Sebastian Koch

About Sebastian Koch

Whether on stage, on television, or on the big screen: Sebastian Koch is one of the most versatile, adaptable, and successful actors in Germany, whose work and career often take him beyond the borders of his homeland.

Born on May 31, 1962, in Karlsruhe, Koch spent his childhood and youth in Stuttgart. Originally, he wanted to become a musician, but the productions of Stuttgart’s director Claus Peymann led him to change his career aspirations in the late 1970s and pursue an acting career. Koch completed his training from 1982 to 1985 at the renowned Otto-Falckenberg-Schule in Munich. After initial performances at the local Theater der Jugend, he received engagements at the Städtische Bühnen Ulm, the Staatstheater Darmstadt, and the Staatlichen Bühnen Berlin – Schillertheater.

In 1986, he made his first television appearance alongside Commissioner Helmut Fischer in the episode of “Tatort” titled “Die Macht des Schicksals”. Numerous crime dramas and thrillers followed until he gained attention in 1997 for his role as Andreas Baader in Heinrich Breloer’s highly acclaimed two-part film “Todesspiel”.

In 2002, Sebastian Koch achieved what no actor had accomplished in over 30 years – he was awarded the Grimme Prize twice: for the title role in “Der Tanz mit dem Teufel – Die Entführung des Richard Oetker” and for his acting performance in the family story “Die Manns”. The three-part series was also honored with the German Television Award in 2002 as the “Television Event of the Year”, and his role as Klaus Mann earned him the Bavarian Television Award.

Koch also made his international breakthrough: in the historical drama “Napoleon”, he starred alongside prominent colleagues such as Gérard Depardieu, John Malkovich, and Isabella Rossellini, and in “Marie und Freud”, he played Rodolphe Löwenstein, the youthful lover of Catherine Deneuve. His national and international successes on the big screen also include “Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod – Gloomy Sunday” and Tomy Wigand’s remake of “Das fliegende Klassenzimmer”.

In the following years, he appeared in numerous high-profile productions, including the Oscar-winning film “Das Leben der anderen” and Paul Verhoeven’s “Blackbook”. At the same time, he was also active in theater and as a narrator of literary and musical-literary audiobooks and corresponding live performances of these productions.