Thorsten Merten
Biography
Thorsten Merten (born December 4, 1963, in Ruhla) is a German actor.
Thorsten Merten originally intended to become a journalist and initially worked as a trainee at the newspaper Das Volk. After completing his military service, he underwent acting training from 1986 to 1990 at the "Ernst Busch" Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin, where he attended the newly established cabaret department and graduated with a diploma in cabaret performance.
This was followed by engagements at various theaters both at home and abroad, including the Théâtre Vidy in Lausanne, the Staatstheater Schwerin, the Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, the Volksbühne Berlin, and the Deutsches Theater Berlin. For his stage work, he was awarded the Conrad Ekhof Prize in 1999.
His notable stage roles include McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the Ghost in Hamlet, as well as roles in Ivanov, Prometheus, and Sonnenallee. In 2024, he played the role of operations manager Kuckuck in the operetta Messeschlager Gisela at the Komische Oper Berlin.
Merten gained his first experience in front of the camera in 1992 in Andreas Dresen's film Stilles Land. He achieved his breakthrough in 2001 with the tragicomedy Halbe Treppe (Grill Point), also directed by Dresen. Since then, he has appeared regularly in both feature films and television productions.
Merten also gained recognition through roles in Wilsberg, Afrika, mon amour, Bella Block, Helen Dorn, Donna Leon, and numerous episodes of Tatort. From 2013 to 2021, he played the role of precinct chief Stich in the Weimar-based Tatort series. Since 2009, he has portrayed Chief Inspector—later Police Commissioner—Martin Fichte in the ZDF series Spreewaldkrimi.
He has also played lead roles in other productions, including Silvi and Fremdkörper. In 2021, he received the German Film Award for his supporting role in Curveball – Wir machen die Wahrheit. Furthermore, Merten came up with the idea for the Netflix series Das letzte Wort, in which he appeared alongside Anke Engelke.
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Full filmography
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Kriminalhauptkommissar Kurt Stich
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Kurt Stich
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Robert Roetgen
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Christof Rüter
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Walter Lemke
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Kommissariatsleiter Kurt Stich
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Christian Wilmots
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Thomas Peters
- Scene of the Crime (1970) as Peter Lessing
- Polizeiruf 110 (1971) as Hannes Iwanowski
- Polizeiruf 110 (1971) as Jan Jürgens
- Babylon Berlin (2017) as Henning
- SOKO Leipzig (2001) as Volker Hoss
- SOKO Köln (2003) as Lars Beck
- Riverboat (1992) as Self
- Vienna Crime Squad (2005) as Falk Link
- Hamburg Dockland (2007) as Bernd Wöhler
- Küstenwache (1997) as Hartmut Schild
- Ein starkes Team (1994) as Maik Lehmann
- Wilsberg (1995) as Rainer Wiedemann
- SOKO Kitzbühel (2001) as Stefan Schiener
- Wolffs Revier (1992) as Jörg Bauer
- Im Namen des Gesetzes (1994) as Bodo Seitz
- Der Kriminalist (2006) as Lutz Ebeling