Roeland Wiesnekker


Roeland Wiesnekker is a Dutch / Swiss actor in movies and theater plays.

Life

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 started a cook apprenticeship, but did not agree with the “hierarchic structures”. At the age of 16 he planned to become a sports teacher, but soon took up work in a hospital instead. As the job as a male nurse did not satisfy him either, he began working in a Gassenküche, a job that moulded his character. Later he decided to become an actor.
From 1986 to 1989, he frequented the Schauspielakademie in Zürich. Even before he received the diploma, he was engaged by the theatre Schauspielhaus Bochum, Germany. In 1990 he was nominated for the award Deutscher Nachwuchsschauspieler des Jahres. 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 part in short film Karl and afterwards e.g. in the Eurocops series with Barbara Rudnik. Since the summer of 2003 he joint the cast of Swiss sitcom Lüthi und Blanc. In 2005 Wisenekker was awarded the Schweizer Filmpreis als Bester Hauptdarsteller for his role of drug addict policeman Herbert Strähl in Strähl. Ever since then Wiesnekker was able to select his roles himself, even abroad. He likes to learn his lines in crowded pubs.
He chooses his roles intuitively, not necessarily big ones. The characters should be complex, the script interesting and the director gifted.

Cinema films (selection)