Thorsten Merten (born December 4, 1963, in Ruhla) is a German actor.
Thorsten Merten originally intended to become a journalist and initially worked as a trainee at the newspaper *Das Volk*. After completing his military service, he underwent acting training from 1986 to 1990 at the "Ernst Busch" Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin, where he attended the newly established cabaret department and graduated with a diploma in cabaret performance.
This was followed by engagements at various theaters both at home and abroad, including the Théâtre Vidy in Lausanne, the Staatstheater Schwerin, the Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, the Volksbühne Berlin, and the Deutsches Theater Berlin. For his stage work, he was awarded the Conrad Ekhof Prize in 1999.
His notable stage roles include McMurphy in *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*, the Ghost in *Hamlet*, as well as roles in *Ivanov*, *Prometheus*, and *Sonnenallee*. In 2024, he played the role of operations manager Kuckuck in the operetta *Messeschlager Gisela* at the Komische Oper Berlin.
Merten gained his first experience in front of the camera in 1992 in Andreas Dresen's film *Stilles Land*. He achieved his breakthrough in 2001 with the tragicomedy *Halbe Treppe* (Grill Point), also directed by Dresen. Since then, he has appeared regularly in both feature films and television productions.
Merten also gained recognition through roles in *Wilsberg*, *Afrika, mon amour*, *Bella Block*, *Helen Dorn*, *Donna Leon*, and numerous episodes of *Tatort*. From 2013 to 2021, he played the role of precinct chief Stich in the Weimar-based *Tatort* series. Since 2009, he has portrayed Chief Inspector—later Police Commissioner—Martin Fichte in the ZDF series *Spreewaldkrimi*.
He has also played lead roles in other productions, including *Silvi* and *Fremdkörper*. In 2021, he received the German Film Award for his supporting role in *Curveball – Wir machen die Wahrheit*. Furthermore, Merten came up with the idea for the Netflix series *Das letzte Wort*, in which he appeared alongside Anke Engelke.
as Jan Jürgens
as Jan Jürgens
as Andrè
as Harald Wischnewsky
as Joachim
as Werner Barth
as Uwe
as Rolf Lebert(3 eps)
as Matt(6 eps)
as Adrian Stieglitz
as Dr. Minergerode
as Fritz Malowski
as Achim Sauer
as Rainer Müller(1 ep)
as Passfälscher
as Dieter
as Oliver
as Jens Lamprecht(6 eps)
as Dr. Peters(6 eps)
as Olli Hansen(1 ep)
as Dieter Beil
as Major Schreier(7 eps)
as Joachim Sauer
as Herr Rödder
as Vermieter
as Herr Flickendorf
as Manfred Prohaska
as Hajo Gärster(6 eps)
as Bernhard Elster
as Nowak(6 eps)
as Dirk
as Schatz
as Wärter Grunert
as Andreas Borowski(6 eps)
as Hönings
as Frank Pielcke(4 eps)
as Vogtländer
as Kurt Lehrmann
as Helmut Mayer
as Mr. Flickendorf
as Alfred Hoppe
as Taxifahrer Klaus
as German Journalist
as Puppenspieler
as Arzt
as Professor
as Doros Chef
as Rainer Welke
as Bahr(4 eps)
as Henning(34 eps)
as Stefan
as Meier
as Joseph Pilaster
as Joseph Pilaster(2 eps)
as Thomas
as Otto Suhlke(1 ep)
as Ralf "Ralle" Pietzsch(6 eps)
as Verfassungsschützer F. – Sachsen
as Wolfgang
as Hans Bochow
as der Bürochef
as Manfred
as Bruno
as Wachmann Strauch(1 ep)
as Martin Heidemanns
as Robber
as Klaus Padberg
as Michael
as Hofrat
as Hans Leutner
as Jürgen Beck(1 ep)
as Klaus Rubinstein
as Dr. Meisner(1 ep)
as Harald Steiner(1 ep)
as Heribert Stein
as Frank
as Erhard
as Rüdiger
as André Spanuth
as Kollath
as Apotheker Walter
as Jörg Hilbert
as Arndt Buchwald(1 ep)
as Schlickenrieder
as Alexander
as Forster
as Chefredakteur der „Sport im Bild“
as Friedrich
as Klaus Garbers
as Toni Harmann
as Van Gogh(1 ep)
as Bernd Wöhler(1 ep)
as Reinhold
as Lutz Ebeling(1 ep)
as Jochen Pohl(1 ep)
as Fichte(17 eps)
as Martin Fichte(1 ep)
as Manuel Lichtenberg(1 ep)
as Achim Kaminski(1 ep)
as Vater
as Hubert
as Herr Steiner
as Falk Link(1 ep)
as Lehrer Behnke
as Robert Stein(1 ep)
as Peter Graf Yorck v. Wartenburg
as Georg
as Raik Schleusser(1 ep)
as Lars Beck(1 ep)
as Kurt Schmidt(1 ep)
as Krausser
as Frank(1 ep)
as Christian
as Stefan Schiener(1 ep)
as Volker Hoss(1 ep)
as Palazzi(1 ep)
as Piero Sartor(1 ep)
as Hartmut Schild(1 ep)
as Uwe Diepenbrock(1 ep)
as Rainer Wiedemann(1 ep)
as Bodo Seitz(1 ep)
as Maik Lehmann(1 ep)
as Peet
as Peter Liersch(1 ep)
as Jörg Bauer(1 ep)
as Kai Finke
as Self(1 ep)
as Hannes Iwanowski(1 ep)
as Jan Jürgens(2 eps)
as Kriminalhauptkommissar Kurt Stich
as Kurt Stich(11 eps)
as Robert Roetgen(1 ep)
as Christof Rüter(1 ep)
as Walter Lemke(1 ep)
as Kommissariatsleiter Kurt Stich
as Christian Wilmots(1 ep)
as Thomas Peters(1 ep)
as Peter Lessing(1 ep)