Jan Niklas Resume and Biography

Possessing an innate sense for his craft, critically acclaimed German actor Jan Niklas has successfully used his debonair good looks, irresistible charm, and sophistication, to create a commanding screen presence. This multi-talented Golden Globe winner has worked with some of the world’s best actors including: Meryl Streep, Sir Ben Kingsley, Glenn Close, Brenda Blethyn, Vanessa Redgrave, Antonio Banderas, Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder, Donald Sutherland, Olivia de Havilland, Alan Bates, Rex Harrison, William Holden, et al.

“I love performing,” states the actor. “My father wanted to be an actor and dreamt one day I would live his dream.” Jan has fulfilled his father’s dream by successfully co-starring in over 100 motion pictures, television and stage productions throughout America and Europe.

Niklas received his first Golden Globe nomination for PETER THE GREAT, a $30-million-dollar NBC-TV mini-series costarring: Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, Omar Sharif, Trevor Howard and Sir Laurence Olivier. Jan portrayed the young Czar Peter in the first four hours; Schell portrayed the older Czar. Niklas received glowing press reviews praising his “style and flair” and TV Guide named him “Male Discovery of the Year.” PETER THE GREAT won an Emmy Award for outstanding mini-series.

The actor states, “Czar Peter was one of my most demanding roles since he was such a profound historic figure. I studied for months to try to capture his essence. I also loved working with such a stellar cast. I idolized these actors as a young man.”

“This mini-series was the first, big, American production shot in Russia and the border of Afghanistan. The weather was freezing, but the six month shoot was exhilarating.”

NBC-TV was so delighted with Jan Niklas’ outstanding work in PETER THE GREAT, that they offered him the leading role in another historical drama: ANASTASIA. He starred opposite screen legends, Olivia De Havilland and Rex Harrison, and Amy Irving played Anastasia.

Niklas portrayed Prinz Erik, Anastasia’s romantic interest. Daily Variety called his role, “A remarkable performance” and The Hollywood Foreign Press awarded him a coveted Golden Globe. The mini-series received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for “Best Mini-Series.”

“My character believed, like so many others, that Anastasia was the one member of royalty who escaped assassination, even though she refused to speak one single word of Russian. Erik stood by her, and fought one of the longest lasting trials in U.S. history on her behalf.

Very recently, DNA tests of her remains showed that the “media darling” in Europe and America was a hoax.

Jan Niklas has always had a passion for history and playing colorful, controversial characters. He co-starred as Fritz Pfeffer, a dentist with a dismal life in ABC-TV’s mini-series: ANNE FRANK.

Jan describes his character as “one of the eight Jews hiding with the Frank family during World War II. Pfeffer felt extremely confined in such a small area and unfortunately, as Anne writes in her diary, did not get along with Anne.”

“I learned what true acting is all about, by watching Sir Ben Kingsley during our two month shoot in Prague,” states Niklas. “He played ‘Anne’s’ father Otto Frank, and his metamorphosis into the character, when the cameras were rolling, was absolutely mesmerizing.”

One of Jan’s proudest moments took place when ANNE FRANK premiered at the prestigious Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. He remembers being filled with “awe and compassion, and such an overwhelming feeling of sadness and distress looking at photos of real people and their belongings, and thinking of the horrendous crimes against millions of Jews during the darkest times on our planet.”

ANNE FRANK received 11 Emmy Nominations, winning an Emmy for “Best Mini-Series” it also received 3 Golden Globe Nominations.

Since then, Niklas has starred in several other illustrious television projects including: WINTER SOLSTICE (UK Hallmark) opposite Geraldine Chaplin and Oscar winner Jean Simmons; PLAIN TRUTH (Lifetime) opposite Golden Globe winner Mariska Hargitay and SUMMER SOLSTICE (UK Hallmark) with Jacqueline Bissett, Sinead Cusack and Franco Nero.

He has also worked with an impressive number of European directors. The list includes: France’s Claude Chabrol, England’s Richard Eyre, Oscar winning Danish director Billie August, Oscar winning Dutch director Fons Rademakers, Oscar nominated German director Michael Verhoeven and Oscar winning Hungarian director Istvan Szabo. Szabo’s Oscar and Golden Globe nominated motion picture COLONEL REDL first brought Jan’s outstanding talents to the attention of the international film industry.

Jan Niklas was born and raised in Munich, Germany and Salzburg, Austria. His father, studied as an actor in Berlin and his mother, was one of the #1 interior designers in Europe. His “cosmopolitan” parents took him to wonderful plays in London, Berlin, Vienna and to Broadway. “My greatest joy” recalls Niklas, “was starring opposite my all time idol Rex Harrison in ANASTASIA and telling him that I decided to become an actor after seeing him in MY FAIR LADY on Broadway when I was a teenager.”

As a teen, Jan attended boarding school in England, and after returning to Germany he landed his first job at the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich.

SITUATION HOPELESS BUT NOT SERIOUS starring Sir Alec Guiness and Robert Redford was being filmed at the studio. Jan had to take care of a goose, who played an important role in the movie. He had to feed it, keep the cage clean and have it ready when needed for the scenes. He must have done an extraordinary job, because in just two short weeks, he was promoted to assistant to the director, and to running lines with Sir Alec and Robert Redford in their trailers.

Niklas attended the Max Reinhardt School of Acting in Berlin, which was the most illustrious drama school in Germany. During his three years at the academy, he learned everything about acting and the arts, and upon graduating, Jan began co-starring in plays throughout Germany and Austria. He performed on stage for ten years in Shakespeare, German/French comedy, and political plays. Director Larry Schiller visited Munich and cast Jan in PETER THE GREAT and Americans became fans of the actor’s body of work.