Axel Prahl
Acting
Born: March 26, 1960 (age 66) · Eutin, Germany
Highest Rated
Biography
Axel Prahl grew up in Neustadt in Holstein alongside a brother. His mother was a sales assistant, and his stepfather worked at the employment office. At the age of 14, Prahl entered a music competition in Neustadt in Holstein; he won the local round, thereby qualifying to compete at the state level. However, fearing that such success might fundamentally alter his life, he declined to participate in the state finals. He dropped out of a vocational training program in the metalworking trade after just one year, spent time living as a street musician in Spain, subsequently earned his specialized university entrance qualification, and went on to study music and mathematics for five semesters at the College of Education in Kiel. Prahl is an accomplished guitarist and counts Pat Metheny among his musical role models, though during his youth, he also performed Irish folk music. Ultimately, from 1982 to 1985, he completed a degree in acting in Kiel. Prahl began his professional theater career in 1984, subsequently joining the Schleswig-Holstein State Theater. Prahl has lived in Berlin since 1992. This was followed by engagements at the Renaissance-Theater, the Grips-Theater, and the *Kammerspiele* (chamber theater) of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. During his drama school days—while holding an apprentice contract at the Theater Kiel—Prahl performed with the band Ougenweide and subsequently founded the band Impuls. At that time, his musical and acting pursuits ran in parallel, until Prahl ultimately decided to focus exclusively on acting. Axel Prahl made his television debut in 1992 in Max Färberböck’s *Schlafende Hunde*. Also in 1992, he provided the German voice dubbing for Michael Chiklis in an episode of the series *Miami Vice*. In *Nachtgestalten* (1999)—Prahl’s first feature film—he played a police officer in a supporting role; since then, he has frequently been cast in similar roles, including in *Die Polizistin*, *Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt*, and *Der Grenzer und das Mädchen*. The film *Nachtgestalten* also marked the beginning of a successful collaboration with director Andreas Dresen: for *Die Polizistin*, *Halbe Treppe*, and *Willenbrock*, Axel Prahl was honored with various acting awards, including the Adolf Grimme Prize. Since 2002, in his role as Chief Inspector Frank Thiel, he has teamed up with Jan Josef Liefers to form the investigative duo based in Münster for the WDR’s *Tatort* series. In 2007, Prahl also contributed the title song—a reinterpretation of a well-known pop hit—to the feature film *Du bist nicht allein*. In the music video for the song "Wenn es passiert" by the band Wir sind Helden, he appears as a traveling salesman. Prahl and Andreas Dresen perform together in a band with no name, whose repertoire includes cover versions of songs by artists such as Rio Reiser and Gerhard Gundermann. On February 27, 2009, the audiobook *Wo die wilden Maden graben* by Thorsten Nagelschmidt was released, featuring Axel Prahl as a guest narrator alongside Farin Urlaub. Prahl subsequently narrated the audiobook *North Western* in 2013. Axel Prahl has three daughters and one son. He is divorced from his second wife and resides in Berlin.
Known for
The Pianist
2002
The Red Baron
2008
The Little Witch
2018
Scene of the Crime
1970
Lessons of a Dream
2011
Spy Cat
2019
The Wild Chicks
2006
Gundermann
2018
Die Geschichte der Menschheit - leicht gekürzt
2022
Summer in Berlin
2005
The Pasta Detectives
2014
Blame Game
2019
Photos (2)
Movies (73)
The Pianist
German Soldier - Rummage Bags (uncredited)
Spy Cat
Elvis (voice)
99€ Films
2001
The Red Baron
General von Hoeppner
The Little Witch
Abraxas (voice)
Night Shapes
Polizeibeamter
Hundsköpfe
Konrad "Bussi"
Trenk, the Little Knight
Ritter Hans (voice)
Tödliches Spiel - Das Krimi-Dinner
Harry Raven
Lessons of a Dream
Schricker Sen.
Summer in Berlin
Kneipengast (uncredited)
Capt'n Sharky
Alter Bill (voice)
The Legend of Timm Thaler: or The Boy Who Sold His Laughter
Behemoth
NeuFundLand
Leo
The Wild Chicks
Willis Vater
Blame Game
Dr. Joachim Rauhweiler
Die Geschichte der Menschheit - leicht gekürzt
Sokrates
Berlin '36
Hans Waldmann
Falcons
Car Rental Dealer
Summer Sunday
Bruno Hansen
alaska.de
Polizist Wünsche
Here Comes Lola!
Felix Jungherz
Gun-shy
Schwimmer in der Nacht
Unter Gärtnern
Kriminalhauptkommissar Frank Thiel
An Enemy to Die For
Friedrich Mann
Eisland
Marko Wendrichs
Love Your Enemies
Herr Schimke
12 Winter
Klaus Starck
The Whole Shebang
Helmut
The Pasta Detectives
Herr Marrak
Das Wunder von Lengede
Erwin
Not All Were Murderers
Erwin Redlich
Das Märchen von der Regentrude
Iven
Secrets of the North Sea
Narrator (voice)
Policewoman
Mike
Grill Point
Uwe
Willenbrock
Willenbrock
Gundermann
Führungsoffizier
Die Sterntaler
Grobian
Ich bin! Margot Friedländer
Reuter
The Burrow
Franz
Extraklasse 2+
Ralph Friesner
Mullewapp - A Pig's Tail
Waldemar (voice)
Die unheimlichen Briefe
Taxi driver
Spieglein, Spieglein
Frank Thiel
Der gute Bulle
Roland Bischoff
Peaceful Times
Karl
Extraklasse
Ralph Friesner
Regrettably Kin
Knud Lühr
You're Not Alone
Hans Moll
Liberated Zone
Rolf Kubicek
Mondkalb
Piet Hatzky
Die Schimmelreiter
Tilmann Koch
Die Mauer – Berlin '61
Erwin Sawatzke
Die Mutter des Mörders
David Bacher
Stella and the Star of the Orient
Kleinheinz
Harms
Menges
Run While You Can
Oswald Kosinski
Die Lehrerin
Weininger
Liesl Karlstadt und Karl Valentin
Erich Engels
Dorfpunks
Mascher
Udo Lindenberg: Stärker als die Zeit - Live
2016
Extraklasse - On Tour
Ralph Friesner
I Love You All
Narrator (Major S.)
Gloria, die schönste Kuh meiner Schwester
Thomas
Zoom - It's Always About Getting Closer
Beamter
Die Lichtenbergs - zwei Brüder, drei Frauen und jede Menge Zoff
Jochen Lichtenberg -
Nur mit Dir zusammen
Wim
Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt
Eddy Garbitsch
Das Phantom
1994
Das Millionen Rennen
Mathias Wengeler
Gott ist auch nur ein Mensch
Frank Thiel
Schwanensee
Frank Thiel
TV Shows (17)
Scene of the Crime
Frank Thiel · 48 eps
DAS!
1 eps
Polizeiruf 110
Paul Kieslowski · 1 eps
Wer weiß denn sowas?
1 eps
Wolffs Revier
Georg Ackermann · 1 eps
Circus Halligalli
1 eps
Balko
Robin Friedensreich · 1 eps
Kommissar Stolberg
Raimund Görlitz · 1 eps
Adelheid und ihre Mörder
Rainer Kohler · 1 eps
Bella Block
1 eps
Nachtschicht
Fritz Schulz · 1 eps
Sesamstraße präsentiert: Eine Möhre für zwei
Kapitän · 2 eps
Die Cleveren
Jens Stuber · 1 eps
Die Wölfe
Bernd 2 · 3 eps
The Godmother - No Way Back
Tom Kranold · 3 eps
Die Himmelsleiter
Armin Zettler · 2 eps
The Miracle of Lengede
Erwin · 2 eps
Self / Appearances (25)
Die Harald Schmidt Show
Self · 1 eps
DAS!
Self · 7 eps
Kölner Treff
Self · 2 eps
NDR Talk Show
Self · 6 eps
Leute heute
Self · 2 eps
Nachtcafé
Self · 1 eps
Wer weiß denn sowas?
Self · 9 eps
Zimmer frei!
Self · 2 eps
Riverboat
Self · 6 eps
Wetten, dass..?
Self · 1 eps
Inas Nacht
Self · 1 eps
Ringlstetter
self · 1 eps
Ringlstetter
Self · 1 eps
Dalli Dalli
Self · 1 eps
Quizduell
Self · 2 eps
Klein gegen Groß - Das unglaubliche Duell
Self · 3 eps
Krömer - Die internationale Show
Self · 1 eps
Die große Maus-Show
Self · 2 eps
Denn sie wissen nicht, was passiert
Self · 1 eps
Das Quiz
Self · 1 eps
Soundtrack Deutschland
Self · 3 eps
60 Jahre Dinner for One - Die Jubiläumsshow
Self
Ottos Märchenshow
Self
Moinsen! Ich bin Axel Prahl
Self
Andreas Dresen - Ein Leben für den Film
Self
