Rolf Kanies (born 21 December 1957) is a German actor who played many high-profile roles on the stage before switching to a career in film and television in 1997. Since then Rolf has specialized in German and international film and television. Movies he has played in have been nominated for a variety of international awards, including an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

Early life and education

Born in

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

, Kanies studied at the Westfälische Schauspielschule Bochum and at the Universität der Künste (UdK)

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Upon completing his studies, he embarked on a career in the theatre. His first engagement was at the Hebbel-Theater in Berlin, followed by other works at the Schauspielhaus Bochum, the Staatstheater Kassel and productions in

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...

Neuss Neuss (; spelled ''Neuß'' until 1968; li, Nüss ; la, Novaesium) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

(

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

(

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

) and at the Garsington Opera Festival (

Oxford, England Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

Career

Kanies' roles have included many

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

characters such as

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...

Mercutio Mercutio ( , ) is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is a close friend to Romeo and a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, Mercutio is one of the named characters in the p ...

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describe ...

/Oberon (''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

''), Sir Toby (''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

''), Dromio of Ephesus (''

A Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. ...

'') and Lucio (''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

''). Other prominent roles were those of

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

, Orest (''

Iphigenia In Greek mythology, Iphigenia (; grc, Ἰφιγένεια, , ) was a daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and thus a princess of Mycenae. In the story, Agamemnon offends the goddess Artemis on his way to the Trojan War by hunting ...

'') and Biff (''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montag ...

''). He also played several lead roles in musicals. Starting in the 1990s, Kanies played in a large variety of German television series and movies and in eight feature films. His film debut was ''Dark Days'', directed by

Margarethe von Trotta Margarethe von Trotta (; born 21 February 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, and actress. She has been referred to as a "leading force" of the New German Cinema movement.

. In 1998, Rolf had his first international appearance in the science fiction series ''

Lexx ''Lexx'' (also known as ''LEXX: The Dark Zone Stories'' and ''Tales from a Parallel Universe'') is a science fiction television series created by Lex Gigeroff and brothers Paul and Michael Donovan. It originally aired on April 18, 1997, on Cana ...

'', in which he played Reginald J. Priest, a troubled alien who is also the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. In the same year Kanies played

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

in the American production ''

Joe and Max ''Joe and Max'' is a 2002 American-German boxing film directed by Steve James (producer), Steve James and based on the true story of the Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, two boxing matches between American Joe Louis and German Max Schmeling. Plot In ...

'' directed by Steve James (STARZ! Pictures). In 2004, Kanies performed the role of

Gen Gen may refer to: * ''Gen'' (film), 2006 Turkish horror film directed by Togan Gökbakar * Gen (Street Fighter), a video game character from the ''Street Fighter'' series * Gen Fu, a video game character from the ''Dead or Alive'' series * Gen l ...

. Hans Krebs in

Oliver Hirschbiegel Oliver Hirschbiegel (born 29 December 1957) is a German film director. His works include ''Das Experiment'' and the Oscar-nominated '' Downfall''. Life and career Hirschbiegel was born in Hamburg, Germany. A Waldorf graduate, Hirschbiegel stud ...

's '' Downfall'', which was nominated for an Oscar. In 2008, he played the war veteran Friedrich Hoch in ''

A Woman In Berlin ''A Woman in Berlin'' (german: Eine Frau in Berlin) is a memoir by German journalist Marta Hillers, originally released anonymously in 1954. The identity of Hillers as the author was not revealed until 2003, after her death. The memoir covers th ...

'', directed by

Max Färberböck Max Färberböck (born 22 September 1950) is a German film director and writer. He was born in Brannenburg, Bavaria. He began his career at theaters in Buenos Aires and in Italy. He later studied at the University of Television and Film Munich, U ...

, which won the Best International Feature Award at the

Santa Barbara International Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986. The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF al ...

in 2009. In 2008 Rolf also appeared in the movie '' The Countess'' as Count Krajevo, a film by

Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French-American actress, film director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, includi ...

Filmography

Film

*2000: ''Mister Boogie'' *2001: ' - Daniel's Father *2002: ''

'' -

*2003: ''Falling Grace'' - George *2004: ''

Der Untergang ''Downfall'' (german: Der Untergang, it, La caduta – Gli ultimi giorni di Hitler) is a 2004 German-language historical drama, historical war film, war drama film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel from a screenplay by its producer, Bernd Eichin ...

'' - General Hans Krebs *2006: ''

The Conclave ''The Conclave'' is a 2006 Canadian/German film production directed by Christoph Schrewe. The script was written by Paul Donovan. Plot The plot centers on the conclave of 1458, which took place five years after the fall of Constantinople ...

'' - Cardinal Bessarion *2008: ''The Lord of Edessa'' - Eric Malik *2008: ''

A Woman in Berlin ''A Woman in Berlin'' (german: Eine Frau in Berlin) is a memoir by German journalist Marta Hillers, originally released anonymously in 1954. The identity of Hillers as the author was not revealed until 2003, after her death. The memoir covers th ...

'' - Friedrich Hoch *2008: '' 10 Sekunden'' - Ebi Koch *2009: '' The Countess'' - Count Krajevo *2009: ''Für Miriam'' - Martin Fleißer *2011: ''Tage die bleiben'' - Jürgen *2011: ' - Oberst Tapilin *2011: ''Blissestraße'' - Anton *2014: ' - William de Villiers *2015: '' Hitman: Agent 47'' - Dr. Delriego *2016: ' - William de Villiers *2017: ''

The Young Karl Marx ''The Young Karl Marx'' (french: Le jeune Karl Marx; german: Der junge Karl Marx) is a 2017 historical drama film about Karl Marx, directed by Haitian filmmaker and political activist Raoul Peck, co-written by Peck and Pascal Bonitzer, and starrin ...

'' - Moses Hess *2018: '' The Silent Revolution'' - Wardetzki

Television

*1999: ' - Rolf *1999: ''Countdown at Sea'' - Kapitän zur See van Bergen *2000: ''Der Mörder in Dir'' - Herr Kowalsky *2001: ''Verliebte Jungs'' - Vermieter Herr Wagner *2001: ''

Wilsberg ''Wilsberg'' is a German TV series based on novels about the fictional private detective Georg Wilsberg. A first TV episode was aired in 1995, five years after the release of the first novel, starring Joachim Król. Since the second episode (aired ...

: Wilsberg und der Mord ohne Leiche'' - Herbert Schering *2002: ''Die Nacht, in der ganz ehrlich niemand Sex hatte'' - Arbeitsamtberater *2002: ''

'' -

*2002: ''Inspektor Ringo Rolle - Top oder Flop'' - Dr. Alexander Brombeck *2002: ''

'' - Reginald J. Priest *2003: ''Der Fussfesselmörder'' - Professor *2003: ''Novaks Ultimatum'' - Staatssekretär Schuster *2003: ''

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 ...

- Atlantis'' - Peter Radke *2004: ''

Kommissar Rex ''Inspector Rex'' (German: ''Kommissar Rex''; Italian: ''Il commissario Rex'') is an Austrian-Italian police procedural comedy-drama television series created by Peter Hajek and Peter Moser. Originally an Austrian series aired from 1994 to 2004 ...

: "Nachts im Spital'' - Dr. Ballak *2004: ''

Eva Blond ''Eva Blond'' is a German television series that follows the detective Eva Blond (Corinna Harfouch) and her colleague Alyans (Erdal Yıldız). It aired from 2002 to 2006 on Sat.1. See also *List of German television series The following is ...

'' - Emre Aslan *2004: '' München 7'' - Mann am Rathausturm *2005: ''Mutter aus heiterem Himmel'' - Norbert Neumann *2005: ''Eine Liebe in Saigon'' - Werner Krantz *2005: ''Heimliche Liebe - Der Schüler und die Postbotin'' - Matthias Reinhardt *2005: ''

- Im Alleingang'' - Heiko Eckermann *2006: ''

- Der Lippenstiftmörder'' - Professor Klammroth *2006: ''Himmel über Australien'' - Steve *2006: ' - Martin Degenhard *2006: ' - Prosecutor Dr. Edgar Fink *2007: ' - Georgios Vimbos *2007: ''

KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst ''KDD – Berlin Crime Squad'', German title ''KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst'' is a German television series that was broadcast from 2007 to 2010. The series differs from typical police procedurals by focusing on the daily work life and the private ...

- Verwirrungen'' - Reimer *2007: ''Liebe auf Kredit'' - Uli *2007: ''

Polizeiruf 110 ''Polizeiruf 110'' ("Police call 110") is a long-running German-language detective television series likened to Poirot. The name links to the emergency telephone number of the ''Volkspolizei''. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the ...

- Tod in der Bank'' - Walter Conrad *2008: ''Die Hitzewelle'' - Ministerpräsident Julius Schäfer *2008: ' - Andreas Imhof *2008: ' - Reibold *2008: ''

Die Bienen – Tödliche Bedrohung ''Die Bienen – Tödliche Bedrohung'' (English: ''Killer Bees'') is a 2008 German television horror film directed by Michael Karen and stars Janin Reinhardt, Rolf Kanies, and Sonja Kirchberger. Plot When Karla brings her father Hans in Mallorc ...

'' - Dr. Alvarez *2008: ' - Lautenschläger *2009: ' - Onkel Jakub *2009: ''Das Paradies am Ende der Welt'' - Harry *2009: ''Eine Liebe in St. Petersburg'' - Boris Wronski (uncredited) *2009: ''Die kluge Bauerntochter'' - Hofrat von Müller *2009: ''Mein Flaschengeist und ich'' - Nidelöpfel *2009: ''Auftrag in Afrika'' - Van Heusen *2010: '' Blackout'' - Dr. Thomas Reinders *2010: ''Alpha 0.7 - Der Feind in dir'' - Uwe Gonzoldt *2010: ''Das Familiengeheimnis'' *2011: ' - Vollmer *2012: ''

Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

'' - Oberst

Eberhard Finckh Eberhard Finckh (7 November 1899 – 30 August 1944) was a German colonel on the general staff of the German Army, a longtime opponent of Nazism and a member of the German resistance to Adolf Hitler's regime. Biography Finckh was born in Kupf ...

Theater

* 1979 Schauspielhaus Bochum * 1981 Schauspielhaus Bochum * 1981 Hebbeltheater Berlin * 1982–1986 Schauspielhaus Graz * 1991 Schauspielhaus Bochum * 1996–1997 Staatstheater Kassel * 1997 RLT Neuss * 1998 OD-Theater Basel "Don Carlos" * 1998 Kunstfest Weimar " Sturm und Drang" * 1999 Garsington Opera Festival "Entführung aus dem Serail" * 2000 Schauspiel Berlin "Warten auf Godot"

References

External links

* * http://www.rolfkanies.com Rolf Kanies' Homepage {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanies, Rolf 1957 births Living people 20th-century German male actors 21st-century German male actors Actors from Bielefeld German male film actors German male television actors Male actors from Berlin