Ben Becker

Actor

Ben Becker, born in Bremen in 1964, is one of the most distinctive faces in German film and television. The son of Monika Hansen and Rolf Becker, stepson of Otto Sander, and brother of Meret Becker, he has made a name for himself with intense, often edgy characters. After early work in television, he made his breakthrough in the mid-1990s with the feature film Schlafes Bruder (1995, directed by Joseph Vilsmaier), followed later by the highly acclaimed ensemble performance in the historical film Comedian Harmonists (1997, also directed by Joseph Vilsmaier). His film profile also focuses on works that deal with German history and social upheaval. In the drama VON JETZT AN KEIN ZURÜCK (2014, directed by Christian Frosch), he plays the strict, authoritarian father of the main character Ruby, representing a repressive image of parents and society in the late 1960s. In DER EINSTEIN DES SEX (1999, directed by Rosa von Praunheim), he plays the publicist and activist Adolf Brand and is part of an ensemble that sheds light on the life of sex researcher Magnus Hirschfeld. In the documentary KURT GERRON'S CAROUSEL (1999, directed by Ilona Ziok), Ben Becker appears in a film that traces the life of Kurt Gerron, a Jewish entertainer persecuted by the Nazis, and his forced labor in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. In addition to these titles, numerous other productions have shaped his profile: from the dark drama Schlafes Bruder to Comedian Harmonists to television films and crime series, Becker displays a range of sensitive, internally torn characters to uncompromising, threatening characters. He has received numerous awards for his performances, including the Adolf Grimme Prize in silver and gold in the early 1990s, the Golden Camera in 1998, and the Bavarian Film Prize for his performance in Comedian Harmonists. Ben Becker has thus established himself as one of the most influential character actors in German-language film, whose work in cinema, television, and on stage

Films on Sooner

Rough Road Ahead

2014

109 mins

Drama

In 1968, Martin and Ruby flee the countryside and a destructive family. Nine years later, they are fighting for love, dignity—and against pain.

Kurt Gerron's Carousel

1999

65 mins

Documentary, Classics, Music, Dance, Theater

An award-winning, authentic film about the Holocaust. "It’s a well done, very moving documentary." (Roman Polanski)