Michael Gwisdek

Michael Gwisdek — Biography

Michael Gwisdek, born on 14 January 1942 in the Weißensee district of Berlin, worked across his career as both a German film actor and a director. He trained at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, performed at the Volksbühne Berlin and the Deutsches Theater, and broke through on screen with the 1983 film Olle Henry.

Following German reunification he became widely known for roles in Nachtgestalten, Good Bye, Lenin! and Oh Boy, typically playing comic, melancholic and eccentric outsiders; his performance in Nachtgestalten won him a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Gwisdek died in Schorfheide on 22 September 2020.