Gerald Alexander Held (19 October 1958 – 12 May 2026) was a German actor. He was internationally best-known for his depictions of people involved in recent history, as Walther Hewel in the 2004 film Der Untergang, Robert Mohr in the 2005 film Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage and as state prosecutor Siegfried Buback in the 2008 film Der Baader Meinhof Komplex. He played the head commissioner in each of two German television crime series, and , portraying two distinctly different characters.

Life and career Held was born in Munich on 19 October 1958. His father José Held, who died in 1974, was also an actor. During his school years, Held was a solo singer of the Regensburger Domspatzen from 1968 to 1970. He played football for 1860 Munich, winning five youth championships. An injury prevented a professional football career. Held finished an acting training at the Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts in Munich, and then joined the Munich Kammerspiele in 1980. Further engagements followed at the Staatsschauspiel Hannover, then directed by Hans Neuenfels, the Volksbühne in Berlin until 1994, the Theater Basel, and the Salzburg Festival.

Held first appeared on television in 1974, in an episode of the Derrick crime series. In 1993, Held was cast by director Klaus Emmerich in Morlock in his first television film role. He then appeared in numerous cinema and TV productions, including Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl – The Last Days, and Oliver Hirschbiegel's Der Untergang) (Downfall). His declamation of German was unusually precise and sharp.

In 2007, he starred alongside Iris Berben as the greedy villain Heinrich von Strahlberg in the two-part TV film . In 2008, he played Alois Kugler, the opponent of Brandner Kaspar, in , directed by Joseph Vilsmaier. In 2009, he played the politically tactical abbot Kuno in Margarethe von Trotta's film Vision alongside Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, and Hannah Herzsprung, and the same year was seen in Sönke Wortmann's Pope Joan as the Frankish Emperor Lothar I. In 2010, he played the Attorney General Dr. Sasse alongside Ulrich Tukur in Dieter Wedel's two-part TV film .

From 2010, he starred as the head police commissioner Karl Hidde in the crime series . Beginning in 2014, he played the lead role of head commissioner Ludwig Schaller in the crime series . It earned him awards such as the Bavarian TV Award, and the jury wrote that in his role as a commissioner who takes unusual approaches and is regarded as crazy, Held portrayed him as "a level-headed, intelligent man who, at first, appears to resign himself to his fate. His composed demeanour gave rise to wonderfully comic moments, for which this magnificent actor barely needed to change his expression." He gave the two head commissioners distinctly different characters.

Personal life From December 2005, Held was married to the actress Patricia Gräfin Fugger von Babenhausen, who died in 2014. His last residence was in Erl, Tyrol.

Held died in Erl after a short illness on 12 May 2026, at the age of 67.

Selected filmography Held played in more than 160 films and television series, including:

1974: Derrick (TV series) – Georg 1993: Schindler's List – SS bureaucrat 1993: (TV series) – Dr. Hagenberg 1996: (Deathline) – commissioner 1997: – Wempe 1998: Der Fahnder (TV Series) – Mackenrath 2000: Anatomy – police officer 2001: Der Schuh des Manitu (The Shoe of Manitou) – Karl May (cameo) 2001: – Drunk man 2001: Leo & Claire – Gauleiter 2002: Bibi Blocksberg – Dr. Buttkock 2003: Effroyables Jardins (Strange Gardens) – SS officer 2003–2009: Der Bulle von Tölz (TV series) – Hans Meidenbauer 2004: Before the Fall – Friedrich's father 2004: Der Untergang) (Downfall) – Walther Hewel 2005: Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage (Sophie Scholl – The Final Days) – Robert Mohr 2005: – Carsten 2006: Wholetrain – Officer Steinbauer 2006: (Life-Actually) – Happy Krüger 2007: (TV mini series) – Heinrich von Strahlberg 2008: Die Welle (The Wave) – Tim's Father 2008: The Baader Meinhof Complex – Siegfried Buback 2008: – Kugler Alois from 2008: (TV series) – head commissioner Karl Hidde 2009: Vision – Kuno 2009: Die Päpstin (Pope Joan) – Lothar I 2010: (Greed, TV series) – Dr. Saase 2010: Augustine: The Decline of the Roman Empire (TV film) – Older Valerius 2010: Nanga Parbat – Dr. Franz Burda (cameo) 2011: 4 Days in May – Colonel Wald 2013: Heute bin ich blond (The Girl with Nine Wigs) – Dr. Friedrich Leonhard from 2014: (TV series, 17 episodes) – Ludwig Schaller 2014: (Burning Souls, TV film) – Bishop Friedrich Förner 2015: Sanctuary – Hausvater Brockmann 2015: Tannbach (TV series) – Franz Schober 2017: Mein Blind Date mit dem Leben (My Blind Date with Life) – Fried

Awards 2014: Bavarian TV Awards as best actor in the category Series and Film Series for Ludwig Schaller in München Mord (ZDF) 2023: Honorary prize of for Ludwig Schaller in München Mord (ZDF)

References

External links

Short Biography and Film Overview at Prisma-Online

Alexander Held at talentrepublicagency.de (management)