Richard Sammel
Richard Sammel (born 13 October 1960) is a German actor. He is best known to United States audiences for his roles as Sergeant Werner Rachtman in Inglourious Basterds (2009) and as Thomas Eichhorst in The Strain (2014–2017). He has appeared in more than 100 films and television series since 1991.
Richard Sammel

Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Richard Sammel
- Born
- 13 October 1960
- Birthplace
- Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
- Occupation
- Actor
- Nationality
- Germany
- Languages
- German · French
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q86336 · wikipedia · Richard Sammel
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The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Richard Sammel • Born — 13 October 1960 • Birthplace — Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1991–present
Documentary record
Richard Sammel, recorded as an actor, was born in 1960 in Heidelberg. The birth is recorded by the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Personal life and career
Personal life and career
Sammel was born in Heidelberg, Germany. In addition to his native German, he is also fluent in English, French and Italian, and proficient in Spanish. In 2009, Sammel played Nazi Sergeant Werner Rachtman in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009). In 2015, he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor on Television at the 41st Saturn Awards, for his role as Thomas Eichhorst in the FX vampire horror television series The Strain (2014–2017), created by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. in 2021, he appeared as Bernhardt Mueller in French thriller miniseries The Rope, alongside Suzanne Clément and Jakob Cedergren. In 2025, Sammel appeared in a prominent supporting role in the second season of the Star Wars series Andor, playing Carro Rylanz, the leader of a resistance group on the planet Ghorman. He resides in Paris and Berlin with his girlfriend and his son. He also has two daughters.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
Film • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1997 — Life Is Beautiful — German Officer At Train Station • 1998 — Taxi — German Gangster Leader • 1999 — On the Road to Timbuktu: Explorers in Africa — Voice-Over — Documentary film • 2002 — The Nest — Winfried • Safe Conduct — Richard Pottier • 2006 — OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies — Moeller • Casino Royale — Adolph Gettler • 2009 — Inglourious Basterds — Sergeant Werner Rachtman • 2009–2017 — Un village français — Heinrich Müller • 2010 — Joséphine, ange gardien — Berlin Officer — TV series; Episode: "Joséphine fait de la résistance" • 2011 — Sniper: Reloaded — Colonel Ralf Jäger • Apartment in Athens — Captain Kalter • 2012 — The Third Half — Rudolph Spitz • 2013 — Road 47 — Colonel Mayer • Company of Heroes — Commandant Beimler • 2014 — 3 Days to Kill — Wolfgang "The Wolf" Braun • Colt 45 — Major • 2014–2017 — The Strain — Thomas Eichhorst — TV series • 2016 — The Confessions — German Minister • 2018 — The Delegation — Head of The Delegation • 2019 — The Name of the Rose — Malachia of Hildesheim — Miniseries • 2019 — Gate to Heaven — Robert Sternvall • 2020 — The Head — Erik Osterland • 2021 — Spencer — Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh — Minor role • 2021 — The Rope — Bernhardt Mueller — Miniseries • 2022 — That Dirty Black Bag — Morrison • 2022 — Neneh Superstar — Victor Max • 2023 — The Order of Time — Viktor • 2024 — Rich Flu — Von Willebrand • 2025 — Andor — Carro Rylanz (Dubs in both French and German) — TV series; 5 episodes • 2026 — Dear England — Thomas Tuchel — TV series; 1 episode
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Richard Sammel”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q86336: Richard Sammel
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and nominations
• Year — Award — Category — Nominated work — Result • 2015 — Saturn Awards — Best Supporting Actor on Television — The Strain

Kevin Durand and Richard Sammel speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Strain", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
Gage Skidmore

Richard Sammel, Jonathan Hyde and Natalie Brown speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Strain", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
Gage Skidmore
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Richard Sammel, revision 1371249000 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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