Zethphan Smith-Gneist
Born2001 (age 22–23)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Notable workDruck
Tár
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)

Zethphan Smith-Gneist (born 2001) is a German actor, best known for his main role as Josh Zimmermann in Druck, the German adaptation of Skam, and as Max, a Juilliard student in the 2022 psychological drama, Tár, written and directed by Todd Field and starring Cate Blanchett.

Early life

Smith-Gneist was born in New York City. After his parents separated, his mother, actress Aímee Gneist, raised him in Berlin.[1] Because of his mother's profession, he grew up fond of film, citing Léon: The Professional and Inglourious Basterds as two of his favorites.[1] He can play piano, saxophone, drums, and guitar. He also enjoys playing table tennis, basketball, football, and volleyball, and is skilled in parkour.[2]

Career

In September 2020, Smith-Gneist rose to fame after being cast as Josh Zimmermann in the ZDF and funk series, Druck, an adaptation of the popular Norwegian teen drama series, Skam. This was one of Smith-Gneist's first acting roles ever, as he only decided to focus on acting as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The project reunited him with his Lucie - geheult wird nicht co-star, Mina-Giselle Rüffer, where they again played love interests. Season five was the first original season produced by the German adaptation, surpassing the four original Skam storylines, focusing on Rüffer's character of Nora, who is struggling with dissociative disorder while balancing new friendships and a new love interest in Josh. The season incorporated Smith-Gneist's interest in parkour.[2] Druck and Rüffer were nominated for the Grimme-Preis 2020, in the Kids and Teens category, and for her portrayal of Nora in season five, which she won.[3] Druck also won the Deutscher Schauspielpreis in 2021 for outstanding casting of the ensemble cast for seasons five and six.[4]

Smith-Gneist continued to appear on the show in a recurring role as Josh through seasons six to eight, which brought the "second generation" of Druck to a close.

He appeared in other television series in recurring or guest roles throughout 2021 and 2022, including Netflix's Kleo as Mark Petzold, Notruf Hafenkante as Samir Madu, and WaPo Berlin as Yusuf Cevikus.[2]

Smith-Gneist's next big role came in Todd Field's 2022 film, Tár, where he played Max, a Juilliard student who gets into a heated debate with Cate Blanchett's character, marking a pivotal moment in the film. This also marked his English-language debut. For his role, he was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, which discussed his audition, acting background, and details on how he prepared for his scene opposite Blanchett.[1] Tár went on to receive critical acclaim, and was named the best film of 2022 by more critics than any other film that year.[5] At the 95th Academy Awards, Tár was nominated for six awards, including Best Picture, and Best Director.

In 2023, Smith-Gneist has gone on to appear in movies Sprich mit mir as Viktor, and Mein Vater, der Esel und ich as Florian Zeller. An upcoming project is the television show Zeit Verbrechen - X-Box Lounge, set to be released on Paramount+.[2]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Character Notes
2020 Lucie - geheult wird nicht Maxim Guest cast; one episode
2020–2022 Druck Josh Zimmermann Main cast (season 5), recurring cast (season 6–8); 18 episodes
2021 Notruf Hafenkante Samir Madu Guest cast; 1 episode
2022 WaPo Berlin Yusuf Cevikus Guest cast; 1 episode
Kleo Mark Petzold Recurring cast; 3 episodes
2023 Zeit Verbrechen - X-Box Lounge TBA

Film

Year Title Character Notes
2021 Nachtfalter Short film
2022 Tár Max English-language debut
2023 Sprich mit mir Viktor
Mein Vater, der Esel und ich Florian Zeller German TV movie

Discography

Music

Year Title Notes
2022 Tár Soundtrack; featured on "Ró"

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Abramovitch, Seth (25 October 2022). "Newcomer Zethphan Smith-Gneist Holds the Screen with 'Tár' Star Cate Blanchett in Film's Most Talked-about Scene". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Zethphan Smith-Gneist". die agenten (in German). Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Preis Spezial an Mina-Giselle Rüffer". Grimme-Preis (in German). Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Deutscher Schauspielpreis Fürs Ensemble von 'Druck.'". DWDL.de (in German). Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Blauvelt, Christian (12 December 2022). "2022 Critics Poll: The Best Films and Performances, According to 165 Critics from around the World". IndieWire. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.