Christian Nickel

Biography

Christian Nickel (born 1969 in Heilbronn) is a German actor and theater director.

Nickel grew up in Hamburg. After completing his alternative civilian service, he initially undertook internships in the medical field before deciding to pursue acting. He received his training at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. There, he was discovered by Peter Stein, under whose direction he made his debut in 1997 at the Salzburg Festival in Franz Grillparzer’s Libussa.

That same year, Nickel was engaged by the Schauspiel Frankfurt. Other significant milestones in his theater career included the Burgtheater, the Residenztheater Munich, the Schauspiel Köln, the Berliner Ensemble, and the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin. Since 2012, he has been a member of the ensemble at the Theater in der Josefstadt.

Among his most renowned stage roles are the title roles in Peer Gynt and Romeo and Juliet. He garnered considerable attention in 2000 when, during Peter Stein’s monumental production of Faust at the Expo Hannover, he stepped in on short notice to take over the lead role—originally played by Bruno Ganz—in addition to his own role as the young Faust.

Since 2003, Nickel has also worked as a director, staging productions at theaters across Germany and Austria. His stage adaptation of Die Wand (The Wall) at the Burgtheater Vienna proved particularly successful.

Nickel has appeared before the camera relatively infrequently. His screen credits include roles in Bergkristall and the docu-drama Speer und Er. Additionally, he has worked occasionally as a voice actor for radio plays.

Christian Nickel lives in Vienna.