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Ulrich Noethen

1959-11-18 • Munich, Germany

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.

Filmography

Makellos - Eine kurze Welle des Glücks

2026 · Movie

as Anton Laux

Parallel Me

2025 · TV Show

as Thomas

Miss Sophie - Same Procedure as Every Year

2025 · TV Show

as Butler Mortimer

Josefa’s Return

2024 · Movie

as Norbert Blume

Wendland

2022 · TV Show

as Jakob Stiller

Ku'damm 63

2021 · TV Show

as Kurt Moser

Furia

2021 · TV Show

as Brehme

The Wasp

2021 · TV Show

as Nobbe Zosch

Louis van Beethoven

2020 · Movie

as Christian Gottlob Neefe

Unterleuten: The Torn Village

2020 · TV Show

as Dr. Gerhard Fließ

The German Lesson

2019 · Movie

as Jens Ole Jepsen

St. Louis

2019 · Movie

as Captain Gustav Schröder

Vienna Blood

2019 · TV Show

as Graf von Triebenbach

Ku'damm 59

2018 · TV Show

as Kurt Moser

54 Hours: The Gladbeck Hostage Crisis

2018 · TV Show

as Einsatzleiter Recklinghausen

Charité

2017 · TV Show

as Ferdinand Sauerbruch

The General Case

2016 · Movie

as Fritz Bauer

The Diary of Anne Frank

2016 · Movie

as Otto Heinrich Frank

Departure

2016 · Movie

as Hillas Vater

NSU German History X

2016 · TV Show

as Helmut Roewer

Die Eisläuferin

2015 · Movie

as Helmuth Wendt

Neben der Spur

2015 · TV Show

as Dr. Johannes Jessen

Deutschland

2015 · TV Show

as General Wolfgang Edel

Wer weiß denn sowas?

2015 · TV Show

as Self