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Martin Schleiss was born in 1979. After his high school graduation, he began taking acting classes, but quit before receiving his diploma. Afterwards, he occasionally appeared in off-circuit plays and worked as a voice talent for radio and audio play productions. During that time, he mainly supported himself by working in a video store in Hamburg. It was there where he made the acquaintance of aspiring filmmaker Florian Eichinger, who eventually cast him as the lead in his feature film debut "Bergfest". For his portrayal of a young man facing his estranged father in a remote mountain cabin, Schleiss received the Best Actor Award at the Falstaff International Film Festival.
Schleiß also starred in Eichinger's second feature film "Nordstrand", playing a young man who along with his brother tries to come to terms with the memories of a traumatic childhood.