Overview
Michael Fassbender (born 2 April 1977) is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
Born in Heidelberg and raised in Killarney, Fassbender made his feature film debut as a Spartan warrior in the fantasy war epic 300 (2006). His earlier roles included various stage productions, as well as starring roles on television such as in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) and the Sky One fantasy drama Hex (2004–05). He first came to prominence for his role as IRA volunteer Bobby Sands in Hunger (2008), for which he won a British Independent Film Award. Subsequent roles include the independent film Fish Tank (2009), as a Royal Marines lieutenant in Inglourious Basterds (2009), as Edward Rochester in the 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre, as Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method (2011), as the sentient android, David 8, in Ridley Scott's Prometheus (2012) and its sequel, Alien: Covenant (2017), and in the musical comedy drama Frank (2014) as an eccentric musician loosely inspired by Frank Sidebottom.
The actor’s former girlfriend, Sunawin “Leasi” Andrews, says she was the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of Fassbender in 2009. Andrews filed a restraining order in March 2010, requesting Fassbender stay at least 100 yards away from her and her two children. She also sought $24,000 to pay for medical bills that were the result of the injuries she says she suffered after Fassbender abused her on multiple occasions.
One instance of abuse allegedly occurred after Fassbender and Andrews were having dinner with friends at a restaurant. The court filings say Fassbender became angry with Andrews after one of her ex-boyfriends came over to their table to say hello. The actor’s anger carried over to the car ride home.
“I went to the hospital and had a twisted left ankle, blown out left knee cap and a bursted ovarian cyst,” Andrews’ filing reads. “Lots of internal bleeding.”
A second instance of abuse reportedly occurred at a July 2009 film festival. Fassbender had been partying late and came back to his hotel room with a friend and the two tried to get into bed with Andrews. She says she ended up checking into another room so she could avoid the two men. The next morning Andrews found Fassbender “sleeping in urine” and when she tried to wake him up, he allegedly threw her over a chair and broke her nose.
