Volker Bruch
Volker Bruch (born 9 March 1980) is a German television and film actor. He is best known internationally for his leading roles as Wilhelm Winter in the television drama Generation War (2013) and as Inspector Gereon Rath in the TV series Babylon Berlin (2017–present).
Volker Bruch | |
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Volker Bruch in 2014 | |
Born | |
Nationality | German, Austrian |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2002–present |
Partner(s) | Miriam Stein (2009–present) |
Children | 1 |
Early life
Bruch was born in 1980 in West Germany to a German father and Austrian mother.[1] He grew up in Munich with five siblings.[2] He began acting during his years at gymnasium and was involved with student acting groups.[3] After completing his university-entrance diploma, he studied performing arts at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Austria.[4] Bruch made a deliberate choice while studying to commit himself to acting for television and film, as opposed to theater.[2][5] During this time, he made some of his first television appearances. He graduated in 2005.[6]
Career
Bruch spent the beginning of his career primarily playing small roles in German television and TV movie productions. His first noteworthy role was as Axi in the 2005 German television movie Rose, for which he won a German Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.[7] The year 2008 was notable for Bruch's career as he acted in a number of movies including the French film Female Agents, the English-language German biopic The Red Baron as Oberleutnant Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen, the Oscar-nominated German film The Baader Meinhof Complex as Stefan Aust, as well as the Oscar-winning American film The Reader.
Bruch had a few small supporting roles after this period before his breakout role in the popular 2013 German miniseries Generation War in which he played one of the five protagonists. Bruch was nominated for a German Television Award for his performance and received a special award for Ensemble Cast at the 2013 Bavarian TV Awards.
After Generation War, Bruch starred in a variety of film and television productions of varying scopes until 2016 when he was cast in Babylon Berlin. In Babylon Berlin, Bruch stars as the main character, police inspector Gereon Rath, who investigates a series of crimes in Weimar Republic-era Berlin. The first two series of the show were filmed over eight months beginning in May 2016 and released consecutively in Fall 2017. Babylon Berlin has been very popular in Germany as well as with international audiences and has elevated Bruch to international prominence; Bruch is considered one of Germany's upcoming stars.[8][9] For his portrayal, Bruch received a 2018 Golden Camera Award and shares an Adolf Grimme Award with the Babylon Berlin team.
The show went on a yearlong production hiatus during which Bruch filmed two movies; in 2018, he played a role in the wide-release American film The Girl in the Spider's Web and filmed the German production Rocca Changes the World. In late 2018, Bruch began the six-month shoot for the third series of Babylon Berlin which premiered in Germany in January 2020.[10][11][12] A fourth series starring Bruch is expected to be released in 2020 or 2021.[13]
Personal life
Bruch lives in Berlin with his partner, actress Miriam Stein. They had a child together in 2017.[14][15] Bruch met Stein in 2009 on the set of the film Young Goethe in Love.[16] Notably, they later starred together in 2013's Generation War, 2014's Tour de Force, and 2015's Das goldene Ufer.[17]
Bruch is an environmentalist and, with his partner Stein, has supported the climate action group Extinction Rebellion as well as the Joint Declaration made by the German government and media industry "for the sustainable production of films and television series."[18][19]
In 2019, Bruch, along with other German actors and artists like Daniel Brühl, signed a petition advocating against the election of a far-right Alternative for Germany mayoral candidate in Görlitz, Germany, an oft-used filming location in Europe.[20][21] In June 2020, Bruch took part in the video "Was Sie Mitgenommen Haben" for the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR).[22]
Bruch speaks English fluently,[1][23] even having acted in English.[24][25]
Filmography
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Vater wider Willen | Sammy | Episode: "Große Kinder - Kleine Kinder" |
2003 | SK Kölsch | Bert Wunderlich | Episode: "CSD" |
2004 | SOKO Kitzbühel | Julian Schweiger | Episode: "Tödliches Dreieck" |
2004 | Rex: A Cop's Best Friend | Max König | Episode: "Nina um Mitternacht"
German: Kommissar Rex |
2004 | Baal (de) | Johannes | Television film |
2004–2013 | Tatort | various | 4 episodes |
2004 | Die Verbrechen des Professor Capellari | Bernd Geissler | Episode: "Ein Toter kehrt zurück" |
2005 | Leipzig Homicide | Marco Hoss | Episode: "Die Polizistin" |
2005 | Unter weissen Segeln | Florian | Episode: "Abschiedsvorstellung" |
2005 | Hengstparade (de) | Markus Lex | Television movie |
2005 | Der Untergang der Pamir (de) | Bernd Russek | Television movie |
2007 | Der Staatsanwalt | Bastian Tressen | Episode: "Glückskinder" |
2007 | Ein starkes Team | Tim König | Episode: "Stumme Wut" |
2007 | Nichts ist vergessen (de) | Olaf Stahmann | Television movie
Nominated – German Television Award |
2008 | Machen wir's auf Finnisch (de) | Matti | Television movie |
2008 | Einer bleibt sitzen (de) | Michel | Television movie |
2011 | Treasure Guards | Luca | Television movie |
2013 | Generation War | Wilhelm Winter | Miniseries; 3 episodes
German: Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter Nominated – German Television Award Won – Bavarian TV Awards |
2013 | München Mord (de) | Toni Bernlocher | Television movie |
2014 | Die Pilgerin | Otfried Willinger | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
2015 | Das goldene Ufer | Walther Fichtner | Television movie |
2016 | Ein Teil von uns (de) | Micki | Television movie |
2017–present | Babylon Berlin | Gereon Rath | 28 episodes
Won – Golden Camera Award Won – Grimme Award |
2019 | Jerks (de) | Volker | Episode: "Volker"
German: jerks. |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Getting a Life | German: Raus ins Lebe | |
2005 | Rose | Axi | Nominated – German Television Award |
2006 | Life Actually (de) | Charles Spatz | German: Das wahre Leben |
2007 | Good Times (de) | Priglmeier Toni | German: Beste Zeit |
2008 | Beste Gegend (de) | Toni | |
2008 | Female Agents | Lieutenant Becker | French: Les femmes de l'ombre |
2008 | The Red Baron | Oberleutnant Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen | German: Der rote Baron |
2008 | Little Paris | Stefan | |
2008 | The Baader Meinhof Complex | Stefan Aust | German: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
Nominated – Undine Award |
2008 | The Reader | Dieter | |
2009 | The Murder Farm (de) | Johann Hauer | German: Tannöd |
2010 | Nanga Parbat | Gerd Bauer | |
2010 | Young Goethe in Love | Wilhelm Jerusalem | German: Goethe! |
2011 | Westwind | Nico | |
2012 | Confession of a Child of the Century | Henri Smith | French: Confession d’un enfant du siècle |
2013 | Radical Evil | Narrator | German: Das radikal Böse |
2014 | Beste Chance (de) | Toni | |
2012 | Tour de Force | Finn | German: Hin und weg |
2015 | Outside the Box | Frederick Schopner | |
2015 | Suck Me Shakespeer 2 | Hauke Wölki | German: Fack ju Göhte 2 |
2017 | The Man with the Iron Heart | Schellenberg | |
2018 | The Girl in the Spider's Web | Peter Ahlgren | |
2019 | Rocca Changes the World (de) | Henning | German: Rocca verändert die Welt |
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | German Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor/Actress (de) | Nichts ist vergessen / Rose | Nominated | |
2008 | Undine Awards (de) | Best Young Supporting Actor - Film | The Baader Meinhof Complex | Nominated | |
2013 | German Television Awards | Best Actor (de) | Generation War | Nominated | Shared with Tom Schilling |
Bavarian TV Awards | Special Ensemble Award (de) | Won | Shared with Tom Schilling, Katharina Schüttler, Miriam Stein, and Ludwig Trepte | ||
2018 | Golden Camera | Best German Actor (de) | Babylon Berlin | Won | |
Grimme Awards | Fiction Award (de) | Won | Shared with Babylon Berlin production team and cast |
References
- "Volker Bruch - Schauspieler". www.schauspielervideos.de (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- "Volker Bruch - Portrait, Interview". 15 April 2008. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- "Volker Bruch im Interview: "Viele wussten nicht, was ich auf dem roten Teppich zu suchen habe."". Planet Interview (in German). Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- Beta Cinema presents Westwind (PDF). Germany: Beta Cinema. 2011. p. 10.
- "Volker Bruch, ANTI-HEARTTHROB - 032c". 032c.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- "1998 - 2017 | Max Reinhardt Seminar". www.maxreinhardtseminar.at. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- "Volker Bruch - Actor". Agentur Players Berlin (in German). Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- Meza, Ed (20 February 2018). "Actor Volker Bruch on 'Babylon Berlin,' His Biggest Challenge as an Actor". Variety. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- Mitchell, Robert (26 April 2017). "Stars of 'Babylon Berlin,' Netflix's 'Dark' Join Effort to Highlight German Cinema (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- Wiseman, Andreas (24 July 2018). "'Babylon Berlin' Confirmed For Third Season, Plot & Shoot Details Revealed". Deadline. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- Meza, Ed (9 April 2019). "'Babylon Berlin 3' Sells to More Than 35 Countries, Including Netflix for U.S. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- "Volker Bruch on Instagram: "That's a wrap! Thank you for the last 6 month! 🙏🍾🥂🤗😓🕺🏻#champagneinthemembrane #season3 #keepdancing"". Instagram. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- Scott, Sheena. "'Babylon Berlin': The Brilliant And Captivating German Series Celebrated At The European Film Awards 2019". Forbes. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ""Babylon Berlin": Tom Tykwer, Liv Lisa Fries und Volker Bruch im Vogue-Gespräch". Vogue Germany (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- Peters, Bernd (10 March 2017). "Schauspielerin verrät's: Plötzlich Mama! Miriam Stein hielt ihr Baby geheim". Express.de (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- "Traumpaar vor und hinter der Kamera". tz.de (in German). 4 April 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ""Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter"-Stars sind ein Paar". FOCUS Online (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- "Offener Brief an die Regierung". Extinction Rebellion Deutschland (in German). Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- "Deutschlands Filme werden grüner". Startseite (in German). Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- "German stars call on voters to shun far-right AfD in 'Görliwood'". www.thelocal.de. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- "German stars lead call to shun far-right in 'Goerliwood'". France 24. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- "Was Sie Mitgenommen Haben - UNHCR Deutschland". UNHCR (in German). Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "Profile Series – Cannes 70th – One on One".(unscripted English interview from the 2017 Cannes Film Festival)
- "The Reader (2008): 'Dieter' (lecture theatre scene)".
- "IMDb: Volker Bruch in The Reader (2008)".
External links
- Volker Bruch at IMDb