Sebastian Koch

In his own way, actor Sebastian Koch is a historian; many of his most notable roles involved actual German historical figures or explored the war-ravaged country's painful history. A graduate of the famed Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts, Koch appeared in numerous theater productions before making his TV debut in 1986 on the long-running German crime series "Tatort" (1970- ). After working steadily for nearly a decade, Koch gained notice with a trio of critically acclaimed performances: Red Army Faction leader Andreas Baader in the TV docudrama "Todesspiel" (1997); kidnapped oil heir Richard Oetker in the TV docudrama "Dance with the Devil - The Kidnapping of Richard Oetker" (2001); and German novelist Klaus Mann in the TV mini-series "The Manns - Novel of a Century" (2001). Fluent in both French and German, Koch broke through to international audiences in the A&E cable mini-series "Napoléon" (2002), and found even more success with his roles in director Paul Verhoeven's WWII drama "Black Book" (2006) and the East German spy thriller "The Lives of Others" (2006). With his distinctive mix of intensity and melancholy, Koch is a charismatic presence on stage and screen.