Oliver Rohrbeck

Biography

Oliver Rohrbeck (born March 21, 1965, in West Berlin) is a German actor who works primarily as a voice actor for audio dramas, dubbing, and audiobooks. Additionally, he serves as a dialogue director and dialogue scriptwriter. Rohrbeck rose to fame primarily through his voice role as the "First Detective," Justus Jonas, in the Europa audio drama series Die drei ??? (The Three Investigators), which first appeared in 1979. Among other roles, Rohrbeck is the German dubbing voice for American actors Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Michael Rapaport, and Greg Germann. He is the founder and managing director of Lauscherlounge, a Leipzig-based audio drama label and live event organizer.

Oliver Rohrbeck grew up in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin alongside his sister, Ute. His mother, Annelie von Kodolitsch, ran a talent agency for children. Rohrbeck initially attended the Wald-Gymnasium and later the Erich-Hoepner-Oberschule; subsequently, he transferred to Erika Dannhoff's private acting school.

Even as a child, Rohrbeck appeared in the ZDF television series Peter ist der Boss as well as in Sesame Street, and took on numerous roles in dubbing and audio dramas. In 1976, he participated in the TV show Die Montagsmaler alongside other child voice actors.

During his school years, Rohrbeck performed at Berlin's Schiller Theater, playing—among other roles—Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest. After passing his acting examinations, he was engaged as a company member at Berlin's Vaganten Bühne and the Tribüne theater between 1984 and 1991.

Since the mid-1970s, Rohrbeck has participated in numerous audio drama productions. In 1978, he voiced Julian Kirrin in the audio drama series Fünf Freunde (The Famous Five). That same year, producer Heikedine Körting cast him in the lead role of Justus Jonas in Die drei ???. Together with Andreas Fröhlich and Jens Wawrczeck, he has been heard in every episode of the series released since 1979. Several live productions were also created in collaboration with the three main voice actors, including Master of Chess and Der seltsame Wecker – Live and Ticking. In 2010, performing before an audience of over 15,000 at Berlin’s Waldbühne, the ensemble set a world record for the largest live audio drama performance.

In addition to Die drei ???, Rohrbeck voiced numerous other roles in audio dramas, including parts in Bibi und Tina, Die Teufelskicker, and various Europa-label productions such as Sindbad and Der kleine Muck.

Rohrbeck also gained early recognition as a voice-over artist for dubbed foreign productions. As early as age seven, he voiced the title role in a re-release of Pinocchio. Other notable childhood roles included Thumper in Bambi, Lillebror in Karlsson on the Roof, Grisu in Grisu, der kleine Drache, and Julian Kirrin in Fünf Freunde.

Later, Rohrbeck went on to dub actors such as Malcolm-Jamal Warner in The Cosby Show and Greg Germann in Ally McBeal. Since There’s Something About Mary, he has been considered the established German voice of Ben Stiller. He also regularly dubs Chris Rock and Michael Rapaport.

In the animated film franchise Despicable Me, Rohrbeck voices the main character, Gru, as well as his brother, Dru. He reprised this role in the films Minions and Minions: The Rise of Gru.