---
name: "Herbert Grönemeyer"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/herbert-gronemeyer"
fi1m_id: "herbert-gronemeyer"
imdb_id: "nm0344963"
tmdb_id: 5228
wikidata_id: "Q275247"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "12 April 1956"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 84
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-10-07T10:49:11.093944+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Herbert Grönemeyer

## Identity

Herbert Grönemeyer

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/herbert-gronemeyer
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** herbert-gronemeyer
- **IMDb ID:** nm0344963
- **TMDB ID:** 5228
- **Wikidata ID:** Q275247
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q275247, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0344963/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5228

Actor. Born 12 April 1956 in Göttingen, Germany.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 12 April 1956, Göttingen, Germany
- **Active:** 1981–2007
- **Also known as:** ヘルバート・グリューネマイヤー
- **Frequently works with:** [Dean Riesner](https://film.one/person/dean-riesner.md), [Hubertus Bengsch](https://film.one/person/hubertus-bengsch.md), [Jürgen Prochnow](https://film.one/person/jurgen-prochnow.md), [Klaus Wennemann](https://film.one/person/klaus-wennemann.md), [Martin Semmelrogge](https://film.one/person/martin-semmelrogge.md), [Wolfgang Petersen](https://film.one/person/wolfgang-petersen.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 84, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 86 (2), 2000s 80 (1)
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 2 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, History 1, War 1, War & Politics 1
- **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $93m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q275247, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0344963/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5228

## Fi1m on Herbert Grönemeyer

> Herbert Grönemeyer earns his place in the working crew of *Das Boot*, though the film does not always make its men distinct. We recommend his work there without pretending his scattered later appearances support a sweeping verdict on his acting.

In *Das Boot* (1981), Herbert Grönemeyer's Leutnant Werner watches a submarine crew at work from the position of an outsider. Wolfgang Petersen gives this war correspondent a useful place in the film, letting us approach the men without pretending to share their experience. Grönemeyer is convincing among them, and we believe that this crew can work together under pressure. We felt the strain of their confinement because they remained credible as men doing a job, even when frightened. His performance helps make that anxiety matter.

The difficulty comes when we try to describe Werner apart from his function aboard. Grönemeyer belongs in the group, but the writing gives us too little to distinguish several of its members. Klaus Wennemann's chief engineer is part of that persuasive ensemble, while Jürgen Prochnow's captain supplies much of the film's weight. Petersen makes the shared pressure count, although more attention to the individual men would have made their fear more personal.

*Frühlingssinfonie* (1983) gave him the lead role of Robert Schumann, and he also composed the score. That put him at the centre of a biographical film after playing an observer in Petersen's ensemble. From the mid-1980s, though, music became his primary occupation, and acting appearances became occasional, mainly cameos. His screen reputation consequently rests heavily on Werner, rather than on a succession of leading parts.

Anton Corbijn later cast him as a local GP in *Control* (2007) and as Michael Axelrod in *A Most Wanted Man* (2014). Grönemeyer also composed the latter's score, continuing the overlap between his musical work and screen appearances. Those credits are worth recognising, but they are a thin basis for declaring a new direction in his acting. Start with *Das Boot*, and do not expect a restful evening.

## Biography

Herbert Grönemeyer is a German actor and musician. Born on 12 April 1956 in Göttingen, he grew up in Bochum and began working in theatre in the mid-1970s as a musical director and actor at the Schauspielhaus Bochum and other venues, without formal acting training.

He appeared in several German television productions in the late 1970s before gaining international recognition for his role as Leutnant Werner, the war correspondent, in Wolfgang Petersen's *Das Boot* (1981). He reprised the part in the 1985 television adaptation. Subsequent film roles include *Spring Symphony* (1983), in which he played Robert Schumann, and later appearances in *A Most Wanted Man* (2014) and *Control* (2007).

Although he later focused primarily on his music career, Grönemeyer continued occasional acting work.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, themoviedb.org, filmportal.de, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Control* (2007), Fi1m 80, as Local GP — [page](https://film.one/film/control.md)
- *Das Boot* (1985), Fi1m 84, as Leutnant Werner — [page](https://film.one/tv/das-boot-1985.md)
- *Das Boot* (1981), Fi1m 89, as Leutnant Werner — [page](https://film.one/film/das-boot.md)

## Complete filmography (23)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Herbert Grönemeyer - Zeche Bochum 1984* (2026), as keyb/voc
- *Grönemeyer – Alles bleibt anders* (2026), Actor
- *Max Raabe & Palast Orchester - MTV Unplugged* (2019), as Herbert Grönemeyer
- *Germans & Jews - Eine neue Perspektive* (2016), Actor
- *A Most Wanted Man* (2014), as Michael Axelrod · Original Music Composer
- *The American* (2010), Original Music Composer
- *Control* (2007), as Local GP — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/control.md)
- *FIFA 2006 Germany World Cup Opening Ceremony* (2006), Actor
- *Herbert Grönemeyer - Luxus live 91* (1991), Actor
- *Schmidteinander* (1990), series, Actor
- *Die Toten Hosen - 3 Akkorde für ein Halleluja* (1989), Actor
- *WAAhnsinn - der Film* (1986), Actor
- *Fathers and Sons: A German Tragedy* (1986), series, as Georg Deutz
- *Das Boot* (1985), series, as Leutnant Werner — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/das-boot-1985.md)
- *EL SUBMARINO Mini Serie TV* (1985), series, as Teniente Werner, corresponsal de guerra.
- *Die ewigen Gefühle* (1984), as Heinrich Anderer
- *Spring Symphony* (1983), as Robert Schumann
- *Doctor Faustus* (1982), as Deutschlin
- *Das Boot* (1981), as Leutnant Werner — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/das-boot.md)
- *Mosch* (1980), as Erster Kabarettist
- *Uns reicht das nicht* (1979), as Gerd
- *Zuhaus unter Fremden* (1979), as Bernd
- *Die Geisel* (1977), as Freiwilliger

## Gallery

- ![Die Bochumer Symphoniker spielen mit Herbert Grönemeyer ein Werbekonzert für die Philharmonie Bochum (2008)](https://film.one/media/person/103055/gallery-891a099fecc9.jpg) Die Bochumer Symphoniker spielen mit Herbert Grönemeyer ein Werbekonzert für die Philharmonie Bochum (2008) — Heinrich Kämpchen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/0806-08~003_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_singt_Bochum_f%C3%BCr_die_Symphonie.JPG/1280px-0806-08~003_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_singt_Bochum_f%C3%BCr_die_Symphonie.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Herbert Grönemeyer](https://film.one/media/person/103055/gallery-3d32e58cfbd4.jpg) Herbert Grönemeyer — Superbass, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/1LIVE_Krone_2014_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_1.jpg/1280px-1LIVE_Krone_2014_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![1LIVE Krone 2014 in der Bochumer Jahrhunderthalle: Herbert Grönemeyer mit Jochen Rausch auf dem roten Teppich](https://film.one/media/person/103055/gallery-7c18c487b056.jpg) 1LIVE Krone 2014 in der Bochumer Jahrhunderthalle: Herbert Grönemeyer mit Jochen Rausch auf dem roten Teppich — Superbass, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/1LIVE_Krone_2014_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_mit_Jochen_Rausch.jpg/1280px-1LIVE_Krone_2014_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_mit_Jochen_Rausch.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Crowd at the performance of Herbert Grönemeyer at the Christopher Street Day in Berlin. (2024)](https://film.one/media/person/103055/gallery-f71aff024037.jpg) Crowd at the performance of Herbert Grönemeyer at the Christopher Street Day in Berlin. (2024) — Leonhard Lenz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Crowd_at_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_on_stage_at_CSD_Berlin_2024-07-27_01.jpg/1280px-Crowd_at_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_on_stage_at_CSD_Berlin_2024-07-27_01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Herbert Grönemeyer](https://film.one/media/person/103055/gallery-0cc511e889c6.jpg) Herbert Grönemeyer — Image via TMDB
- ![Herbert Grönemeyer](https://film.one/media/person/103055/gallery-092c4d4980f0.jpg) Herbert Grönemeyer — Image via TMDB
- ![Crowd at the performance of Herbert Grönemeyer at the Christopher Street Day in Berlin. (2024)](https://film.one/media/person/103055/gallery-60a8aa623387.jpg) Crowd at the performance of Herbert Grönemeyer at the Christopher Street Day in Berlin. (2024) — Leonhard Lenz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Crowd_at_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_on_stage_at_CSD_Berlin_2024-07-27_02.jpg/1280px-Crowd_at_Herbert_Gr%C3%B6nemeyer_on_stage_at_CSD_Berlin_2024-07-27_02.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 9 won

- Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist 2015: Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist (won)
- Echo Pop Award for the Best Live Act 2012: Echo Pop Award for the Best Live Act (won)
- German Radio Award 2011: German Radio Award (won)
- Echo Pop Award for the Album of the Year 2008: Echo Pop Award for the Album of the Year (won), for *12*
- Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist 2008: Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist (won)
- Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist 2003: Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist (won)
- Echo Pop Award for the Hit of the Year 2003: Echo Pop Award for the Hit of the Year (won), for *Mensch*
- Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist 1994: Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist (won)
- Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist 1992: Echo Pop Award for the Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/herbert-gronemeyer