The Tattooist of Auschwitz cast: Who stars in the harrowing Sky series?
Based on the bestselling novel by Heather Morris, Sky Atlantic’s new six part drama The Tattooist of Auschwitz tells the story of a young Slovakian Jew named Lali who was taken to Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942.
Once there, he was instructed to be one of the Tatowierers, the tattooists who inked new prisoners at the camp with identification numbers on their arms. He then met Gita when he was doing her tattoo, and the pair fell in love and attempted to keep each other alive at all costs while being held captive by the Nazis.
The series tells Lali and Gita’s story and also moves to modern times, as an old Lali, played by Harvey Keitel, relates his romance to writer Heather Morris. It’s a story that Harvey feels is an important one to tell.
“It’s our duty to condemn the barbarism and inhumanity inflicted on Jews, Roma and Sinti, political dissidents and any of the communities that were persecuted by the Nazis during the Holocaust,” he says. “I am honoured to hopefully bring to light through our dramatisation of Lali’s story the horror of the Holocaust and keep this history relevant as there are fewer Holocaust survivors alive to tell their own stories.”
Who are the stars of The Tattooist of Auschwitz?
Harvey Keitel as modern day Lali
Harvey Keitel stars as present day Lali, who relates his story to writer Heather Morris. Harvey is best known for his iconic role as Mr White in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, and he has also won acclaim for his roles in Pulp Fiction, the thriller Bad Lieutenant and period drama The Piano. He also played the lead role in the US version of TV series Life on Mars.
Jonah Hauer-King as young Lali
British actor Jonah plays the young Lali in the series. The 28 year old from London starred last year as Prince Eric in Disney’s live action remake of The Little Mermaid, and he has also joined the cast of Doctor Who and will appear in the fifteenth series due in 2025, alongside Ncuti Gatwa, the current 15th Doctor.
Anna Prochniak as Gita
Polish actress Anna plays Lali’s young love Gita. She appeared in the first series of drama series Baptiste, as missing sex worker Natalie Rose, and is also known for her role in the acclaimed French/Polish movie The Innocents.
Jonas Nay as Stefan Baretzki
Jonas plays Baretzki, the Nazi SS officer who watches Lali and Gita in the camp. Well known in his native Germany for his role in the TV series Deutschland 83 and its sequels, Deutschland 86 and Deutschland 89, the actor also costarred in the 2023 Netflix drama series Transatlantic.
Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris
Melanie appears in The Tattooist of Auschwitz as the real-life writer of the novel, Heather Morris. Most recently the New Zealand-born actress has won acclaim for her role in the hit series Yellowjackets, and the TV adaptation of The Last of Us, but she first rose to fame in her first film role, aged just 17, alongside Kate Winslet in the movie Heavenly Creatures.
