Ulrich Noethen

Biography

Ulrich Noethen (born Ulrich Schmid; November 18, 1959, in Munich) is a German actor, radio drama performer, and audiobook narrator. He is considered one of Germany's most renowned film actors and gained widespread public recognition through his role in the feature film Comedian Harmonists*.

Noethen grew up as the youngest of five children in a pastor's family. After graduating from high school in Augsburg, he initially studied law before deciding to pursue acting; he subsequently completed his studies at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. He adopted the stage name "Noethen" from his grandmother's maiden name.

His theater career began in the mid-1980s at the Städtische Bühnen Freiburg (Freiburg Municipal Theaters). Further engagements took him to venues such as the Schauspiel Köln (Cologne Playhouse) and the Staatliche Schauspielbühnen Berlin (Berlin State Theaters), where he distinguished himself with roles in classics such as Faust and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

He achieved his cinematic breakthrough in 1997 with the role of Harry Frommermann in Comedian Harmonists. For this performance, he received the German Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, as well as the Bavarian Film Award. Numerous other defining roles in film and television followed.

Among his most well-known works are the family films Das Sams, Bibi Blocksberg, and Das fliegende Klassenzimmer. In Der Untergang (Downfall), he played Heinrich Himmler, while in Mein Führer – Die wirklich wahrste Wahrheit über Adolf Hitler (My Führer – The Truly Truest Truth About Adolf Hitler), he offered a satirical interpretation of the same historical figure. Other significant productions include Gripsholm, Ein fliehendes Pferd, Hannah Arendt, and Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank), in which he portrayed Otto Frank.

Since 2014, Noethen has starred as the psychiatrist Dr. Jessen in the crime series Neben der Spur. Additionally, he appeared as Ferdinand Sauerbruch in the historical drama series Charité.

Noethen has received numerous awards and honors, including the Goldene Kamera (Golden Camera), the Adolf-Grimme-Preis, and multiple nominations for the German Film Award. He lives in Berlin-Charlottenburg and is in a relationship with the writer Alina Bronsky.