If you have already seen big Hollywood films like 2009’s Pandorum with Dennis Quaid or 2008’s Valkyrie with Tom Cruise, you may already be familiar with German actor Wotan Wilke Möhring. German television watchers might also recognize him from episodes of Tatort or his appearances in numerous made-for-television movies.
Möhring is a versatile actor who is known as much for roles in silly comedies as he is for more dramatic ones. So let’s get to know Wotan Wilke Möhring better and learn German with film!
Get to Know Wotan Wilke Möhring
Wotan Wilke Möhring was born on May 23, 1967, as the second of four children in North Rhein-Westphalia in western Germany. His father was an officer in the German military. Möhring’s parents later divorced.
His background is varied. He served in the military for a time as a paratrooper. He was educated as an electrician. He’s owned a club, worked as a bouncer, and as a model. He’s been a punk, an artist, a musician, and an actor.
But eventually, Möhring turned his attention to acting. He studied in Germany and in the United States.
Antikörper
In 2005’s Antikörper, Möhring portrays Michael Martens, a German police officer, who investigates the unsolved murder of a young girl. When Gabriel Angel (portrayed by André Hennicke), a serial killer suspected of committing the crime, is taken into custody in Berlin, Martens travels to the capital to interview him. Martens and the suspect become involved in a battle of the psyches in this dramatic thriller.
Das letzte Schweigen
Based on the crime novel by Jan Costin Wagner of the same name, 2010’s Das letzte Schweigen is another thriller revolving around murder.
23 years after the unsolved murder of a young girl in a field, another young girl goes missing in the very same location. For the new case, the original detective teams up with a younger one for the investigation.
The dramatic story gets a twist by way of Möhring. He portrays Timo Friedrich, an old friend of the original detective. Timo left town after the first murder and is only recently returned. Those involved become suspicious.
Das Leben ist nichts für Feiglinge
Möhring stars as Markus in 2012’s Das Leben ist nichts für Feiglinge. Recently, life hasn’t been especially easy for him and his 15-year-old daughter, Kim. Markus’ wife dies unexpectedly and Gerlinde, his mother, is undergoing treatment for cancer.
But things go from bad to worse after Kim runs away. Seeing no other option, Markus goes after her and brings his mother and her nurse along.
Practice practice practice! Discover other great German language actors and actresses previously featured.
Photo by Thomas Leidig, courtesy of Players Agentur. This post contains affiliate links.
After watching a couple of shows of him such as Parfum and Das Perfekte Geheimnis, I am really eager to see more of his films. Unfortunately, most of his films are not translated to English. I desperately wish I know the language