Michael Fassbender's early life
On April 2 1977, Michael Fassbender was born in Heidelberg, Germany to an Irish mother and German father.
When he was two, the family uprooted to his mother's homeland, settling in Killarney, County Kerry, where they made a living running a restaurant.
When he was cast in a play aged 17, Michael decided to pursue a career in acting and went on to enroll at the Drama Centre London at the age of 19. He later dropped out to go on tour with the Oxford Stage Company to perform the play, Three Sisters.
Michael Fassbender's acting career
Michael landed his first screen role in the award-winning war drama, Band of Brothers, created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. He went on to enjoy mainstream success after securing a major role in 2006's fantasy action film, 300, in which he played young Spartan warrior, Stelios.
He went on to star in Steve McQueen's 2008 film Hunger, portraying Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoner Bobby Sands - a role the actor dropped 16kg in weight to play. From there, he appeared in a variety of major Hollywood films, including Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and the Western film, Jonah Hex.
Michael's perhaps most notable role is playing Magneto in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: First Class, which he landed in 2010 before going on to appear in the rest of the franchise.
It was his role in the historical drama, 12 Years A Slave, that led to his first Oscar nomination in 2014. He also received a nod from the Academy two years later for his starring role in the biographical drama about Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs.
Michael's other film credits include, The Snowman, Jane Eyre and The Light Between Oceans.
Michael Fassbender's personal life
In December 2014, Michael began dating Swedish actress Alicia Vikander. The couple met after starring together in the 2016 film, The Light Between Oceans and went on to marry in a private ceremony in Ibiza on 14 October 2017.
In the same year, the couple moved to Lisbon, Portugal, where they live with their son, whom they welcomed in 2021.