Ulrich Noethen

A priest's son from Munich, Ulrich Noethen has quietly ascended the ranks to become one of German cinema's most sought-after actors. Developing his craft at the Academy of Performing Arts in Stuttgart, Noethen spent most of the 1980s and early 1990s performing in stage productions for the Municipal Theatre of Freiberg and the State Schauspielhaus in Berlin. It wasn't until 1995 that he transitioned from stage to screen in the television series "Die Partner," and from then on was seen regularly in films and television. Key parts in Dominik Graf's 1997 thriller "Der Skorpion" and the historical drama "The Harmonists," and a key supporting role the acclaimed 1999 drama "Grüne Wüste" followed, and in 1998 he was honored with both the German Film Award and Bavarian Film Award for his performance in "The Harmonists." He once again received the Bavarian Film Award for his comedic turn in the 2001 family film "The Slurb," and in 2004 had the dubious distinction of portraying Heinrich Himmler in "Downfall," a character he would reprise in 2007's "My Führer." Along with many of his fellow countrymen, Noethen has appeared on the enormously popular crime series "Tatort," and in 2011 portrayed zeppelin captain Ernst Lehmann in "Hindenburg." He has also voiced such German-language audio books as "War and Peace" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."