TIFF up-and-comers: Daniel Brühl of ‘The Fifth Estate’ and ‘Rush’

In the first part of this ongoing series, we take a look at actors who are likely to break out at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

First on our list is Spanish-born German actor Daniel Brühl. While it may seem strange to consider a 35-year-old with nearly 60 credits to his name an up-and-comer, Brühl is still largely unknown outside of Europe. However, with two very high-profile films set to play at TIFF this year, Brühl's fortunes are likely to change when the fest kicks off.

What do you know him from?

Brühl is probably best known to North American audiences for his role as German sniper and war hero Fredrick Zoller in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.” He also had a small but pivotal role in 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum” opposite Matt Damon. Long-time festivalgoers and cinephiles will likely recognize Brühl from the 2003 drama “Good Bye Lenin!” (which bowed at TIFF that year) and the 2004 Cannes Palme d’Or nominee “The Edukators.”

What is he in at TIFF 2013?

Although you may have missed him in the trailers, Brühl stars in two of the biggest films at TIFF – Bill Condon’s Wikileaks thriller “The Fifth Estate” and Ron Howard’s pulse-pounding race drama “Rush.”

While “The Fifth Estate” is ostensibly centered on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the film really hinges on the relationship between Assange and former colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg (played by Brühl) – a fact that the trailer fails to highlight. Based partially on Domscheit-Berg’s book “Inside WikiLeaks,” Brühl’s character figures prominently in one of the most talked about films of the festival.

Similarly, Brühl’s "Rush" character Niki Lauda appears to be playing second fiddle to another character in the trailers – driver James Hunt (played by Chris Hemsworth) – but in reality the film is very much about the rivalry/friendship between the two legendary Formula 1 drivers. As Cumberbatch and Hemsworth are simply more established by Hollywood standards (and thus sell better), Brühl's roles have been downlplayed slightly. However, the under-the-radar actor may steal some of their thunder when "The Fifth Estate" and "Rush" bow at TIFF this year.

What does the future hold?
Brühl is already getting some early Best Supporting Actor Oscar buzz for his turn in “Rush,” and he may also be in the awards season mix for “The Fifth Estate” (especially if Cumberbatch earns a Best Actor nod). Both outcomes depend greatly on how well the two films – and his respective performances – are received at TIFF, but the one-two punch of “Rush” and “The Fifth Estate” could very well send Brühl’s career trajectory into the stratosphere.

The German actor will next be seen in director Anton Corbijn’s thriller “A Most Wanted Man” opposite Rachel McAdams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Willem Dafoe.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 5 to 15.