), FIPRESCI prize and Best Director for Caché (2005), the FIPRESCI prize and Palme D'or for The White Ribbon (2009) and the Palme d'Or for Amour (2012).

Also for Amour, he received his first Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and a Best Actress nod for his leading actress Emmanuelle Riva in 2013. His latest work is the drama Happy End (2018).

Nicknamed Slappy, Haneke is reportedly known for his short outbursts of violence. When not directing or writing, he also teaches directing at the Vienna Film Academy. He has been a member of AMPAS since 2008. Married, he has four children with his wife, Suzanne.

Filmography:

Amour (2012)
The White Ribbon (2009)
Funny Games U.S. (2007)
Caché (2005)
Le temps du loup (2003)
The Piano Teacher (2001)
Code Unknown (2000)
Funny Games (1997)
The Castle (1997)
Benny's Video (1992)
The Seventh Continent (1988)