What Nosferatu Actors Look Like In Real Life

Before Bela Lugosi was praising the children of the night and the music they make, audiences were terrified by a far creepier vampire — Count Orlok of "Nosferatu." First appearing in 1922, Orlok is indeed based on Bram Stoker's creation, but he's less of a charming womanizer and more of an undead, rat-like monster.  In fact, Orlok was such a horrifying presence that he continues to haunt the world of cinema all these years later.

Multiple generations have received their own diabolical version of the villain, and a number of high-profile actors have brought the character to life across various iterations. While the portrayals of Orlok all feature a few similarities, each version of the character has its own terrifying characteristics, and the actors themselves all look drastically different from the last. Here's what every "Nosferatu" actor looks like in real life.

Back in 1922, German director F. W. Murnau had the madcap idea of (unofficially) adapting Bram Stoker's "Dracula," unknowingly creating one of the world's first horror masterpieces in the process. "Nosferatu" became a cultural phenomenon and is widely considered to be one of the best horror movies of all time.

In the titular role was Max Schreck, a relatively unknown German actor. Schreck would never become a superstar, but his turn as Nosferatu would become one of the most memorable key images of horror iconography that's still influential to this day. Of course, modern audiences may best remember Shreck through his archival appearance as Count Orlok on "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Shreck looks nothing like the devious Nosferatu, as the character is bald, and has a shriveled-up look. The villain's eyes pop and his fingers are coarse and elongated, making Shreck completely unrecognizable in the role. The actor stood at a whopping 6"3, making him the perfect choice for the tall vampire. Shreck died in 1936 at the age of 56, having set the visual tone for a genre of vampires going forward. Audiences eager to watch Shreck's performance won't have much trouble doing so, as the original "Nosferatu" is available to stream online for free.

Following in the footsteps of the original "Nosferatu," later adaptions and reinterpretations would stick to the film's German roots. Renowned director Werner Herzog debuted "Nosferatu the Vampyre" in 1979 to significant acclaim. Taking on the lead role was Herzog's frequent collaborator Klaus Kinski, best known for headlining the historical epic "Aguirre, the Wrath of God."

Herzog and Kinski's version of Nosferatu is quite similar to the original. This makes sense; after all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Still, Kinski's transformation is jarring, due in large part to his missing hair. Though he was not a short man, Kinski only stood at 5"8, notably shorter than Max Shreck. While Kinski's performance has been praised, audiences and critics at the time found Herzog's version of "Nosferatu" too similar to the original film. In a chat with The New York Times, Kinski opened up about how he deliberately avoided watching the original so he could be divorced from the source material. "'Hamlet' has been done about 100,000 times, and it's a remake every time. What does that mean?" the actor said about the criticism.

Klinski would later reprise his role as the vampire in 1988's "Vampire in Venice," though this movie wasn't directed by Herzog. 

After Max Schreck and Klaus Kinski set the bar for Nosferatu, screen icon Willem Dafoe gave audiences his interpretation of the vampire in a unique way. In 2000, Dafoe starred in "Shadow of the Vampire," which serves as a fictional depiction of the production of the original "Nosferatu." Dafoe plays Count Orlok actor Shreck, with the twist that Shreck himself is a vampire who is asked by director F. W. Murnau (John Malkovich) to play a vampire in his upcoming film. It's a zany and extremely fun premise that operates as a "fake" biopic.

Dafoe is notably shorter than Shreck, coming in at just under 5"9, but despite that little detail, the actor was praised for his work, even receiving an Oscar nod. Pulling double duty as both Shreck and Nosferatu was no small task for Dafoe. Luckily, he had all the help he needed. "I wasn't sure [how to play Schreck]. But I knew that there was a model of the original, so that gave me something," the Green Goblin actor told Hollywood.com, adding, "And I knew I am going to be wearing makeup that will make me look like the Max Schreck in the film as much as possible."

Interestingly, Dafoe would return to the world of Count Orlok with Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu." Only instead of playing the vampire in the 2024 feature, he starred as the unhinged vampire hunter Dr. Albin Eberhart von Franz.

After years of anticipation, Bill Skarsgård is now this generation's Nosferatu. And the actor is almost unrecognizable in the part thanks to his facial prosthetics and incredible makeup. He's also sporting quite the impressive mustache. Speaking with Variety, director Robert Eggers said he spent a lot of time figuring out what a Transylvanian aristocrat would really look like. 

"That means this complex Hungarian costume with very long sleeves, strange high-heeled shoes, and a furry hat. It also means a mustache," Eggers explained. "No matter what, there's no way this guy can't have a mustache. Try to find a Transylvanian person who's of age who can grow a mustache that doesn't have a mustache. It's part of the culture."

In addition to the facial hair, Skarsgård spent time working with an opera singer in order to lower his voice a full octave, creating a truly menacing sound that couldn't be any further than the voice played by his other famous horror character — Pennywise from "It." It also doesn't hurt that Skarsgård stands at over 6'3", with his lanky build echoing Max Shreck's version of the character.