‘Inglourious Basterds’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

Brad Pitt (Lt. Aldo “the Apache” Raine)

Brad Pitt took on the role of Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of an elite group of Jewish-American soldiers who strike fear into the Nazi regime.

Pitt’s breakout role came as the charming drifter J.D. in Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise (1991). He continued to leave a mark in A River Runs Through It (1992) and True Romance (1993), before starring in Neil Jordan’s Interview With the Vampire (1994).

Beginning a prolific collaboration with director David Fincher, Pitt starred in the thriller Seven (1995) and received his first Oscar nomination for 12 Monkeys (1995). He continued to captivate audiences with roles in Fight Club (1999), Snatch (2000), and the ensemble heist film Ocean’s Eleven (2001).

Pitt has since taken on a diverse array of roles: the assassin in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), the legendary outlaw in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), a clueless personal trainer in Burn After Reading (2008), and the time-bending character in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), earning another Oscar nod.

Post-Basterds, Pitt secured another Oscar nomination for playing Billy Beane in Moneyball (2011) and depicted a strict father in The Tree of Life (2011). He later starred in Fury (2014) and The Big Short (2015), before winning an Academy Award for his role as stunt double Cliff Booth in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

Most recently, Pitt was seen in the action comedy Bullet Train (2022) and the Hollywood epic Babylon (2022). He will next appear in the buddy action-comedy Wolfs (2024), alongside George Clooney.

Pitt’s personal life has been of considerable interest. He dated Gwyneth Paltrow from 1994 to 1997 and married Jennifer Aniston in 2000, though they divorced in 2005. Pitt married Angelina Jolie in 2014 after a long partnership; they divorced in 2019. Together, they have three biological children and three adopted children.

Mélanie Laurent (Shosanna Dreyfus)

Mélanie Laurent portrayed Shosanna Dreyfus, a young Jewish woman plotting revenge against the Nazi officer who killed her family.

Although Laurent was already celebrated in French cinema, Inglourious Basterds marked her debut in an American film. With most of her lines in French, Laurent had to master some English for the role. Her performance led to more significant English-speaking parts in films like Beginners (2010) and Now You See Me (2013).

Laurent starred in Enemy (2013) alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, reunited with Brad Pitt in By the Sea (2015), and appeared in Operation Finale (2018). She then featured in Michael Bay’s 6 Underground (2019) with Ryan Reynolds.

Laurent has also ventured into directing, beginning with The Adopted (2011). Her standout work includes the acclaimed drama Breathe (2014) and the English-language film Galveston (2018). Recently, she directed the Netflix action comedy Wingwomen (2023).

Laurent married in 2013, but details about her husband remain private. The couple has two children.

Christoph Waltz (Hans Landa)

Christoph Waltz played Hans Landa, a charming yet ruthless SS colonel responsible for numerous heinous acts, including the murder of Shosanna’s family.

Waltz was already a fixture in German theater and television before Tarantino cast him as Landa. His outstanding performance won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, making history as the first actor to win an Academy Award for a Tarantino film.

Waltz continued his collaboration with Tarantino in Django Unchained (2012), playing Dr. King Schultz, a role written specifically for him and earning him another Oscar.

Waltz has since become a staple in American cinema, starring in films like Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem (2013), Roman Polanski’s Carnage (2014), and Tim Burton’s Big Eyes (2014). He also took on roles in Downsizing (2017) and blockbuster hits like Spectre (2015) and The Legend of Tarzan (2016).

Waltz’s personal life includes a first marriage to dance therapist Jacqueline Ranch, with whom he has three children. His second wife, German costume designer Judith Holtz, is the mother of his daughter.

Eli Roth (Sgt. Donny Donowitz)

Eli Roth played Sgt. Donny Donowitz, known as “the Bear Jew” for his brutal method of executing Nazis with a baseball bat.

Primarily a director, Donowitz marks Roth’s only major acting role. He began directing with the horror comedy Cabin Fever (2002) and gained notoriety with Hostel (2005), a thriller that coined the term “torture porn.”

Roth directed a fake trailer for Tarantino’s Grindhouse (2007) and later helmed The Green Inferno (2013) and remakes like Knock Knock (2015) and Death Wish (2018). He shifted gears with the fantasy comedy The House with a Clock in its Walls (2018), but returned to horror with a feature-length Thanksgiving (2023).

Roth married Chilean actress and model Lorenza Izzo in 2014; they divorced in 2019.

Michael Fassbender (Archie Hicox)

Michael Fassbender portrayed Lt. Archie Hicox, a British officer who joins the Basterds on a perilous undercover mission.

Following his television work, including Band of Brothers (2001), Fassbender debuted in Zack Snyder’s 300 (2006). His breakthrough came with the role of Bobby Sands in Hunger (2008), earning numerous awards.

Fassbender’s career soared post-Basterds, starring in Jane Eyre (2011), Shame (2011), and A Dangerous Method (2011). His portrayal of Magneto in X-Men: First Class (2011) brought mainstream recognition.

Stealing scenes in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (2012), Fassbender earned an Oscar nod for 12 Years a Slave (2013). He starred in Steve Jobs (2015), earning another nomination, and adaptations like Macbeth (2015) and Assassin’s Creed (2016).

Fassbender reunited with X-Men and Alien franchises, then ventured into diverse roles like The Killer (2023) and Next Goal Wins (2023). He will appear alongside Cate Blanchett in Black Bag (2025) and Hope (2025) with Alicia Vikander.

Fassbender married actress Alicia Vikander in 2017 and they have one son.

Diane Kruger (Bridget von Hammersmark)

Diane Kruger took on the role of Bridget von Hammersmark, a German actress turned double agent aiding the Basterds.

Kruger rose to fame as Helen in Troy (2004) and as Dr. Abigail Chase in National Treasure (2004). She reprised her role in the sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007).

She has notably balanced between American and European projects, including Unknown (2011), The Host (2014), Farewell, My Queen (2012), and The Better Angels (2014). Her gripping portrayal in In the Fade (2017) won her best actress honors at Cannes.

Kruger also starred in FX’s crime series The Bridge (2013–2014) and will feature in David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds (2024).

Kruger was married to Guillaume Canet from 1999 to 2006. She entered a long-term relationship with Joshua Jackson before dating Norman Reedus, with whom she shares a daughter, Nova.

Daniel Brühl (Frederick Zoller)

Daniel Brühl played Frederick Zoller, a German war hero celebrated in a Nazi propaganda film, setting the stage for the movie’s explosive climax.

Brühl, known for his roles in German cinema, emerged in Hollywood with Inglourious Basterds. His portrayal in the film shifted him from playing nice guys to more complex characters.

Brühl starred as Niki Lauda in Rush (2013) and took roles in The Fifth Estate (2013) and A Most Wanted Man (2014). He achieved widespread recognition as Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War (2016) and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).