Name Rolf Kanies | Role Actor | |
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Born December 21, 1957 (age 57) Bielefeld, Germany Movies Hitman: Agent 47, Saphirblau, Downfall, A Woman in Berlin, Wunderkinder Similar People Aleksander Bach, Felix Fuchssteiner, Christoph Schrewe, Max Farberbock, Marcus Otto Rosenmuller | ||
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.
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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' 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.