Alexander Finkenwirth

Alexander Finkenwirth was born in Wiesbaden, Hesse, in 1986 and grew up in Frankfurt am Main surrounded by many different cultural influences – his mother is from Brazil, his grandparents are from the Baltic States and Russia, and his single father is German but very religious and Russian Orthodox.

All this did not exactly make it easy for him to find his identity as a teenager, but he soon discovered the subculture of Frankfurt hip hop, becoming enthusiastic about graffiti and rap. A journalist later wrote: Alexander has enough transitions in his biography for three people.

After dropping out of law school in Mainz, Finkenwirth studied acting at the University of Film and Television in Potsdam, where he became a member of the ensemble at the Hans Otto Theatre in Potsdam in 2012 while still a student. There he played numerous leading roles, including the title roles in Goethe's ‘Torquato Tasso’ (directed by Tina Engel), Shakespeare's “Hamlet” (directed by Alexander Nerlich) and in the world premiere of Uwe Tellkamp's novel ‘Der Eisvogel’ (directed by Stefan Otteni), quickly becoming a favourite with audiences.

For his portrayal of the title character in Ibsen's Peer Gynt (directed by Alexander Nerlich), he was nominated as ‘Young Actor of the Year’ in the renowned trade magazine theater heute in 2016.

Finkenwirth also appears as a guest performer at other theatres such as the Staatstheater Mainz, the Ernst Deutsch Theater in Hamburg and the Volksbühne in Berlin.

His impressive and haunting portrayal of a gunman in his film debut in TOTALE STILLE earned him a nomination for the Max Ophüls Prize in the category ‘Best Actor’ in 2014.

His television debut, the highly acclaimed portrayal of a crystal meth-addicted murderer in the Kiel Tatort episode ‘Borowski und der Himmel über Kiel’ (Borowski and the Sky over Kiel), directed by Christian Schwochow, also underscores his talent for playing enigmatic, ambiguous characters.

In addition to numerous roles in well-known television formats such as Polizeiruf 110, Soko Leipzig, Neben der Spur and Großstadtrevier, appearances in international series such as Das Boot soon followed.

Finkenwirth demonstrated his Russian language skills in 2020 in the internationally successful series ‘Deutschland 89’ in the recurring role of a KGB agent.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, Lars Kraume cast Alexander Finkenwirth in a leading role alongside Anna Maria Mühe and August Diehl in his 2019 series ‘Die neue Zeit’ (The New Era), a brilliant television film.

As the intellectual and progressive politician Alexander von Bach, Finkenwirth shines in the first season of the international Netflix hit series ‘Die Kaiserin’ (The Empress) in 2022, which wins an International Emmy for Best Drama Series in the winter of 2023. He appears in front of the camera in Czechia and Germany for the second season in 2024. The final season was filmed in autumn 2025.

Alexander Finkenwirth demonstrates his comedic talent in the successful ZDFneo series Späti, playing the role of Konnopke, a heavy drinker and Fred's best mate, who is forced to run the shop against his will.

The series ‘Westend Girl’ (directed by Pola Beck/Stefan Schaller), a Flare Film production for ARD/SWR/arte, is also in the works. Alexander Finkenwirth plays one of the leading roles. The broadcast is planned for 2026.

In the summer of 2025, Alexander Finkenwirth also played the lead role in the English-language cinema production (GB/IRL) FARAWAY HOME, directed by Terry Loane. The screenplay is based on true events surrounding the Kindertransporte in 1938. Filming took place over six weeks in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The film will be released in 2026.

Alexander Finkenwirth lives in Berlin.

(11/2025)