Acting
Thorsten Merten
DE, EN, UK cinema · 97 credits
Born
1 December 1963 (age 62)
Birthplace
Ruhla, Germany
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.
Known for
Filmography
Gespensterwald
Gespensterwald
as Jan Jürgens
Schwarzer Sommer
Schwarzer Sommer
as Jan Jürgens
Berlin Hero
as Harald Wischnewsky
The Policeman's Niece
as Werner Barth
Cicadas
as Uwe
Night to be Gone
as Dieter
Roxy
as Passfälscher
Der Fall Marianne Voss
as Fritz Malowski
Miss Merkel - Mord auf dem Friedhof
as Achim Sauer
From Hilde, with Love
as Dr. Minergerode
Bach - A Christmas Miracle
as Adrian Stieglitz
Miss Merkel - Ein Uckermark-Krimi
as Joachim Sauer
Kleine Eheverbrechen
as Dieter Beil
Der zweite Kurzschluss
as Oliver
Locked in Society
as Manfred Prohaska
What You Can See from Here
as Herr Rödder
Hunting Season
as Vermieter
Eine riskante Entscheidung
as Bernhard Elster
Alfons Jitterbit – Class Trip Chaos!
as Herr Flickendorf
Curveball
as Schatz
There Are No Orange Trees in Berlin
as Wärter Grunert
Exit
as Hönings
Good Girl Gone Bad
as Helmut Mayer
Der vierte Mann
as Kurt Lehrmann
Alfons Zitterbacke
as Mr. Flickendorf
Knorx
as Vogtländer
Gundermann
as Puppenspieler
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
as Taxifahrer Klaus
Atlas
as Alfred Hoppe
Donbass
as German Journalist
Tiger Milk
as Stefan
Rübezahls Schatz
as Arzt
Das Nebelhaus
as Doros Chef
Hit Mom – Mörderische Weihnachten
as Professor
Brothers
as Rainer Welke
The Last Pig
as Meier
Die Pfeiler der Macht 2
2016
Die Pfeiler der Macht 2
as Joseph Pilaster
Naked Among Wolves
as Hans Bochow
Foreign Body
as Wolfgang
Alki Alki
as Thomas
Heil
as Verfassungsschützer F. – Sachsen
Einschnitt
2015
Einschnitt
as der Bürochef
Willkommen bei Habib
as Bruno
Der Rücktritt
as Martin Heidemanns
Open the Wall
as Manfred
Silvi - Maybe Love
as Michael
Der zweite Mann
as Klaus Padberg
Sunny
Actor
The Golden Goose
as Räubervater
Ruhm
as Klaus Rubinstein
Sushi in Suhl
as Hans Leutner
Arschkalt
as Erhard
Inklusion - gemeinsam anders
as Heribert Stein
Augen zu
as Frank
Haltet die Welt an
as André Spanuth
Auf Doktor komm raus
as Apotheker Walter
Gravity
as Kollath
Frösche petzen nicht
as Jörg Hilbert
Empathie
as Rüdiger
I've Never Been Happier
as Schlickenrieder
Underdogs
as Forster
November Child
as Alexander
Remarque - Sein Weg zum Ruhm
as Chefredakteur der „Sport im Bild“
Lunik
as Toni Harmann
Meer is nich
as Friedrich
Die Frau am Ende der Straße
as Klaus Garbers
The Elementary Particles
as Hubert
Four Windows
as Vater
Wahrheit oder Pflicht
as Lehrer Behnke
In Liebe eine Eins
as Herr Steiner
Operation Valkyrie
as Peter Graf Yorck v. Wartenburg
Gun-shy
as Krausser
Grill Point
as Christian
Up – Down
as Peet
Silent Country
as Kai Finke