Rolf Kanies

Rolf Kanies
Born	21 December 1957 Bielefeld, Germany

Rolf Kanies (born 21 December, 1957) is a German-born 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.

Early life and education

Born in Bielefeld, Kanies studied at the Westfälische Schauspielschule Bochum and at the Universität der Künste(UdK) Berlin. 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, Neuss, Cologne, Weimar, Graz (Austria), Basel (Switzerland) and at the Garsington Opera Festival (Oxford, England).

Career

Kanies's roles have included many Shakespearean characters such as Hamlet, Romeo, Mercutio, Macbeth, Theseus/Oberon (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Sir Toby (Twelfth Night), Dromio of Ephesus (A Comedy of Errors) and Lucio (Measure for Measure). Other prominent roles were those of Faust, Orest (Iphigenia) and Biff (Death of a Salesman).

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. In 1998, Rolf had his first international appearance in the science fiction series Lexx- The Dark Zone, in which he played Priest. The success of this performance led to a continuing role in Lexx in 2001, during which he played Reginald J. Priest, a troubled alien who is also the President of the United States. In the same year Kanies played Adolf Hitler in the American production Joe and Max directed by Steve James (STARZ! Pictures). In 2005, Kanies performed the role of Gen. Hans Krebs in Oliver Hirschbiegel's Downfall, which was nominated for an Oscar. In 2008, he played the war veteran Friedrich Hoch in A Woman In Berlin, directed by Max Faerberboeck, which won the Best International Feature Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2009. In 2008 Rolf also appeared in the movie The Countess as Count Krajevo, a film by Julie Delpy which is scheduled for release in the U.S in the spring of 2010.

Film

• 2001 No Regrets
• 2002 Joe and Max als Adolf Hitler
• 2003 Falling Grace
• 2004 Downfall
• 2006 The Conclave
• 2008 10 Seconds
• 2008 The Lord of Edessa
• 2008 A Woman in Berlin
• 2009 The Countess
• 2009 Blissestrasse
• 2010 Tage die bleiben
• 2011 Wunderkinder
• 2015 Hitman: Agent 47

Television

1999 Die Todesfahrt der MS-Sea Star 1999 Dunkle Tage 2000 Der Mörder in Dir 2001 Verliebte Jungs 2001 Wilsberg und der Mord ohne Leiche 2002 Die Nacht, in der ganz ehrlich niemand Sex hatte 2002 Inspektor Ringo Rolle - Top oder Flop 2002 Joe and Max as Adolf Hitler 2002 Lexx - The Dark Zone (as Reginald J. Priest) 2003 Der Fussfesselmörder 2003 Novaks Ultimatum 2003 Tatort - Atlantis 2004 München 7 2004 Eva Blond - Der Zwerg im Schliessfach 2004 Kommissar Rex: "Nachts im Spital" as Dr. Ballak 2005 Eine Liebe in Saigon 2005 Mutter aus heiterem Himmel 2005 Tatort - Im Alleingang 2005 Heimliche Liebe - Der Schüler und die Postbotin 2006 Tatort - Der Lippenstiftmörder 2006 Himmel über Australien

2006 Störtebeker 2006 Die Sturmflut 2007 Polizeiruf 110 - Tod in der Bank 2007 Liebe auf Kredit 2007 KDD - Kriminaldauerdienst - Verwirrungen 2007 Der geheimnisvolle Schatz von Troja 2008 Das Geheimnis im Wald 2008 Die Hitzewelle 2008 Der Bibelcode 2008 Die Bienen – Tödliche Bedrohung 2008 Die Patin 2009 Auftrag in Afrika 2009 Eine Liebe in St. Petersburg 2009 Das Paradies am Ende der Welt 2009 Mein Leben – Marcel Reich-Ranicki 2009 Mein Flaschengeist und ich 2009 Die kluge Bauerntochter 2009 Der grosse Stromausfall 2010 Niemand ist eine Insel 2010 Alpha 0.7 -Der Feind in dir 2010 Das Familiengeheimnis

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"

External links

• Rolf Kanies at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.rolfkanies.com Rolf Kanies' Homepage