Klaus Maria Brandauer (b June 22, 1944) is an Austrian actor and director. Born Klaus Georg Steng in Bad Aussee, Austria, he subsequently took his mother’s maiden name, Maria Brandauer, as his stage name.
Brandauer began acting onstage in 1962. After working in national theatre and television, he made his film debut in 1972, with his starring and award-winning role in Istvan Szabo’s Mephisto (1981) launching his international career. He followed this with parts in Never Say Never Again (1983) as Maximilian Largo, Out of Africa (1985, for which he was nominated for an Oscar) and Szabo’s Oberst Redl (1985) and Hanussen (1988).