Character player André Hennicke tackled small roles in his native Germany throughout his early years onscreen before landing a bit part in the critically praised crossover effort Downfall (2004), about the last days of Adolf Hitler. Subsequent roles in pictures such as Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005), The Free Will, and In Memory of Myself (both 2006) gradually lifted Hennicke to slightly higher billing. He then signed to work for legendary director Francis Ford Coppola in the filmmaker's long-awaited effort Youth Without Youth (2007), portraying the character of Dr. Josef Rudolf.