Peter Kurth (born 4 April 1957) is a German actor. He won the 2016 German Film Award for Best Actor for portraying a former boxer diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the drama film A Heavy Heart.
Early life Kurth was born on 4 April 1957 in Güstrow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, East Germany. Growing up in Goldberg, he frequently visited the local movie theater, later citing it as an influence on his decision to become an actor. He attended the state drama school in Rostock from 1978 to 1981.
Career After graduating from drama school, Kurth performed at Theater für junge Leute in Magdeburg from 1981 to 1984 and at in Stendal from 1984 to 1988. He then moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz), where he performed at Städtisches Theater. In 1997, Kurth joined the in Leipzig, where he also taught drama. He moved to Hamburg in 2000 to perform at the Thalia Theater. He joined the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin in 2006, and later transferred to the Stuttgart Drama Theater.
Kurth was named Actor of the Year by the German theater magazine Theater heute in 2014. He won the German Film Award for Best Actor, as well as the (German Actor Award), for the 2015 film A Heavy Heart in which he played Herbert, a boxer diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Kurth prepared extensively for the role, gaining in the months before filming to physically resemble a former boxer, before losing his newly gained weight over the course of the 35-day shoot to portray Herbert's ALS progression. Scott Roxborough of The Hollywood Reporter called Kurth's portrayal of Herbert an "acting master class".
In 2018, Kurth was nominated for the Deutscher Fernsehpreis award for Best Actor, for his role as Detective Bruno Wolter in the German neo-noir television series Babylon Berlin.
Personal life Kurth is married and has two children.
Selected filmography + Film performances Year Title Role 2003 Good Bye, Lenin! "X-TV" chef 2003 Wolfsburg Oliver 2005 Ghosts Foreman 2006 A Friend of Mine Fernandez 2008 1 May: All Belongs to You Harry 2008 Hans-Gert 2009 Herbert 2010 In the Shadows Richard Bauer 2013 Gold Wilhelm Laser 2014 Julius Schmitke 2015 Hotte Mazocha 2015 A Heavy Heart Herbert 2018 In the Aisles Bruno 2018 Sew the Winter to My Skin General Helmut Botha 2020 Christmas Crossfire Rainer 2021 Next Door Bruno 2022 Dark Satellites 2025 Franz Hermann Kafka
+ Television performances Year Title Role Notes 2017 Babylon Berlin Bruno Wolter 2019 Criminal: Germany Jochen Müller Episode: "Jochen" 2020 Hinni Lührs 2 episodes 2021 Jens Schäffler Television film 2022 Inventing Anna Vadim Sorokin Netflix miniseries
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