Roeland Wiesnekker

Roeland Wiesnekker (pron. 'Roo-Land') (b. 25 November 1967 near Zürich) is a Swiss actor in movies and theater plays.

Wiesnekker grew up in a music-loving family and tried out various instruments. Despite that, he wanted to become an actor, because he adored Charlie Chaplin. At the age of 15, Wiesnekker began doing an education as a cook, but that couldn’t satisfy him, because of the “hierarchic structures”. One of his hobbies were sports, so he planned to become a sports teacher at the age of 16, but cancelled this plans and started working in a hospital. Soon he noted, that the job as a male nurse wasn’t meant for him. He began working in a Gassenküche (literally “alleyway-kitchen” - a soup kitchen for the homeless and those people, who are addicted to drugs.), a job that coined him deeply. Then he finally decided to become an actor.

From 1986 to 1989, he frequented the Schauspielakademie (a drama school) in Zürich. Even before he received the diploma, he was engaged by the theater Schauspielhaus Bochum, Germany. In 1990, he was nominated for the award Deutscher Nachwuchsschauspieler des Jahres (German new blood actor of the year). Wiesnekker went back to Zürich – despite offers of possible roles abroad. In Zürich he participated in very different productions e.g. in Der Menschenfeind at the Schauspielhaus Zürich.

He was already familiar with film acting in 1989, having played a role in short film Karl and afterwards e.g. in the Eurocops series (1991) with Barbara Rudnik (Director: Markus Imboden). Beginning in summer 2003, he was part of Swiss sitcom Lüthi und Blanc. In 2005, Wisenekker has got the Schweizer Filmpreis als Bester Hauptdarsteller (Swiss film award for the best main role) for his role of drug addict policeman Herbert Strähl in Strähl. Frow then on, Wiesnekker was able to select his roles himself, even abroad (He speaks German, Swiss German, Dutch, English and French). He likes to learn his lines in fully occupied beer taverns. He chooses his roles intuitively, they don’t have to be big, but have to contain complex characters, a good book and a good director.

• The Silence (Director: Baran bo Odar), 2010
• Marmorera (Director: Markus Fischer), 2007
• Breakout (Director: Mike Eschmann), 2006
• Strähl (Director: Manuel Flurin Hendry), 2004
• Eden (Director: Michael Hofmann), 2004
• Bad News (short film) (Director: Christian Roesch), 2004
• 666 - Trau keinem mit dem Du schläfst (Director: Rainer Matsutani), 2002
• Stille Liebe (Director: Christoph Schaub), 2001
• Komiker (Director: Markus Imboden), 2000
• Katzendiebe (Director: Markus Imboden), 1996
• Der Nebelläufer (Director: Jörg Helbling), 1995
• Always & Forever (1991)

• Tarragona (Director: Peter Keglevic), 2006
• Nebenwirkungen (Director: Manuel Siebenmann), 2006
• Dr. Psycho (Director: Ralf Huettner), 2006
• Der falsche Tod (Director: Martin Eigler), 2006
• Blackout – Die Erinnerung ist tödlich (Director: Peter Keglevic, Hans Günter Bücking), 2005
• Tatort – Schneetreiben (Director: Tobias Ineichen), 2005
• Schwabenkinder (Director: Jo Baier), 2003
• Königskinder (Director: Isabel Kleefeld), 2002
• Füür oder Flamme (Director: Markus Fischer), 2002
• Dilemma (Director: Tobias Ineichen), 2002
• Hat er Arbeit? (Director: Kai Wessel), 2000
• Wolfsheim (Director: Nicole Weegmann), 2000
• Erhöhte Waldbrandgefahr (Director: Matthias Zschocke), 1996

• Clockwork Orange (Director: Michel Schröder), Fabriktheater Zürich, 2004
• Nur noch heute (Director: Barbara David Brüesch), Theater Gessnerallee Zürich and Sophiensäle Berlin, 2004
• Heinrich IV (Director: Stefan Pucher), Schauspielhaus Zürich, 2002