Christian Friedel

Christian Friedel
Friedel in 2023
Born (1979-03-09) 9 March 1979 (age 45)
Magdeburg, East Germany
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active2009–present

Christian Friedel (born 9 March 1979) is a German actor and singer.[1] Having acted in a number of German language productions, he is best known internationally as part of the main cast of the Netflix television thriller series Babylon Berlin (2017–present) and as Rudolf Höss in the 2023 drama The Zone of Interest.

Career

Film and television

Christian Friedel photographed by Oliver Mark, Berlin 2015

Friedel has appeared in films and television series since 2009 including Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon, and Oliver Hirschbiegel's 13 Minutes, where he portrayed Georg Elser. More recently, he played police photographer Gräf in the esteemed drama series Babylon Berlin, and was a main character in the German mini-series Perfume. He also portrayed Rudolf Höss in Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest after previously turning down offers to play Nazi roles.[2][3]

Stage

After studying acting at Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts in Munich, Friedel acted in the German theatre companies of Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel, Munich Kammerspiele and Schauspiel Hannover.

Since its 2009–2010 season, Friedel has been part of the company at Staatsschauspiel Dresden, and has acted in title roles such as Schiller's Don Carlos and Shakespeare's Hamlet.[4]

In Spring 2017, Friedel played the role of Nathanael in a stage adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Sandman by Robert Wilson at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus.[5]

Music

In June 2011, Friedel and four members of the German band Polarkreis 18 formed the band Woods of Birnam.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2009 The White Ribbon Teacher
2011 Chicken with Plums Cyrus
2012 Russian Disco Andrej
Closed Season [de] Albert
2013 Erbgut Max
2014 Amour Fou Heinrich von Kleist
2015 13 Minutes Georg Elser Nominated – European Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated – German Film Award for Best Actor
2018 Angelo Curator
Glück ist was für Weicheier Dr. Wolfgang Teuter
2021 Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull Konic Von Portugal
2023 The Zone of Interest Rudolf Höss Montclair Film Festival Breakthrough Performer Award
Nominated – European Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Astra Film Award for Best International Actor [6]
15 Years Harry Mangold

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2014 The Chosen Ones Manfred Wolf TV movie
2015 Polizeiruf 110 Max Schwarz 1 episode
2016 Rivals Forever: The Sneaker Battle [de] Adolf Dassler Miniseries
2017 Sugar Sand Günter Ernst TV movie
2017–present Babylon Berlin Gräf Main cast; 40 episodes
2018 Parfum Daniel "Zahnlos" Sluiter Main cast; 6 episodes
2021 Tatort Various 2 episodes
2025 The White Lotus[7] TBA Main cast

Personal life

Friedel lives in Dresden.[8]

References

  1. ^ Krekeler, Elmar (10 April 2015). "Christian Friedel und das "volkseigene Gesicht"". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Zone of Interest' Star Christian Friedel Reflects on the 'Intense Experience' of Playing a Nazi". Variety.
  3. ^ Bushby, Helen (28 January 2024). "The Zone of Interest: How Oscars-nominated Auschwitz film borrows from Big Brother". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  4. ^ Dresden, Schauspielhaus. "Hamlet, von William Shakespeare - 21.01.2018, 19.00 - 22.15 | Staatsschauspiel Dresden". www.staatsschauspiel-dresden.de (in German). Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  5. ^ Bürgerbühne, D'haus - Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Junges Schauspiel. "Der Sandmann, von E. T. A. Hoffmann | D'haus - Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Junges Schauspiel, Bürgerbühne". www.dhaus.de (in German). Retrieved 29 November 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Beatrice Verhoeven (27 December 2023), Global Stars Are the Talk of the Town as 2024 Academy Awards Race Heats Up The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. ^ Joe Otterson (12 January 2024), ‘White Lotus’ Season 3 Adds Five to Cast, Including ‘Zone of Interest’ Star Christian Friedel Variety.
  8. ^ Carole Horst (10 January 2024), ‘Zone of Interest’ Star Christian Friedel Reflects on the ‘Intense Experience’ of Playing a Nazi Variety.


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