Peter Ketnath (born June 6, 1974) is a German actor, film producer and screenwriter. He is fluent in English, German, Spanish and Portuguese and starred in numerous international productions playing characters from widely ranged backgrounds. He also produces and has written two screenplays.

Early life

Born to a doctor and a painter from partly German and Jewish ancestry, Ketnath developed his interest in the performing arts at an early age. Right after finishing secondary school in his hometown Munich, he attended a directing course at

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private for-profit film school and acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former film, t ...

which mainly raised his interest in acting. Back in his hometown

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

he attended the infamous Zinner Studio where he graduated. He then completed his studies at the

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency prog ...

in New York and graduated in Film at

Freie Universität Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

Career

While still in drama school, he debuted to play the lead in

Joseph Vilsmaier Joseph Vilsmaier (, 24 January 1939 – 11 February 2020) was a German film director who began his career as a technician and cameraman. He is internationally known for films such as ''Comedian Harmonists (film), Comedian Harmonists''. Life Bo ...

's ', alongside actress

Nina Hoss Nina Hoss (; born 7 July 1975) is a German stage and film actress. Early life Hoss was born in Stuttgart, West Germany. Her father, , was a German trade unionist and politician (member of the Bundestag with The Greens). Her mother, , was an act ...

. The critically acclaimed film tells the story of young Leo Knie, a young German in the 1930s who resists the seduction of Adolf Hitler and instead of going to war, struggles with his own personal life. After the film's success, Ketnath continued his studies and work in the theater in Munich. He also participated in several films and series as a protagonist or guest actor, in numerous national projects and also in international co-productions, such as ''Minona'', between Germany, France, and Russia, which tells the personal life of

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

. In 1998, the actor financed his university studies by being part of the main cast in the prime time series ''

Klinikum Berlin Mitte – Leben in Bereitschaft ''Klinikum Berlin Mitte – Leben in Bereitschaft'' is a German television series. See also *List of German television series The following is a list of television series produced in Germany: Current Drama * '' 4 Blocks'' ( TNT Serie, 2 ...

'', where he played Dr. Daniel Thies for three consecutive seasons. The series was the German version of '' ER'' and popular in several European countries. In 2001, he was part of the

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning miniseries ''

Die Manns – Ein Jahrhundertroman ''Die Manns – Ein Jahrhundertroman'' (; ''The Manns – Novel of a Century'') is a 2001 German Docudrama- miniseries directed by Heinrich Breloer. The miniseries is divided in three parts and tells the story of the Mann family, a family of fam ...

'', which told the life and work of German writer

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

, played by

Armin Mueller-Stahl Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 17 December 1930) is a retired German film actor, painter and author, who also appeared in numerous English-language films since the 1980s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role i ...

. He played Franz Westermeier who inspired Thomas Mann to write ''

Confessions of Felix Krull ''Confessions of Felix Krull'' () is an unfinished 1954 novel by the German author Thomas Mann. Synopsis The novel is narrated by the protagonist, an impostor and adventurer named Felix Krull, the son of a ruined Rhineland winemaker. Felix avoid ...

''. Still in 2001, he also discovered his passion for Brazilian cinema and the Portuguese language through a special at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

. He began to master the language and expanded his range to South America. '' Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures'', by Marcelo Gomes, premiered in 2005 at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. The critically acclaimed film won several national and international awards and was distributed in Germany by Arte Television. The film also represented Brazil in the dispute for the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for the best foreign film, but was not nominated. He played Johann Hohenfels, a fictional character who flees the chaos of WWII and as a peace-loving pacifist travels the backlands of Brazil selling Aspirins to the poor by showing them commercial films through his movie projector, completely new for them at the time. From 2004 to 2006, he took turns in German and Brazilian productions: he was part of the main cast of the new prime time series '' Die Gerichtsmedizinerin''. In 2005, he played Mark, a German tourist who gets involved in an unhappy relationship with a desperate young hooker and tries life with her in Berlin, in '' Deserto Feliz'', a drama by Paulo Caldas, which premiered at the Berlin Festival and won several film festivals. He was part of the cast of the soap opera ''

Pé na Jaca ''Pé na Jaca'' is a Brazilian telenovela produced and aired by TV Globo from 20 November 2006 to 15 June 2007. It stars Murilo Benício, Juliana Paes, Fernanda Lima, Marcos Pasquim, Betty Lago, Fúlvio Stefanini, Alexandre Schumacher, Carla M ...

'', directed by

Ricardo Waddington Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

for

TV Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo. The TV station ...

, which was highly popular. In 2008 Ketnath worked again with

, participating in the main cast of the film ', based on a book by

Wolfgang Franz von Kobell Wolfgang Xavier Franz Ritter von Kobell (19 July 180311 November 1882) was a German mineralogist and writer of short stories and poems in Bavarian dialect. Biography Kobell was born in Munich, Bavaria (where he also died), son of the painter ...

. The film was a box office success and became a modern classic that is often repeated on German TV. The year 2009 saw the beginning of his work in the criminal series ''

Stuttgart Homicide ''SOKO Stuttgart'' (English title: ''Stuttgart Homicide'') is a German police procedural television series that premiered on 12 November 2009 on ZDF. It is the eighth offshoot of ''SOKO München'', launched in 1978 under the name ''SOKO 5113''. ...

'', playing the lead male detective who sticks to his personal freedom and his own sense of justice. The series is popular and in 2021 has entered its 13th season. In 2014 he participated in the Brazilian comedy '' Os Homens São de Marte... E é pra Lá que Eu Vou!''. The romantic comedy was the most watched national film in Brazil in 2014. In the Brazilian animation ''Nimuendajú'', directed by Tania Anaya, he played the ethnologist

Curt Nimuendajú Curt Unckel Nimuendajú (born Curt Unckel; 18 April 1883 – 10 December 1945) was a German- Brazilian ethnologist, anthropologist, and writer. His works are fundamental for the understanding of the religion and cosmology of some native Brazilian ...

, who lived more than 40 years with Indigenous peoples throughout Brazil, becoming one of the most important references in studies on the subject in the 20th century. In Klaus Mitteldorf's '' Vou nadar Até Você'' he plays Tedesco, a visual artist who is in the midst of a mid-life crisis. When he receives a letter from a possible daughter, played by

Bruna Marquezine Bruna Reis Maia (born 4 August 1995), known professionally as Bruna Marquezine, is a Brazilian actress. She debuted on television in 2000 as one of the children interviewers for the children's program ''Gente Inocente''. She has already been pa ...

, life changes irreversibly for both of them. Playing a character 20 years older than himself, Ketnath proved his interpretational range another time. In 2018 he came back to the stage and participated in

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

's opera ''

Die Entführung aus dem Serail ' () ( K. 384; ''The Abduction from the Seraglio''; also known as ') is a singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's ''Belmont und Constanze, oder Die ...

'' in the role of Bassa Selim, the emperor who finally frees his slave Konstanze. In 2020 the film ''When in Venice'' premiered in several countries where Ketnath combined acting, producing and writing. His most recent work is his work on the miniseries '' Passport to Freedom'', directed by

Jayme Monjardim Jayme Monjardim Matarazzo (São Paulo, São Paulo, May 19, 1956) is a Brazilian TV and film director. He is the only child of André Matarazzo Filho and Maysa Matarazzo. He is the former husband of actress Ingra Liberato, divorced without issue ...

and produced by

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

and

. He plays the antagonist Thomas Zumckle, a general of Hitler's elite troops who falls sickly in love with Aracy de Carvalho, a German-Brazilian secretary who saved numerous Jews from the Holocaust.

Producer

With his Germany based production company Cinezebra GmbH, he produces audiovisual content, mainly international co-productions.

Personal life

Ketnath is married to Maykelis, a German artist of Cuban origin, and has two children. The couple lives between Munich and Berlin.

Filmography

Actor

* 1995: ' (film) * 1996: '' Minona'' (film) * 1997: '' Die Unzertrennlichen'' (TV series) * 1997: '' Eine Herzensangelegenheit'' (film) * 1998: ''

Zwei Brüder ''Zwei Brüder'' (''Two Brothers'') is a German detective television series based on an idea by Felix Huby, who also wrote several screenplays. Eleven directors produced 17 episodes of 85-90 minute length for ZDF between 1994 and 2000. The musi ...

'' * 1998: ''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and a ...

'' * 1999: '' Preis der Unschuld'' (film) * 1999: ''

Dr. Stefan Frank – Der Arzt, dem die Frauen vertrauen is a German medical television series produced by Phoenix Film for RTL from 1995 to 2001. The show was adapted from a series of novels of the same, written by Gerhard B. Wenzel. Synopsis The series centers on Stefan Frank, a gynecologist, w ...

'' (TV series) * 1999: ''

Der Bulle von Tölz ''Der Bulle von Tölz'' is a German television series which has been produced and broadcast by Sat.1 since 1996. As of January 2009, 69 self-contained feature-length episodes have been made. Genre Set in Bad Tölz, Bavaria, the series is about th ...

'': Tod aus dem All (TV film) * 2000–2002: ''

'' (TV series) * 2000: ''

'' – Drückerschwärze (TV series) * 2000: ''

Der letzte Zeuge ''Der letzte Zeuge'' (''The Last Witness'') is a German crime television series set in Berlin. Created by Gregor Edelmann, it aired on ZDF from 1998 to 2007 and was mostly directed by Bernhard Stephan. It stars Ulrich Mühe as medical examiner D ...

'' – Der vierte Mann (TV series) * 2001: ''

'' (mini-series) * 2002: ''

Edel & Starck ''Edel & Starck'' is a German television series. See also *List of German television series The following is a list of television series produced in Germany: Current Drama * ''4 Blocks'' (TNT Serie, 2017–2019) * ''Alarm für Cobra 11 ...

'' – Eiertanz (TV series) * 2003: '' Spurlos'' (film) * 2004: '' Einmal Bulle, immer Bulle'' (TV series) * 2004: ''

SOKO 5113 Soko ( sh-Cyrl, Соко) was a Yugoslav aircraft manufacturer based in Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company was responsible for the production of many military aircraft for the Yugoslav Air Force. SOKO was created in 1950 by the rel ...

'' (TV series) * 2005: '' Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures'' (film) * 2005: '' Die Gerichtsmedizinerin'' (TV series) * 2005: ''

'': Liebesleid (TV film) * 2006: ''

Die Rosenheim-Cops ''Die Rosenheim-Cops'' is a German television series set in Chiemgau, mainly in Rosenheim. It is produced by the Bavaria Film GmbH for the ZDF public TV network. The cost per episode is estimated at 425,000 euros. Concept The series' mai ...

'' – In der Höhle des Mörders (TV series) * 2006: '' Pe na jaca'' * 2007: '' Deserto Feliz'' (film) * 2007: ''

Die Rettungsflieger ''Die Rettungsflieger'' is a TV series in which fictitious missions of a rescue helicopter are displayed. The series, which was produced by Studio Hamburg and premiered by ZDF from 1997 to 2007, tries to preserve the closeness to reality in som ...

'' (TV series) * 2007: ' (film) * 2008: ''

Im Tal der wilden Rosen ''Im Tal der wilden Rosen'' ( en, In the Valley of Wild Roses) is a German television series. It aired 13 episodes on ZDF from January 29, 2006 to November 23, 2008. The entire series is available on DVD in PAL format in German. Episodes Se ...

'' – Gipfel der Liebe (TV film) * 2008: ''

Alice (TV miniseries) ''Alice'' is a 2009 television miniseries that was originally broadcast on Canadian cable television channel Showcase and an hour later on American cable television channel Syfy. The miniseries is a reimagining of the classic Lewis Carroll novels ...

'' * 2008: ' (film) * 2008: ''

Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei ''Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei'' ("Alarm for Cobra 11 – The Highway Police") is a long-running, popular German television series about a two-man team of highway police (Autobahnpolizei), originally set in Berlin and since 1999 i ...

'' (TV series) * 2009: ''

Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by ...

'' – Im Sog des Bösen (TV film) * 2009: '' Lasko - Die Faust Gottes'' * 2009: '' Richterin ohne Robe'' (TV film) * 2009–2021: ''

'' (TV series) * 2013: '' Kripo Holstein'' – Mord und Meer (TV series) * 2014: '' Os Homens São de Marte... E é pra Lá que Eu Vou!'' (film) * 2014: ''Soledad'' (film) * 2016: '' Another Forever'' (film) * 2019: '' Dr. Klein'' – Aller Anfang ist schwer (TV series) * 2019: '' Hubert ohne Staller'' – Jeder Schuss ein Treffer (TV series) * 2021: ''

Um Himmels Willen ''Um Himmels Willen'' (English: ''For Heaven's Sake'') is a German television sitcom created by Jana Brandt and Sven Döbler, which originally aired on Das Erste since 8 January 2002. The 13th season was aired from 4 March 2014 to 3 June 2014 ...

'': Hindernisse des Herzens (TV series) * 2021: '' When in Venice'' (film) * 2021: '' Ein Sommer auf drei Rädern'' (film) * 2021: ''

WAPO Bodensee ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' (TV series) * 2022: '' Passport to Freedom'' (mini-series)

Producer

* 2007: '' Happy Desert'' (film) * 2012: '' Nimuendaju'' (animation) * 2016: '' Another Forever'' (film) * 2018: '' Laisse le vent emporter tout'' (film) * 2019: '' Ophelia's Death'' (film) * 2019: '' Tropical Abyss'' (documentary) * 2019: '' We still have the deep black night'' (film) * 2021: '' When in Venice'' (film)

Writer

* 2018: '' O mar vai virar Sertao e o Sertao vai virar o mar'' (film) * 2021: '' When in Venice'' (film) * 2022: '' The summer of 87'' (mini-series)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ketnath, Peter 1974 births Living people German male film actors Male actors from Munich Jewish German male actors German film producers 21st-century German screenwriters German male screenwriters Free University of Berlin alumni Male actors from Berlin