Tom Schilling, born February 10, 1982, in East Berlin, became an actor by chance when director Thomas Heise of Berliner Ensemble met the then 12-year old Schilling on his school yard and asked him to take part in Heise’s production of the play "Im Schlagschatten des Mondes". During the following four years, Schilling appeared in Werner Schroeter"s production of "Monsieur Verdoux", and other production at Berliner Ensemble.

In 1999, Schilling moved into the spotlight in the TV movie "Kinder der Gewalt", an episode of the "Tatort" crime series. In the same year, Schilling also made his film debut in the thriller "Schlaraffenland" ("Paradise Mall"). Unfortunately, the film was not too well received by critics and movie goers alike. But still in 1999, Schilling made his breakthrough performance in the leading role of Hans Christian Schmid’s successful film "Crazy". In it, Schilling portrayed a pupil of a boarding school who at first comes across as a big show-off but more and more reveals a deep vulnerability. Schilling won the award of "Best young actor" at the Bavarian film awards for this performance.

In his following films, Schilling again portrayed sensitive and insecure characters that are searching for their place in life and society and in doing so follow unorthodox paths. Schilling, for instance, played a bank clerk who turns to managing musicians in "Verschwende Deine Jugend" ("Play It Loud!"); a pubescent politician"s son in Oskar Roehler"s "Agnes und seine Brüder" ("Agnes and His Brothers"); the aesthetic son of a fanatic Nazi in "Napola" ("Before The Fall"); or a police cadet who wants to become a sex film director in late 1960s Munich in Marc Rothemund"s comedy "Pornorama".

In the same year he played the gay first-aid attendant Krischl in Leander Haußmann"s "Warum Männer nicht zuhören und Frauen schlecht einparken", followed by the title role in Haußmann"s next film: In "Robert Zimmermann wundert sich über die Liebe" ("Robert Zimmermann Is Tangled Up In Love") he played a hip video game designer whose live is messed up as he falls in love with a single mother.

At the end of 2008 Tom Schilling came to the cinema with the tragicomical road movie "Neben der Spur" ("Tour Excess") that was already shot in 2005. In the same year he appeared in a supporting role in the RAF-drama "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex".

Following several appearances in TV-series such as "Bloch", "Tatort" and "Polizeiruf 110", Schilling met a great challenge with the leading part in Urs Odermatt"s adaptation of George Tabori"s play "Mein Kampf": Alongside Götz George he embodied the young Adolf Hitler in the film that was released 2011.