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 (75)
The Pianist
German Soldier - Rummage Bags (uncredited)
The Red Baron
General von Hoeppner
Spy Cat
Elvis (voice)
Blame Game
Dr. Joachim Rauhweiler
Lessons of a Dream
Schricker Sen.
The Little Witch
Abraxas (voice)
Capt'n Sharky
Alter Bill (voice)
The Legend of Timm Thaler: or The Boy Who Sold His Laughter
Behemoth
Trenk, the Little Knight
Ritter Hans (voice)
The Wild Chicks
Willis Vater
Summer Sunday
Bruno Hansen
Not All Were Murderers
Erwin Redlich
You're Not Alone
Hans Moll
99€ Films
2001
Der Teufels langer Atem
Frank Thiel
Die Mauer – Berlin '61
Erwin Sawatzke
alaska.de
Polizist Wünsche
Unter Gärtnern
Kriminalhauptkommissar Frank Thiel
Summer in Berlin
Kneipengast (uncredited)
Grill Point
Uwe
Mullewapp - A Pig's Tail
Waldemar (voice)
Die Geschichte der Menschheit - leicht gekürzt
Sokrates
An Enemy to Die For
Friedrich Mann
Die Lichtenbergs - zwei Brüder, drei Frauen und jede Menge Zoff
Jochen Lichtenberg -
Extraklasse 2+
Ralph Friesner
12 Winter
Klaus Starck
Mondkalb
Piet Hatzky
The Pasta Detectives
Herr Marrak
Ich bin! Margot Friedländer
Reuter
Tödliches Spiel - Das Krimi-Dinner
Harry Raven
Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt
Eddy Garbitsch
Man stirbt nur zweimal
Kriminalhauptkommissar Frank Thiel
Das Märchen von der Regentrude
Iven
Zoom - It's Always About Getting Closer
Beamter
Love Your Enemies
Herr Schimke
Das Wunder von Lengede
Erwin
Liesl Karlstadt und Karl Valentin
Erich Engels
Gloria, die schönste Kuh meiner Schwester
Thomas
Spieglein, Spieglein
Frank Thiel
NeuFundLand
Leo
Harms
Menges
Dorfpunks
Mascher
Nur mit Dir zusammen
Wim
I Love You All
Narrator (Major S.)
Liberated Zone
Rolf Kubicek
Berlin '36
Hans Waldmann
Eisland
Marko Wendrichs
Policewoman
Mike
Night Shapes
Polizeibeamter
Die Lehrerin
Weininger
Gun-shy
Schwimmer in der Nacht
Gundermann
Führungsoffizier
Peaceful Times
Karl
Stella and the Star of the Orient
Kleinheinz
Udo Lindenberg: Stärker als die Zeit - Live
2016
Die Schimmelreiter
Tilmann Koch
Falcons
Car Rental Dealer
Das Millionen Rennen
Mathias Wengeler
Die Mutter des Mörders
David Bacher
Secrets of the North Sea
Narrator (voice)
Hundsköpfe
Konrad "Bussi"
Das Phantom
1994
Die Sterntaler
Grobian
Willenbrock
Willenbrock
Die unheimlichen Briefe
Taxi driver
Gott ist auch nur ein Mensch
Frank Thiel
Here Comes Lola!
Felix Jungherz
Extraklasse
Ralph Friesner
The Burrow
Franz
The Whole Shebang
Helmut
Regrettably Kin
Knud Lühr
Extraklasse - On Tour
Ralph Friesner
Run While You Can
Oswald Kosinski
Der gute Bulle
Roland Bischoff
Schwanensee
Frank Thiel
TV Shows (18)
DAS!
1 eps
Scene of the Crime
Frank Thiel · 48 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
Bella Block
1 eps
Kommissar Stolberg
Raimund Görlitz · 1 eps
Nachtschicht
Fritz Schulz · 1 eps
Adelheid und ihre Mörder
Rainer Kohler · 1 eps
Die Cleveren
Jens Stuber · 1 eps
Das Duo
Jost Kupitzki · 1 eps
Sesamstraße präsentiert: Eine Möhre für zwei
Kapitän · 2 eps
Die Himmelsleiter
Armin Zettler · 2 eps
Die Wölfe
Bernd 2 · 3 eps
The Miracle of Lengede
Erwin · 2 eps
The Godmother - No Way Back
Tom Kranold · 3 eps
Self / Appearances (25)
DAS!
Self · 7 eps
Die Harald Schmidt Show
Self · 1 eps
Leute heute
Self · 2 eps
Kölner Treff
Self · 2 eps
NDR Talk Show
Self · 6 eps
Wer weiß denn sowas?
Self · 9 eps
Riverboat
Self · 6 eps
Zimmer frei!
Self · 2 eps
Nachtcafé
Self · 1 eps
Wetten, dass..?
Self · 1 eps
Dalli Dalli
Self · 1 eps
Inas Nacht
Self · 1 eps
Ringlstetter
self · 1 eps
Ringlstetter
Self · 1 eps
Quizduell
Self · 2 eps
Klein gegen Groß - Das unglaubliche Duell
Self · 3 eps
Die große Maus-Show
Self · 2 eps
Denn sie wissen nicht, was passiert
Self · 1 eps
Krömer - Die internationale Show
Self · 1 eps
Das Quiz
Self · 1 eps
Ottos Märchenshow
Self
Soundtrack Deutschland
Self · 3 eps
Moinsen! Ich bin Axel Prahl
Self
Andreas Dresen - Ein Leben für den Film
Self
60 Jahre Dinner for One - Die Jubiläumsshow
Self
