While the late actor may not be one of the most recognized in Hollywood, the best Christian Oliver movies and TV shows reveal the underappreciated depth of his talent. Born in Germany in 1972, Christian Oliver tragically passed away along with his two daughters in a plane crash in the Caribbean in early 2024. His career was still incredibly active at the time of his passing, and from his earliest appearances in movies like The Baby-Sitters Club through to TV thrillers like 2020’s Hunters, he showcased a versatility few actors can match.
German actor Christian Oliver starred alongside an incredible number of Hollywood A-Listers including Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and Cate Blanchett. He was a reliable and dependable talent, adding a level of authenticity to any movie or TV show he starred in, whether it was a central role, a minor character, or even simply additional voice-work to add immersion to a scene. With a career spanning three decades, the best Christian Oliver movies and TV shows reveal an actor who perhaps didn’t get the big break they deserved, but remained wholly dedicated to their craft.
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10 Tribute (2009)
Christian Oliver Played Steve Chensky
2009’s Tribute may not be the most well-known of the movies Christian Oliver starred in prior to his death, but it does mark one of his best performances outside films and TV shows in his native Germany. The Lifetime movie is based on the novel of the same name by Nora Roberts, and part of the network’s collection of adaptations of her work that also includes High Noon, Midnight Bayou, and Northern Lights.
Christian Oliver stars alongside the late Brittany Murphy and Sex and the City star Jason Lewis. The trio all deliver solid performances in the surreal drama-thriller, which focuses on Murphy’s character, Cilla McGowan. While fixing up her Grandmother’s old house, Cilla is plagued by visions of her tragic, and suspicious, death decades earlier. While Jason Lewis plays the male romantic lead in the Lifetime movie, Christian Oliver’s Steve Chensky provides an important emotional counterweight, a role that allowed his talents to truly shine.
9 Valkyrie (2008)
Christian Oliver Plays Sergeant-Major Adam
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Valkyrie is a historical drama starring Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, and Carice van Houten from director Bryan Singer. The plot revolves around the use of Operation Valkyrie to take control of Germany and assassinate Adolf Hitler. Cruise stars as real-life historical figure Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg with David Bamber as Adolf Hitler.
Director Bryan Singer Release Date December 25, 2008 Cast Tom Cruise , Eddie Izzard , Bill Nighy , Kenneth Branagh Runtime 2h 4m
Brian Singer’s Valkyrie may not reach the top of many lists of best World War 2 movies, but that’s only because it’s incredibly underrated, and the genre is undeniably saturated. However, the 2008 thriller starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Brannagh, and Bill Nighy is an incredibly solid release, with the majority of criticisms being around historic accuracy rather than the quality of the film itself. What’s more, it includes a solid (albeit brief) appearance from Christian Oliver.
Valkyrie ranks among the best Christian Oliver movies not because he’s the central character, but because it showcases his ability to take a minor part, play it to perfection, and ensure the immersion of the audience is never broken. It’s an underrated skill among actors but an incredibly important one, and had an inexperienced extra played Sergeant-Major Adam, then viewers would likely have snapped out of the illusion of viewing Germany in the Second World War and remembered they were, in fact, watching a movie made in the 2000s starring Tom Cruise.
8 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Christian Oliver Lends His Voice To Several Scenes
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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the fifth entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, directed by James Mangold and starring Harrison Ford in his final portrayal of the titular character. The film will see Jones in 1969 on an adventure with his goddaughter, Helena Shaw, as they find themselves in the middle of an uneasy space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, with the former enlisting the help of former Nazis with ulterior motives.
Director James Mangold Release Date June 30, 2023 Cast Boyd Holbrook , Thomas Kretschmann , Mads Mikkelsen , Harrison Ford , Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Shaunette Renée Wilson Runtime 2 hours and 2 minutes
For the same reasons that Christian Oliver deserves recognition and respect for his appearance in Valkyrie, his voice-acting in 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny also warrants a mention when looking at the best movies and TV shows of his career. Oliver doesn’t play any named characters in the latest Indiana Jones movie, but his contributions ensured that the soundscape of the scenes set in WW2 was just as immersive as the visuals.
Christian Oliver voices various Nazi soldiers in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This kind of voice-acting is both as essential as it is underappreciated, and despite how simple it seems on the surface, it’s not something that inexperienced actors can just step up and do with satisfactory results (especially in blockbuster movies like Indiana Jones). Was this the defining moment of Christian Oliver’s career? Of course not. However, when looking back at the late actor’s filmography and celebrating the contribution he made to cinema during his life, subtle yet important roles like this more than deserve a mention.
7 The Baby-Sitters Club (1995)
Christian Oliver Played Luca
The 1995 movie adaptation of Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club novels isn’t as renowned as the TV series of the same name, but it was a solid directorial debut from Melanie Mayron, and marked one of the first feature-film roles of Christian Oliver’s career. Oliver played teen heart-throb Luca, a Swiss exchange student that Stacey (Bre Blair) harbors clumsily-expressed affection for. Christian Oliver was the perfect choice for the lighthearted comedy, both because of his performance and, thanks to looks that allowed him to pursue a career as a model, the fact he was believable as an incredibly easy character for a teen girl to have a crush on.
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Playing Luca in The Baby-Sitters Club is far from the most nuanced role in Christian Oliver’s filmography, but it did mark an important stepping-stone in his career. It’s a role that’s also a little problematic in retrospect, since Luca is 17 and Stacey only 13, though this wasn’t uncommon in teen movies in the early 1990s (and, since the movie is aimed at younger viewers, the most contact they have is a brief kiss as Luca departs back for Switzerland).
6 Saved By The Bell: The New Class (1993-2000)
Christian Oliver Played Brian Keller
Saved By The Bell defined sitcoms aimed at younger viewers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the spinoff Saved By The Bell: The New Class proving to be just as popular as its parent show. Christian Oliver appeared in several season 2 episodes in 1994 as Brian Keller. The role was very similar to that of Luca in The Baby-Sitters Club, as both characters were exchange students from Switzerland that found themselves the subject of a young girls’ crush.
Much of what made Christian Oliver’s performance as Luca a memorable point in his early career can also be said of Brian Keller. However, as Brian he got more opportunities to showcase his talents, especially when it came to comedy. A particular episode of note in Saved By The Bell: The New Class was season 2’s “Brian’s Girlfriend”, which saw his character inadvertantly gain the unwanted affections of his tennis coach.
5 House Of Good And Evil (2013)
Christian Oliver Plays Chris Conley
By the 2010s, Christian Oliver had a career that saw him expand far beyond playing perpetually-bemused exchange students from Switzerland. However, he hadn’t yet had many opportunities to take a starring role in a feature-film outside releases in his native Germany. One of his first opportunities came in the 2013 psychological thriller House of Good and Evil, from director David Mun.
While the movie itself received middling reviews, Oliver’s performance in it showcased his suitability for heavier roles than that of Brian Keller in Saved By The Bell: The New Class and Luca in The Baby-Sitter’s Club. Oliver starred alongside Rachel Marie Lewis, with the pair playing Maggie and Chris Conley, respectively. It was definitely a role that showcased Christian Oliver’s ability to play a chilling antagonist, as the movie opens with Maggie having a miscarriage after Chris physically assaults her, and his sinister presence in her life only spirals further into a nightmare as House of Good and Evil continues.
4 The Good German (2006)
Christian Oliver Plays Emil Brandt
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*Availability in US Director Steven Soderbergh Release Date December 8, 2006 Cast Jack Thompson , John Roeder , George Clooney , Tobey Maguire , Cate Blanchett , Dominic Comperatore Runtime 105 minutes
Steven Soderbergh’s 2006 noir thriller The Good German is based on the book of the same name by Joseph Kanon, and is a celebration of the black-and-white era of Hollywood. It also marks one of the best Christian Oliver movies, and he plays an essential character in the plot — Emil Brandt, the former SS officer that’s being ruthlessly hunted down by the likes of George Clooney’s Captain Geismer and Tobey Maguire’s Corporal Tully.
While Christian Oliver doesn’t have as much screen time in The Good German as his A-List cast members (which also include Cate Blanchett as Emil’s wife, Lena Brandt), his character underpins the entire plot. He has some especially poignant scenes at the end of the film, which include negotiating with war crimes investigators to secure a visa for his Jewish wife so that she can finally leave Germany. While not the most critically acclaimed movie from director Steven Soderbergh, The Good German stands as a career highlight for the late Christian Oliver, and offered a glimpse at his suitability for roles alongside blockbuster regulars like Clooney, Maguire, and Blanchett.
3 Speed Racer (2008)
Christian Oliver Plays Snake Oiler
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Speed Racer (2008) is a live-action adaptation of the classic anime series Speed Racer. Directed by the Wachowskis, the film stars Emile Hirsch as Speed, a young race car driver aiming to win races with the help of his family and his high-tech car, the Mach 5. The movie features a vibrant visual style and intense racing sequences, with supporting roles from Christina Ricci, John Goodman, and Susan Sarandon.
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Director Lana Wachowski , Lilly Wachowski Release Date May 7, 2008 Cast Emile Hirsch , Christina Ricci , John Goodman , Susan Sarandon , Matthew Fox Runtime 135 Minutes
Much like The Good German, 2008’s Speed Racer is a movie that received a luke-warm reception, but that Christian Oliver manages to shine in nevertheless. The sci-fi sports action comedy comes from the sisters behind The Matrix, The Wachowskis, and includes the likes of Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, and Susan Sarandon in the cast alongside Christian Oliver. It stands out in Oliver’s filmography because it allowed him to play a bombastic and larger-than-life antagonist, the racer known as Snake Oiler.
Playing Snake Oiler in Speed Racer allowed Christian Oliver to show how he can step up to the plate and make even minor characters in a movie memorable. His character wears large shades, has a black pompadour, and wears a uniform made entirely from snakeskin. It’s a complete departure both from Emil Brandt in The Good German and his earlier roles in The Babysitters Club and Saved By The Bell: The New Class. While Snake Oiler is a minor part, it remains a highlight of Christopher Oliver’s career, especially since it shows how underutilized he was in family-friendly movies that required zany antagonists.
2 Hunters (2020)
Christian Oliver Plays Wilhelm Zuchs
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Set in 1977 New York, Hunters follows Jonah Heidelbaum (Logan Lerman), who is recruited by Meyer Offerman (Al Pacino) to join a secret organization of Nazi hunters that work to prevent the formation of the Fourth Reich. The Prime Video original series lasted for two seasons and also starred Lena Olin, Josh Radnor, Jerrika Hinton, Carol Kane, Greg Austin, Tiffany Boone, and Louis Ozawa.
Cast logan lerman , Al Pacino , Josh Radnor , Kate Mulvany Release Date February 21, 2020 Seasons 2 Showrunner David Weil
One of Christian Oliver’s final TV shows prior to his death was the 2020 Amazon Prime video series Hunters. The conspiracy drama focused on Nazi Hunters tasked with bringing members of the Third Reich who went into hiding to justice following the surrender of Germany at the end of the Second World War. Christian Oliver has an incredibly noteworthy appearance in flashback scenes as the young Wilhelm Zuchs, the chilling Nazi Doctor at Auschwitz known as “The Wolf”.
Christian Oliver plays the younger version of a character who, in the TV show’s present day, is played by none other than Hollywood legend Al Pacino. This alone shows that it’s not a role to be taken lightly, and Oliver more than delivered. The show wouldn’t work if audiences didn’t understand why Wilhelm Zuchs was one of the most hated and feared former Nazis, and Christian Oliver’s performance as The Wolf during the character’s time at Auschwitz ensured viewers never doubted for a second that the character’s infamy was well-earned.
1 Sense8 (2015)
Christian Oliver Plays Steiner Bogdanow
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Created by the Wachowski sisters, Sense8 features an ensemble cast playing eight different people from around the world, who discover that they are suddenly mentally linked with one another and begin experiencing each other’s lives and feelings. As the sensates begin to get to know each other, they must face a growing threat to all their lives by using their newfound empathic powers to their advantage.
Cast Max Riemelt , Jamie Clayton , Anupam Kher Release Date June 5, 2015 Seasons 2 Showrunner Lilly Wachowski
When it comes to the best Christian Oliver movies and TV shows, his presence as the villain Steiner Bogdanow in the sci-fi series Sense8 stands out as his most notable performance. Teaming up once again with The Wachowski’s, who created the show alongside J. Michael Straczynski, Sense8 focuses on a group of eight individuals who are psychically linked, and was a hit for Netflix when it arrived in 2015. Christian Oliver played the antagonist Steiner Bodganow, a ruthless thief and cousin of one of the central psychic characters, Wolfgang Bogdanow (Max Riemelt).
Christian Oliver provided an excellent and gripping antagonist in Sense8, made all the better because of Steiner’s close links to Wolfgang. He was incredibly gripping throughout, and few of the show’s other antagonists managed to be quite as memorable. While Steiner’s death at the end of season 1 meant the late actor didn’t return for the second batch of episodes, Sense8 remains the best English-language movie or TV show of Christian Oliver’s career.
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