Biography:

Dieter Mann was born in Berlin on June 20, 1941. After finishing his apprenticeship as a machine operator in Berlin, he was able to continue his education, and he studied to become a teacher. During this time, Mann began performing as a lay actor at the Berliner Ensemble. He studied acting at the Ernst Busch Schauspielschule (Academy of Dramatic Art) in Berlin from 1962 to 1964. After graduation, he immediately started his engagement at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, where he became a leading German theater actor.

Since 1965, Mann had worked continuously in both film and television. His film debut was in Gerhard Klein’s Berlin um die Ecke, which was banned in 1966 and did not premiere until 1987. He played leading roles in important contemporary films, such as Frank Beyer's Die sieben Affären der Dona Juanita, Helmut Schiemann's Auf der Suche nach Gatt, and Herrmann Zschoche's Glück im Hinterhaus. In the 1990s, he also played in TV crime films, including Der letzte Zeuge, and the popular Tatort series. Mann has worked with acclaimed directors, including Oliver Hirschbiegel (Der Untergang), Margarethe von Trotta (Das Versprechen) and Konrad Wolf (Ich war neunzehn).

Mann became the manager of the Deutsches Theater in 1984 and remained in that position until 1991. He was part of the Deutsches Theater ensemble until 2006 and continued to play as a guest actor there. Mann also appeared as a guest actor at various theaters, including at the Volksbühne Berlin (Der Kaufmann von Venedig, 2010, dir. Frank Castorf), the Residenz Theater in Munich (Die Geburtstagsfeier, 2010, dir. Thomas Langhoff), the Wiener Burgtheater (Wallenstein, 2009, dir. Thomas Langhoff), and the Berliner Ensemble (Goldbergvariationen, 2008, dir. Thomas Langhoff).

Dieter Mann was also known for many audiobook recordings of works by Joseph Roth, Friedrich Wolf, Hans Fallada and Stefan Zweig and also presented literary readings of the classics. Mann died on February 3, 2022.