Biografía
Matthias Bullach was born in Eschwege, Hessen, Germany. He is an actor, voice actor, narrator, coach, publisher, and businessman, appearing in over 100 productions. He is known for his roles as Detective Superintendent Mike Eschenbach in the series In the Name of the Law (1994-1996), 1st Officer on the Dream Ship (1997), Samson on Sesame Street (1989-1991), as a killer in several episodes of Tatort (1995-1998) and SOKO 5113 (1999-2004), Radovan in the Spanish series The Crack/El Crac, and Senator Reyes in the film Backseat Fighter (2016). In the acclaimed play Wait Until Dark (1996-1997) at Hamburg’s Theater im Zimmer, directed by Gerda Gmelin, he performed nearly 100 consecutive shows as the criminal Mike Talman.
From a young age, Bullach worked as an off-screen narrator for documentaries, commercials, radio plays, and audiobooks, later expanding into dubbing. His versatile voice has featured in numerous TV commercials and spots for leading brands such as Mercedes, Philadelphia, Nivea, L’Oréal, Villeroy & Boch, Manager Focus, Amazon, Pfanni, Beck’s Beer, Champagne, and Ferrero products like Giotto, Duplo, and Raffaello. He has also voiced campaigns for Claudia Schiffer, Macy Gray, Roger Hodgson, Lara Fabian, and others.
At 12, he performed Friedrich Schiller’s ballad "The Hostage" in a German competition at his high school, reciting 20 stanzas of 7 verses each. He received the highest award and was encouraged by his teachers to join the theatre group. At 13, he played his first major role as Ottavio in the commedia dell’arte play Pantalones Wedding at his high school theatre. This success solidified his ambition to become an actor, igniting a lifelong passion for embodying diverse characters.
After high school, before pursuing his professional acting career, Bullach completed a three-year apprenticeship as a businessman at Martin Luther King School Kassel (1980-1983), passing his final examination before the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. He then worked as a travel agent for five years (1980-1985), all the while continuing his theatre work.
Between 1985 and 1987, Bullach completed 20 months of community service on the North Sea island of Borkum at the YMCA Hotel Victoria, gaining experience in all hotel departments of this 400-bed establishment. In 1985, he founded The Young Theatre Borkum and made his directorial debut with the educational play What Does Love Mean Here?, which explores puberty, the discovery of sexuality, and normalizes gay and lesbian relationships. Bullach played Paul in the play and also portrayed the teacher. The production was a hit on the island but caused controversy with the conservative YMCA, leading to his dismissal months before his community service ended. Undeterred, he continued performing the play independently throughout the season.
From 1987 to 1990, Bullach studied acting at the Hamburg University of Music and Dramatic Arts while also training as a news anchor at the NDR television station. Concurrently, he worked for the EUROPA label, participating in various radio play series including Fife Friends (Constable Billings), The Three ???, TKKG, Bob the Builder, and Airwolf.
When Bullach secured the role of Samson (1989-1991) in Sesame Street, he traveled to New York for two summer seasons to study with Kermit Love of the Children’s Television Workshop. Love, the creator and designer of Samson and many Muppet Show and Sesame Street puppets, became a key mentor. Bullach portrayed Samson in over 120 episodes during three years.
He then played Architect Peter Tauschitz for one year in the Austrian series A Castle on Lake Wörth (1992-1993). Following this, he starred as Detective Superintendent Mike Eschenbach in the Berlin-based series In the Name of the Law (1994-1996). Although successful and fond of this role, Bullach sought a more varied career and left after two years to pursue diverse roles. This decision proved fruitful as he played a wide range of characters including lovers, playboys, family men (Alina, Dreamgate, Our Charly), aristocrats, lawyers, doctors, detectives, generals, criminals, unscrupulous politicians (Island of Fear), blackmailers (Tatort), Nazis, mafia figures, and murderers (Tatort, Soko). His typecasting increasingly leaned toward complex, villainous roles, often portraying broken characters hiding behind a facade of goodness. One of his dream roles remains Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
In 2001, Bullach founded MATTABU-Production, an audiobook publishing and production company, initially to produce The Little People of Swabedoo - Four Magical Stories, after no major publisher believed in its potential. Convinced of the stories’ magical essence and positive messages of love, strength, hope, and peace, Bullach persevered. Drawing on his business training and publishing knowledge, he promoted the audiobook tirelessly at book fairs in Frankfurt and Leipzig and through appearances at major bookstores. The audiobook reached Libri’s Top Ten Best List and was nominated for the HOERKULES Prize of the German Book Trade in 2002. Since 2001, Bullach has donated 50 cents from each audiobook sale to Aktion Mensch, personally presenting his first donation of €2,500 in 2002. In 2003, he released another beloved book as an audiobook, Johannes, by Heinz Körner, exploring self-discovery, the illusions of lies and compromises, human uniqueness, and the courage to follow one’s own path. Both audiobooks have remained continuously available for over 20 years at leading German bookstore chains such as Thalia, Hugendubel, and Weltbild.
Since 2008, Bullach has appeared in several international films and series in Spain, including the multi-part thriller EL Bloke/Coslada Cero (2008), where he played pimp and brothel owner Francisc Giurka. In The Crack/El Crac (2014) for TV3, he portrayed Radovan, the series’ enforcer. In Backseat Fighter (2016), he played the ruthless American Senator Reyes involved in intercontinental drug and arms deals. He also appeared as a Nazi doctor in a concentration camp in the series El Internado (2009), as well as generals and officers, maintaining his villainous persona abroad.
In recent years, Bullach has worked as a German language coach for Spanish and international actors and voice actors involved in major productions such as Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan, 2023), World on Fire (Peter Bohker, 2023), Bird Box (Alex & David Pastor, 2022), among others.
He continues to work as an actor, publisher, coach, narrator for radio plays, documentaries, commercials, theatre performances, and voice acting. Beyond film and theatre, he has a deep interest in voice and language, psychology, philosophy, evolutionary history, spirituality, and maintains a passion for adventure and travel.
Among his most significant journeys was a multi-month tour of Latin America and a voyage on a three-masted schooner through the Galapagos archipelago, visiting ten islands associated with Charles Darwin. Living aboard the old sailing ship, he swam and dived with dolphins, sharks, and sea lions.
Bullach’s strong connection to nature and spirituality helps him recharge. Since 2005, he has undergone significant spiritual development, studying Reiki under Reiki Master/Teacher Karin Haida at the Reiki & Energy Center in Cologne, Germany. He received his first-degree initiation in January 2013, second-degree initiation in January 2014, and was initiated as a Reiki Master in January 2015.
