Max Riemelt

Max Riemelt (born 7 January 1984) is a German actor. He is known internationally for playing Wolfgang Bogdanow in the Netflix series Sense8. In Germany, he is known for his many appearances on television and in films, including Before the Fall, Free Fall and the 2023 series Bonn. He has appeared in many productions directed by Dennis Gansel and Dominik Graf.

Early life and education

Max Riemelt was born on 7 January 1984 in Mitte, East Berlin, which was in East Germany until he was six years old,^[1] and grew up in Berlin, Germany.^[2]

Career

Riemelt's career began in Germany in 1997 at the age of 13, in the TV productions Eine Familie zum Küssen and Praxis Bülowbogen.^[1] The following year Riemelt played his first leading role in the ZDF Christmas series Zwei allein, directed by Matthias Steurer. He also had a cameo appearance in the video for the title song "Two of a Kind" by the Hamburg duo "R & B".^[1]

He starred in all of Dennis Gansel's feature films from Mädchen, Mädchen (2004) until The Fourth State (2012).^{[citation needed]} In 2004 gained wide attention in Germany for his role in Gansel's World War II drama Before the Fall.^[2]

He starred in Dominik Graf's 2010 TV crime series In the Face of Crime (Im Angesicht des Verbrechens), and has collaborated numerous times with Graf as well as Dennis Gansel.^[2]

In 2013, he starred in the romance Free Fall, with Hanno Koffler, where he plays Kay, a police officer in training. The film depicts a gay love story and has been compared to Brokeback Mountain.^[3]

From 2015 to 2018, he starred in The Wachowskis' Netflix series Sense8, playing Wolfgang Bogdanow, a German safe cracker. The first season received positive reviews from critics.^[4][5][2]

He starred in the 2017 psychological thriller Berlin Syndrome alongside Australian actress Teresa Palmer, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.^[6][2] The film received generally favorable reviews, and both Palmer and Riemelt garnered praise for their performances.^[7]

In 2020, he joined the cast of The Matrix Resurrections.^{[citation needed]}

In 2023 he played a leading role Bonn – Alte Freunde, neue Feinde, a political drama set in post-war West Germany in 1954.^[8][9]

Personal life

Riemelt completed his school career with a high school diploma and refused military service. Riemelt is the father of a daughter and lives in Berlin.^{[citation needed]}

Awards

• 2004: Best Actor, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, for Before the Fall^[10]
• 2006: Best Newcomer Actor, Bavarian Film Awards, for The Red Cockatoo^[11]
• 2006: Best Performance by an Actor in the Marrakech International Film Festival Awards, for his role in The Red Cockatoo^[12][13]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

1. ^ "Biography" (in German). Max Riemelt. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
2. ^ Meza, Ed (11 May 2016). "'Sense8' Star Max Riemelt Poised for Global Fame". Variety The 32-year-old Berlin native
3. ^ Ashraf, Toby (4 March 2014). "Why Sexy Gay Love Story 'Free Fall' Is Not Just a German 'Brokeback Mountain'". Indie Wire. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
4. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (4 May 2017). "Sense8 season 2 actor Max Riemelt: 'The sex scenes are less pornographic, more like oil paintings'". The Independent. Archived 12 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
5. ^ Radish, Christina (5 May 2017). "'Sense8': Max Riemelt and Tina Desai on Season 2 and Their Characters' Dynamic". Collider.
6. ^ Wixson, Heather (24 January 2017). "Sundance 2017 Interview: Teresa Palmer & Max Riemelt Talk Berlin Syndrome". Daily Dead. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
7. ^ "Berlin Syndrome Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
8. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (17 August 2021). "Leonine Picks Up Distribution Rights To Odeon Fiction Spy Series ‘Bonn’". Deadline. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
9. ^ "High-end historical series Bonn now in post-production". Cineuropa. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
10. ^ "Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Festival Photos". kviff.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
11. ^ Blaney, Martin (14 January 2006). "Debut director is feted at the Bavarian Film Awards". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
12. ^ "6th EDITION 2006". Marrakech International Film Festival. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
13. ^ Tartaglione-Vialatte, Nancy (2 March 2025). "The Red Cockatoo takes top prize at Marrakech". Screen. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
14. ^ "Die Freundin meiner Mutter – FilmMittwoch im Ersten – ARD | Das Erste". daserste.de

External links

• Official website
• Max Riemelt at IMDb