Ulrich Tukur

German actor and musician Ulrich Tukur has had a long, illustrious career in theater and cinema. After studying language and history in both Germany and Boston, he shifted his focus to acting and, by the time he finished his studies, had earned his first film role, in the Nazi resistance drama "The White Rose." His subsequent work with famed theater director Peter Zadek gave his career a boost, and he continued to work extensively on both stage and film, earning the votes of German theater critics who named Tukur "actor of the year" in 1986. In addition to being a resident actor at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus theater company and co-director of the Hamburger Kammerspiele theater, he has performed and toured as a musician. Most often this is with his jazz-influenced dance band, Ulrich Tukur and the Rhythmus Boys (Tukur sings and plays accordion and piano). Along with numerous roles in German films and television programs, Tukur achieved international notice as the conflicted surveillance officer in the Academy Award-winning "The Lives of Others." Other crossover appearances include an alarmed astronaut in Steven Soderbergh's remake of the science fiction epic "Solaris," the callous newsman in the mountain-climbing thriller "North Face," and the town baron in the Palme d'Or-winning "The White Ribbon."