Lars Rudolph

As many a rock star would attest, it's often a very short journey from the music stage to the film screen. But few musicians have earned genuine lasting success as actors. A notable exception is Germany's Lars Rudolph. Originally focused on music, the young Rudolph began playing in bands during his teenage years. It didn't take long for the acting bug to sneak up on him, though, and he began acting in stage productions while still a student. Several years later, he started making appearances in films as well. One of his first was a minor role in the Berlin segment of Hal Hartley's 1995 romantic trilogy "Flirt" (1995), giving Rudolph exposure to the era's flourishing indie film scene. It also helped propel him into his first starring role, the low-budget, absurdist comedy "Not a Love Song" (1997), directed by American expatriate Jan Ralske. For his work in the movie, Rudolph won the prestigious Max Ophüls Prize, an annual award given to the most promising young German actor. From then on, Rudolph worked steadily in domestic film and TV productions, including the international hit "Run Lola Run" (1998), a caper film centered around a punky young Berlin woman, and the hard-nosed, decades-long running police TV series "Tatort" (2009).