Christoph Waltz plays Dr. King Schultz in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Schultz is a German dentist who secretly works as a bounty hunter. He frees Django after identifying him as the only person who can recognize the Brittle brothers, wanted fugitives connected to a bounty.
The character becomes Django’s mentor and partner. Schultz teaches him bounty-hunting skills and helps him search for Broomhilda, Django’s enslaved wife. Waltz’s performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Schultz’s profession is central to the film’s opening: his dental wagon provides both his public identity and the visual clue that introduces him. The character is fictional, unlike some historical figures referenced elsewhere in the movie.