Biography
Hannes Schmid holds a US Working Permit/Green Card.
Hannes Schmid is a German-Austrian actor with New Zealand and Nordic roots. He grew up in Austria and first stepped onto the theater stage at the age of 4. After his parents' divorce and the early death of his mother, he was raised by his uncle and aunt. After attending a sports and natural science high school/grammar school, he pursued acting studies for theater and film in Berlin and Vienna.
Signed by an agency while he was still studying, he worked as an actor in various major productions. These include the role of a receptionist in Til Schweiger's comedy "Klassentreffen 1.0", in the ARD television film "Gloria" as the presenter of a cow award ceremony, or as an annoyed subway driver in the Netflix series "Dogs of Berlin" directed by Christian Alvart.
He also gained experience as an actor before and during his studies through his own productions of short films, experimental films, advertising and image films as well as music videos.
In 2017 he starred as a lead role in the deaf short film "Barrier-free Date", in which he has a blind date with a deaf and mute woman. Not only does he fall head over heels in love with her, but he can only communicate with her with the help of an interpreter, which leads to many funny situations and complications. The film was nominated and awarded as best short film at various national and international festivals.
In the same year, he also played the lead role in the short film "Alles Relativ," portraying a charismatic student in the lecture hall with a certain "attraction" to his presenting professor.
In the feature film and Lake Constance crime drama "Schatten über dem Bodensee" and its resulting series "Schatten im Paradies," he played the lead role in 2018 as the empathetic private detective Max Marek. With the assistance of two criminal investigators, Max Marek must unravel a series of thefts and break-ins around Lake Constance, ultimately putting an end to a criminal's activities.
Furthermore, in 2018, he took on the lead role in the international comedy "Cheers to Life," filmed in Serbia. Playing a charismatic and extroverted womanizer, he and his three best friends win a trip to Serbia, leading to absurd adventures. In addition to the comedic situations, he must confront his personal past as he falls genuinely in love for the first time, forcing him to reevaluate his worldview.
In 2018, he made another appearance as an English-speaking journalist in the Arte, BR, ORF, SRF production "Das Wunder von Wörgl" alongside Karl Markovics and Verena Altenberger, directed by Urs Egger.
In early 2019, he plays the successful and tough cosmetics entrepreneur "Christian Bergmann" in the TV pilot "Pristine." Initially reluctant to assist a young startup founder with a brilliant idea, he eventually decides to help, leading to both business and personal complications.
Also in 2019, he filmed in Tyrol, playing the lead role of "Peter Schweiger" in the family drama "Summit of Solitude" In this film, set in the 1950s, he portrays an adventurous and rebellious mountain farmer's son who illegally smuggles goods over mountain passes between Austria and Italy. After the death of his mother, he is compelled to confront his conflict with his father. The film was showcased at numerous national and international festivals, receiving acclaim and awards.
At the end of 2019 he filmed his first Hollywood production "The Contractor" with Chris Pine and doubled Ben Foster, one of the film's two main actors.
In 2021, he appeared in a leading role in 20 episodes of the RTL series "Alles was zählt" as Kai Löwenau, a cocaine-addicted and dealing celebrity chef. The character repeatedly gets himself and his business partner into significant troubles. Additionally in 2021, he portrayed a failed and traumatized paramedic in the short film drama "In those days" attempting to comprehend his experiences.
His self-produced short film in 2021, titled "Limbus" where he served as both director and lead actor, was showcased and awarded at several national and international film festivals. The film revolves around a desperate search for an escape in a limbo between life and death.
In 2022, he played a supportive priest in the short film "Still" attempting to encourage a young man who had just lost his mother. For the highly successful ZDF & ORF series "Der Bergdoktor" he portrayed the lead role of the initially desperate and later sincere tattoo artist "Fabian Marx" in the season finale 2024. In the storyline, Fabian Marx falls in love with the wife of his best friend and harbors a significant secret.
Furthermore in 2024, he had a role in the international production "Human Within" as a security guard of the future.
From 2017 to 2019 he was a member of the "Dinnerleichen" ensemble and toured Vienna and Lower Austria with the leading role of Gerald Beck in the play "Kreativ Morden".
In 2023, he went on a theater tour across Germany and Austria with the Theatergastspiele Fürth, starring in the comedy "Geliebte Hexe" as an inquisitive and drunken investigative author.
He played other theater roles between 2011 and 2023 as Anatol in the play of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler, Beckmann in "Outside the Door", by Wolfgang Borchert, Leonce in Georg Büchner's play "Leonce and Lena", Spiegelberg in "The Robbers" by Friedrich Schiller , Pyramus in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare, or that of "Man" in Felix Mittlerer's "Deadly Sins".
Hannes Schmid also works as a producer and director. Since 2012, he has produced several short films, image and advertising films, experimental films and music videos with his two former film production companies and has directed various productions.
One of his strengths lies in his versatility and love for sports, including extreme sports. In his childhood, he was a ski jumper for 4 years and played club football for 14 years. After retiring from active football, he served as a youth football coach for a period. Growing up with a family involved in diving, he became a professionally certified scuba and free-diving instructor with three world associations in the age of 20 with records of holding his breath for 4:52 minutes and reaching a depth of 69 meters. He has nearly 700 logged dives and taught various diving courses in Austria, Croatia, and Egypt before his acting career.
In 2014, he completed a skydiving course. He is an avid skier, snowboarder, and wakeboarder. Other sporting hobbies include weightlifting, surfing, mountaineering, poker, bungee jumping, climbing, sailing(basic sailing license), boxing, and martial arts. Hannes practices daily yoga and meditation.
Furthermore, Hannes Schmid serves as a freelance wedding orator, as speaker for baby welcome ceremonies, as speaker for funerals, as photo-, video- and advertising model, as professional trained event and show host, and entrepreneur.
He was an active member of the Red Cross for 14 years, serving as a trained paramedic and ambulance driver. Additionally, he was a Red Cross youth group leader and taught first aid, and is a trained rescue diver as well as rescue swimmer.
Since the age of 15 he has been a specialist in Holocaust and tolerance education. He was educated and certified by the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
Between the age of 15-20 he took various dance courses, including 1 year of choreography dance and completed the Austrian dance course badge in bronze for standard and Latin American dances.
In addition to his completed acting studies, he holds a high school diploma/A-levels and is a trained retail merchant and office administrator (completed apprenticeship). During his time at vocational school he was three times class representative and two times head boy of the school. He also has in-depth knowledge of mechatronics engineering, bartending and event and VIP support.
Hannes has extensive knowledge in natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy), politics, and history.
In 2012, he became the state champion in political education in the "Europa-Quiz" competition and the skiing state champion for vocational schools in Upper Austria.
In 2014, he won the competition for "The Friendliest Smile" organized by the Economic Chamber of Upper Austria/Trade Division.
