Michael Fassbender is a German-Irish stage, television and film actor and producer who his popularly known for essaying the role of the Marvel Comics’ antihero character Magneto in the X-Men series. Fassbender has received several accolades and nominations since his screen debut in 2001 and came to prominence with his role as an IRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) activist, Bobby Sanders, in Steve McQueen’s Hunger (2008). The actor has also given commendable performances in movies such as Shame (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and as Steve Jobs in the biopic of the same name, Steve Jobs (2015) directed by Danny Boyle.

Early Life
Fassbender was born to an Irish mother, Adele, and German father Josef Fassbender in Heidelberg, Germany. Fassbender was two years old when his family moved to the Republic of Ireland, where they ran a restaurant named West End House – his father worked as chef. The actor has an elder sister, Catherine, a neuropsychologist.

Owing to the time he spent in Germany during his summer holidays, Fassbender grew up speaking fluent German. He completed his schooling from the Fossa National School and then attended the St. Brendan’s College, Ireland. His calling came at the age of 17 and he decided to choose acting as a profession after he was cast in a play. A couple of years later, the actor moved to London and studied at the Drama Centre London only to drop out in 1999; after which he toured with the Oxford Stage Company, performing the play Three Sisters.

Personal Life
Fassbender was in a relationship with the Japanese-Australian singer Maiko Spencer from 2006 to 2008. Following his break-up with Spencer, he dated the American model Leasi Andrews for a year and later was in a relationship with actress Zoe Kravitz for a brief period of time.

In 2012, the actor started dating his Shame co-star Nicole Beharie, however, the couple announced their separation in 2013. Later, after dating the British Olympian Louise Hazel was in a relationship with the model Mădălina Diana Ghenea, however, the couple broke-up in 2014.

Fassbender has been in a relationship with the Swedish actress Alicia Vikander since December 2014. The couple first met on the set of their movie The Light Between Oceans.

TV Career
It was on 2001 that Fassbender first tasted screen-time in HBO’s Band of Brothers, produced by Steven Spielberg, which went on to become one of the most acclaimed TV series of all-time. The then little-known Fassbender portrayed the character of Sgt. Burton "Pat" Christenson. Following this, the actor appeared in several TV films and shows such as Hearts and Bones (2001), Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004, TV film), Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking (2004, TV film), and Agatha Christie's Poirot (2006).

Movie Career
As an Actor
After six years of TV experience, Fassbender’s maiden feature-role came with Zack Snyder’s fantasy action film 300. He portrayed the role of a young Spartan warrior named Stelios. However, it was his role in Steve McQueen’s historical drama Hunger (2008) that announced his arrival in world cinema. His performance as Bobby Sands, an IRA activist, earned him the Best Actor Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards and British Independent Film Awards. In preparation for the role, the actor followed a crash diet; restricting himself to 600 calories a day. His performance was also well received in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, wherein he essayed the role of Lieutenant Archie Hicox, a British officer.

In 2010, Fassbender appeared in a sci-fi revisionist western movie, Jonah Hex, wherein he essayed the character of an Irish psychotic right-hand man named Burke. The actor was quite excited about his character, however, the movie went on to become a box office failure and received negative reviews. In the following year, he was cast as Magneto, the Marvel Comics’ character in the movie X-Men: First Class – one of his most prominent roles. He went on to reprise the role in the movies X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).

Following the success of X-Men: First Class, the actor was seen in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method (2011) essaying the role of Carl Jung the founder of analytical psychology. For his poignant act, Fassbender was nominated for several awards and went on to win the British Actor of the Year in 2012. The actor delivered another outstanding performance in his next movie Shame (2011) directed by Steve McQueen. Portraying the role of a sex addict, Fassbender displayed full frontal nudity, winning the Volpi Cup Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2011.

After playing the lead role in Ridley Scott’s The Counselor (2013), the actor once again collaborated with Steve McQueen for the Academy award-winning movie 12 Years a Slave (2013) – the movie marked the third collaboration of Fassbender and McQueen. He went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Edwin Epps.

The year 2015 saw him appear in two movies – Macbeth and Steve Jobs. Macbeth, directed by Danny Boyle, despite receiving positive critical reception, was a huge commercial failure. On the other hand, Steve Jobs, a biopic on co-founder of Apple Inc., was a success – both critical and commercial – while Fassbender’s act was applauded by those who were close to Jobs including Steve Wozniak and John Sculley. The actor was nominated for the Best Actor Award at the 88th Academy Awards.

In 2016, Fassbender starred opposite Alicia Vikander in the romantic period drama The Light Between Oceans, which was premiered at the 73rd International Film Festival. He was also seen in the movies Trespass Against Us and the much hyped film Assassin’s Creed directed by Justin Kurzel. Much was expected from the latter, however, it received negative reviews at the box office. His 2017 release includes the movies Song to Song and Alien: Covenant.

As a Producer
Fassbender was credited as the executive producer for the movie Slow West released in 2015. He also produced the movie Assassin’s Creed (2016) directed by Justin Kurzel.