Matthias Freihof (born 25 November 1961) is a German

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and director. He has performed in many TV films and series including police drama Siska for 5 years. but also works on live stage performing as an actor and a singer. He is most known for the 1989 East German film ''

Coming Out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

''. He and the film won prizes in several festivals as best actor and best film as well as 'The Silver Bear' in the Berlin Film Festival 1990.

Life

Freihof was born in

Plauen Plauen (; ; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany with a population of around 65,000. It is Saxony's 5th most populated city after Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Zwickau, the second-largest city of the Vogtland after Gera, as well as the largest cit ...

on 25 November 1961. After graduating from high school and completing his three-year military service in the NVA, Freihof then studied at Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. He made his stage debut at the Maxim Gorki Theater in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

between 1983 and 1984 in ''The Pilot Of the Stars''. He then spent two years at the Kleist Theater in

Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...

from 1987 to 1989. His first TV movie role was a student in ''Die erste Reihe'' in 1987. His first

DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PR ...

film was "Käthe Kollwitz", where he played the son of Jutta Wachowiak. His second film role, at age 27, was in ''

'', an

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

-themed film and one of the last DEFA productions. He played Philip, a teacher realising late in life that he is gay.Brigitta B. Wagner (Editor) Freihof himself also came out as gay after the film's release. He had come out as a teenager, but wanted to come out officially and to the public (such as in interviews). In 1989, he performed in ''Cabaret Intim'' at the Berliner Palast der Republik, and then ''Spass am sein'' in 1990. From 1992 to 1994, he went on an international tour with the musical program ''Leidenschaften''. Freihof has also been active as a singer. He released a song titled ''Tastes Your Life after Chamomile Tea'' (1989). From 1996 to 1997, he played teacher Boris Magnus in the ARD series '' Marienhof''. From 1998 to 2003, in 50 episodes, he played the role of "Assistant Lorenz Wigand" to Chief Commissioner Siska in the eponymous ZDF crime series. He had guest appearances in ''Mona M. – Mit den Waffen einer Frau'' and Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei, both in 1996, and '' Der Alte'' in 1997. At times he taught as a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

at his former drama school, the Ernst Busch and the Berlin School of Drama. Freihof played

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

, the Reichsführer of the

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

(SS) in the movie ''

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

'', about the Stauffenberg assassination ('' Operation Valkyrie''), which reconstructed the assassination of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

on July 20, 1944 and starred

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

as Stauffenberg. However, his two short scenes were cut from the final theatrical version. After leaving the TV show ''Siska'', he has mainly worked on the stage. In 2008, he directed a play called "Ganz Kerle", which was performed in the Theater am Kurfürstendamm in Berlin. He also brought Canadian comedy "Whole Guys" by Kerry Renards to the stage. He has directed in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

and had a starring role at Berlin's Schlosspark-Theater.

Personal life

Freihof is openly gay and is married with a husband.

Filmography

Film

TV

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freihof, Matthias 1961 births Living people People from Plauen People from Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt East German actors German male film actors German male television actors German gay actors Male actors from Saxony