Biography
Gerald Alexander Held (born 19 October 1958) is a German actor renowned internationally for his portrayals of historical figures. Notable roles include Walther Hewel in the 2004 film Der Untergang, Robert Mohr in the 2005 film Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage, and state prosecutor Siegfried Buback in the 2008 film Der Baader Meinhof Komplex.
During his school years, Held was a soloist with the Regensburger Domspatzen choir and played football for TSV 1860 München, achieving five youth championships. He completed his acting training at the Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts in Munich, after which he joined the Munich Kammerspiele. He subsequently performed at the Staatsschauspiel Hannover, the Freien Volksbühne Berlin, Theater Basel, and participated in the Salzburg Festival.
In 1993, Held made his television film debut as Morlock in a production directed by Klaus Emmerich. Since then, he has appeared in numerous film and television projects, including Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, Marc Rothemund's Sophie Scholl - The Last Days, and Oliver Hirschbiegel's Downfall. In the Sat.1 series Der Bulle von Tölz, alongside Ottfried Fischer, he portrayed a Social Democratic Party Bundestag member responsible for overseeing his opponents in the "Bavarian Unity Party".
In 2007, Held starred alongside Iris Berben as the avaricious antagonist Heinrich von Strahlberg in the two-part TV film Afrika, mon amour. The following year, he portrayed Alois Kugler, Brandner Kaspar’s adversary, in the film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier. In 2009, he played the politically savvy abbot Kuno in Margarethe von Trotta’s film Vision, featuring Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, and Hannah Herzsprung. That same year, he appeared as Frankish Emperor Lothar I in Sönke Wortmann’s Pope Joan. In 2010, Held took on the role of Attorney General Dr. Sasse alongside Ulrich Tukur in Dieter Wedel's two-part TV film Greed. Since 2010, he has starred as head commissioner Karl Hidde in the crime series Stralsund, and from 2014 onward, he has played the lead role of head commissioner Ludwig Schaller in the crime series München Mord.
Held’s father was actor José Held, who passed away in 1974. Beginning in December 2005, Held was married to German actress Patricia Gräfin Fugger von Babenhausen (1961–2014).
