# Falk Hentschel
**Falk Hentschel** (born 1985) is a German actor, producer, and former professional dancer, known for playing Carter Hall, also known as Hawkman, across three series of [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw)'s Arrowverse and for the male lead in the dance film *Streetdance 2* (2012).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel) • [2](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/der-tanzer-kann-nicht-mehr-tanzen-2078797.html) He was born in Leipzig, in what was then East Germany, and entered acting through a career as a backup dancer in London.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985, Leipzig, East Germany[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel) |
| First career | Professional backup dancer in London for Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Paulina Rubio, and Jamelia; later a choreographer for music videos and tours in Canada and Asia[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1571804/) |
| Acting debut | Guest role on the Emmy Award-winning comedy *Arrested Development* (2005)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1571804/) |
| First major film role | Bernhard, an assassin, in *Knight and Day* (2010) opposite Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1571804/) |
| Signature TV role | Carter Hall / Hawkman on *The Flash*, *Arrow*, and *DC's Legends of Tomorrow*[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1401/falk-hentschel) |
| Television lead | David Leonhardt in the science-fiction series *Spides* (2020), eight episodes[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1401/falk-hentschel) |
| Recent work | The festival film *Recollection* (2025) and the project *The Zen Cowboy Experience*[5](https://www.thestaffacorner.com/1395679/episodes/16863450-celebrity-interview-entertainment-film-industry-finding-freedom-beyond-the-screen-a-friendly-conversation-with-falk-hentschel-henlee) |
## Early life and dance career
Hentschel was born in Leipzig in 1985.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel) His family left East Germany shortly before the fall of the [Berlin Wall](https://www.edgepedia.org/berlin-wall), though the sources place the departure differently: the *Berliner Zeitung* writes that the family fled to the West only a few weeks before the Wall fell[6](https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/article/falk-hentschel-taenzer-schauspieler-taenzer-9016), while FILMSTARTS.de puts it seven months before[7](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/444021.html). Rotten Tomatoes describes a nomadic childhood spent in various places around the world, during which he learned English alongside his native German[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel).
He wanted to act from an early age but could not find acting programs where he lived in Germany. His mother, a fan of *Dirty Dancing*, encouraged him to go through dance first, pointing to performers such as [Patrick Swayze](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-swayze), John Travolta, and [Gene Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/gene-kelly) who had done the same. He started Latin ballroom dance at age 14, training in mambo and a little salsa.[8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/) • [9](https://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/streetdance-2-falk-hentschel-interview/)
**The dance years.** In London he worked as a professional backup dancer for artists including [Mariah Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/mariah-carey), Britney Spears, Paulina Rubio, and Jamelia, and was later hired as a choreographer for music videos and tours in Canada and Asia[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1571804/). In his own account, the work was more varied than the name-dropping suggests: he danced for long stretches for Jamelia on [Justin Timberlake](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-timberlake)'s Justified tour, and for [Atomic Kitten](https://www.edgepedia.org/atomic-kitten) and the Sugababes, while his Britney Spears work was featured appearances in videos rather than touring, and the Mariah Carey job was feature work for one live performance at G-A-Y in London[9](https://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/streetdance-2-falk-hentschel-interview/). He also danced in the background for the German singer Jeanette Biedermann early on[6](https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/article/falk-hentschel-taenzer-schauspieler-taenzer-9016).
## Move to acting
In 2003 Hentschel decided to take permanent residence in Los Angeles to pursue film and television roles[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1571804/); FILMSTARTS.de instead dates his decision to move to Los Angeles to 2008[7](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/444021.html). While auditioning and taking acting classes, he taught dance at Millennium Dance Complex[8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/). His first acting role was a guest spot as one of the gang members in the *Arrested Development* episode "The Queen M.A.N." in 2005, followed by small parts in *Journeyman* and numerous low-budget films[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1571804/) • [8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/).
In 2008 he began creating his own projects and wrote the short film *Who is Bobby Domino*, through which he met his production partner Jesse Grace[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1571804/). His first major film role came as Bernhard, an assassin who fights [Tom Cruise](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-cruise) and [Cameron Diaz](https://www.edgepedia.org/cameron-diaz), in *Knight and Day* (2010)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel). He credits Cameron Diaz with giving him guidance as a young actor, telling him never to give up, advice he says he now passes on to others[8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/). Guest roles on *The Closer*, *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*, and *NCIS: Los Angeles* followed[7](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/444021.html).
**Streetdance 2.** His dance background led to his first cinema lead, the street dancer Ash, in *Streetdance 2*, which opened in German theaters on 7 June 2012. The film's predecessor had drawn half a million viewers in Germany, and the German press treated the part as his long-awaited breakthrough. He shot the film in London, Paris, Rome, and Berlin, with days on set running from six in the morning to ten at night.[2](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/der-tanzer-kann-nicht-mehr-tanzen-2078797.html) He had quit dancing five years earlier to concentrate on acting and at first wanted to decline the offer, before the script won him over[2](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/der-tanzer-kann-nicht-mehr-tanzen-2078797.html). In the film, his and co-star [Sofia Boutella](https://www.edgepedia.org/sofia-boutella)'s real backgrounds were reversed: he, a Latin ballroom dancer, had to play someone ignorant of Latin styles, while she, from hip-hop, pretended not to know hip-hop[9](https://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/streetdance-2-falk-hentschel-interview/).
**Hollywood supporting roles.** Larger-budget features followed: *White House Down* (2013, as Motts, for Roland Emmerich), *Extraction* (2013, as Rudolph Martin), *Transcendence* (2014, as Bob, directed by Wally Pfister), and [Robert Zemeckis](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-zemeckis)'s *Welcome to Marwen* (2018, as Louis/Topf), opposite [Steve Carell](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-carell)[10](https://www.filmmakers.eu/en/actors/falk-hentschel) • [8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/).
## Hawkman and the Arrowverse
Hentschel played the [DC Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/dc-comics) character Carter Hall, Hawkman, on three The CW series. He first appeared as a guest star in *The Flash* episode "Legends of Today" (December 1, 2015) and the *Arrow* episode "Legends of Yesterday" (December 2, 2015), then joined the spinoff *DC's Legends of Tomorrow*, which premiered its first season in January 2016[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1401/falk-hentschel). A *Backstage* profile from the period described him, already a veteran of *The Flash* and *Arrow*, returning in his wings and leather armor as Hawkman for the new series[11](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/falk-hentschel-bringing-humanity-superheroes-8683/).
On *Legends of Tomorrow*, TVmaze credits him as a starring cast member for the first two episodes, "Pilot, Part 1" and "Pilot, Part 2", and as a guest in five more, including a 2021 return in the season 7 episode "wvrdr_error_100 not found"[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1401/falk-hentschel).
## Television work and recent projects
Beyond the [Arrowverse](https://www.edgepedia.org/arrowverse), his television credits include a recurring guest role as Arliss Fulton on the CBS drama *Reckless* (2014, eight episodes), Marcus Scarlotti in the *Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* episode "A Fractured House" (2014), Biff Ellison on TNT's *The Alienist* (2018, two episodes), [Frederick Abberline](https://www.edgepedia.org/frederick-abberline) in the Sat.1 event production *Jack the Ripper* (2016), and Gregor Hoffman on *Revenge*[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1401/falk-hentschel) • [10](https://www.filmmakers.eu/en/actors/falk-hentschel).
He starred as David Leonhardt in the science-fiction series *Spides*, shot in Berlin, which aired in 2020 with eight episodes; he described it as a thriller in the vein of *Invasion of the Body Snatchers*, in which a detective follows a new club drug and uncovers an alien invasion in the making[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1401/falk-hentschel) • [8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/).
His recent screen work includes the festival film *Recollection* (2025), in which he plays Teddy, and the project *The Zen Cowboy Experience*[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel) • [5](https://www.thestaffacorner.com/1395679/episodes/16863450-celebrity-interview-entertainment-film-industry-finding-freedom-beyond-the-screen-a-friendly-conversation-with-falk-hentschel-henlee). In a 2019 interview he said he was founding a non-profit production company intended to let filmmakers tell their stories without corporate interests interfering with their vision[8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/).
## Working method and personal life
Hentschel has named the actor Brad Greenquist as his acting mentor and coach for some fifteen years[8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/) • [10](https://www.filmmakers.eu/en/actors/falk-hentschel). When preparing a role, he studies the material to identify his character's purpose in the story, then works on the character's inner life, sometimes through research, an accent, a skill, or what he calls daydreaming[8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/). He has said he is drawn to characters that show vulnerability, citing William Wallace in *Braveheart*, Forrest Gump, Léon in *The Professional*, and Tristan in *Legends of the Fall* as examples[8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/).
He lives in Bend, Oregon, where his routine includes skiing Mount Bachelor, kayaking, writing, and training through the karate belt system[8](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/). His listed specializations are action and martial-arts work and dance, and his skills include skiing, horse riding, karate, kickboxing, scuba diving as a PADI Divemaster, wing chun, and piano[10](https://www.filmmakers.eu/en/actors/falk-hentschel). In a recent podcast conversation he discussed balancing family life with the industry, including welcoming a second child[5](https://www.thestaffacorner.com/1395679/episodes/16863450-celebrity-interview-entertainment-film-industry-finding-freedom-beyond-the-screen-a-friendly-conversation-with-falk-hentschel-henlee).
## References
1. [Falk Hentschel, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/falk_hentschel)
2. [STADTMENSCHEN: Der Tänzer kann nicht mehr tanzen, Der Tagesspiegel (2012)](https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/der-tanzer-kann-nicht-mehr-tanzen-2078797.html)
3. [Falk Hentschel, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1571804/)
4. [Falk Hentschel, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1401/falk-hentschel)
5. [Falk Hentschel on Acting Career and Hollywood Journey, The Staffa Corner](https://www.thestaffacorner.com/1395679/episodes/16863450-celebrity-interview-entertainment-film-industry-finding-freedom-beyond-the-screen-a-friendly-conversation-with-falk-hentschel-henlee)
6. [Falk Hentschel: Tänzer, Schauspieler, Tänzer, Berliner Zeitung (2012)](https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/article/falk-hentschel-taenzer-schauspieler-taenzer-9016)
7. [Falk Hentschel, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/444021.html)
8. [Interview with "Welcome To Marwen" Star Falk Hentschel, Naluda Magazine (2019)](https://www.naludamagazine.com/falk-hentschel-interview/)
9. [Streetdance 2 – Falk Hentschel interview, IndieLondon](https://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/streetdance-2-falk-hentschel-interview/)
10. [Falk Hentschel, Filmmakers Europe](https://www.filmmakers.eu/en/actors/falk-hentschel)
11. [Falk Hentschel on Bringing Humanity to Superheroes, Backstage (2015)](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/falk-hentschel-bringing-humanity-superheroes-8683/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › German actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license