When a Hollywood film is released in German cinemas, most viewers don't hear the original voices of the actors, but a carefully produced dubbed version in German. This involves much more than just translation: timing, expression, and recognizability play a decisive role. And this is precisely where many film fans eventually ask themselves the same question: who actually provides these voices?
Which voice actors dub these actors?
Christian Brückner
Starring: Robert De Niro, Martin Sheen, Peter Fonda, Harvey Keitel, Robert Redford, Dennis Hopper, Donald Sutherland, Jon Voight, among others
Christian Brückner is one of the best-known German voice actors. He has been working continuously in film, television, and audiobooks since the 1970s. In addition to his extensive dubbing work, he is also the narrator of numerous documentaries and audiobooks. Brückner is a typical example of voice talent who permanently lends his voice to several international top stars.
Frank Glaubrecht
Voices include: Al Pacino, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin Costner
Frank Glaubrecht is one of those voice talent whose voice is familiar from countless international productions, without necessarily being immediately associated with a single role. Over many years, he has lent his voice to various Hollywood actors in German and has thus been involved in a large number of cinema and television films. In addition to his work in the dubbing studio, he is also active as an audiobook narrator. His work stands for consistency, routine, and decades of practice in the German dubbing industry.
Detlef Bierstedt
Voices include: Adam Sandler, George Clooney, Bill Pullman
Detlef Bierstedt has been an integral part of the German dubbing scene for decades. He works regularly on film and television productions and can often be heard in major Hollywood projects. In addition to dubbing, he is also active as voice talent advertising formats and audiobooks.
Tobias Meister
Voices include: Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, Kiefer Sutherland, Hugh Jackman
Tobias Meister is one of the busiest voice actors of his generation. In addition to his work in front of the microphone, he also works as a dubbing director. His filmography includes a wide range of cinema and series productions, which means he works with several international actors at the same time.
Manfred Lehmann
Voices include: Bruce Willis, Kurt Russell, Gérard Depardieu
Manfred Lehmann is one of the most influential German dubbing voices of recent decades. His career began in the 1960s. In addition to his popular work in action films and cinema, he is also active as an actor, dialogue director, and author.
Leon Boden
Voices include: Denzel Washington, Jeff Goldblum
Until his death in 2020, Leon Boden was one of Germany's top voice actors. He worked on both film and television productions and often took on roles with a strong presence. He was also active on the theater stage.
Wolfgang Pampel
Voices include: Harrison Ford, Jean Reno, Dennis Quaid
Wolfgang Pampel has been working as a voice actor since the 1970s and has several decades of experience in dubbing. In addition to his work for international film stars, he has also appeared regularly in German television productions. His career spans several hundred dubbing roles.
Andreas Fröhlich
Voices include: Jim Carrey, Edward Norton
Andreas Fröhlich is not only known as a voice actor, but also as the narrator of the radio play series "Die drei ???" (The Three Investigators). He has been working in dubbing since the 1980s and is also active as a director, dialogue writer, and audiobook narrator.
David Nathan
Voices include: Johnny Depp, Vin Diesel, Christian Bale
David Nathan is one of Germany's most renowned active voice actors. In addition to his work for several Hollywood stars, he regularly lends his voice to audiobooks and video games. His career began at a young age and now encompasses a wide range of work.
Benjamin Völz
Voices include: Keanu Reeves, Matthew McConaughey
Benjamin Völz has been working in dubbing since the 1990s. He works on both film and television productions and is also active as a dialogue director and writer. His work focuses heavily on international leading roles.
Gerrit Schmidt-Foß
Voices include: Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tobey Maguire
Gerrit Schmidt-Foß began working in dubbing as a child. Today, he is one of the most sought-after German dubbing actors. In addition to dubbing, he also works as a dubbing director and supervises major international productions.
Engelbert of Nordhausen
Voices include: Samuel L. Jackson, Dennis Haysbert
Engelbert von Nordhausen has been active in dubbing and acting for many years. In addition to film and television roles, he also works on radio plays and advertising productions. He often takes on roles with authoritative or distinctive characters.
Frank Schaff
Voices include: Tom Cruise, Ethan Hawke
Frank Schaff has been working as a voice actor since the 1980s. He is also active as an actor, director, and producer. His voice acting career includes numerous leading roles in films.
Arne Elsholtz
Voices include: Tom Hanks, Bill Murray
Until his death in 2016, Arne Elsholtz was one of Germany's most prominent voice actors. In addition to his work in the dubbing studio, he was also active as a dialogue writer and director, and had a significant influence on many German versions of international films.
Ersin Topçu
Voices include: Will Smith, Chris Rock
Ersin Topçu has been working as a voice actor since the 1990s. In addition to film and television roles, he also works in comedy and animation. He is known for regularly dubbing several international actors.
Joachim Kerzel
Featuring the voices of: Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Robert Wagner, Harvey Keitel, Jean Reno, Anthony Hopkins
Joachim Kerzel stands for a form of dubbing work that focuses less on recognition and more on character depth. Over many years, he has lent his German voice to many distinctive character actors and has been involved in numerous demanding film productions. His work ranges from major cinema films to series and television productions. In 2003, Kerzel was awarded the German Dubbing Prize for his dubbing of Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt – recognition for his precise and nuanced voice work.
Jürgen Kluckert
Voices include: Morgan Freeman, Chuck Norris, Mr. Krabs (SpongeBob SquarePants)
For many years, Jürgen Kluckert was a fixture in the dubbing industry, covering an unusually wide range of roles. To younger generations, he was best known as Mr. Krabs from *SpongeBob SquarePants* and for his work in several Disney films, including *The Little Mermaid*, *Aladdin*, and *Mulan*. In addition, he regularly dubbed actors such as Danny Glover and James Brolin, and beginning in 2012, he took on the role of Donald Sutherland. Kluckert passed away on August 16, 2023.
Luise Helm
Starring, among others: Scarlett Johansson, Megan Fox, Lauren Ambrose, Shannon Elizabeth.
Luise Helm is an actress and voice actress for dubbing, radio plays, and audiobooks. In the field of dubbing, she is best known as the voice of Scarlett Johansson—a role she has played since the film *Match Point* (2005)—as well as for Megan Fox, Lauren Ambrose, and Shannon Elizabeth, among others; in *Her*, she also provided the voice for the AI character “Samantha.”
Since 2019, she has also been the voice of the Volkswagen brand’s sound logo: her voice is featured in various advertising formats (such as TV commercials, radio ads, and online videos) as the spoken brand name.
Katja Brügger
Starring, among others: Edie Falco, Kim Delaney, Ally Walker, Kirstie Alley.
Katja Brügger is a German actress and voice actress for audiobooks, radio plays, and dubbing. After completing her acting training at the Hamburg University of Music and Theater, she performed on various stages (including in Hamburg, Recklinghausen, Hildesheim, Bremen, and Cologne) and also appeared in television productions.
In the field of voice acting, she is particularly well-known for voicing Edie Falco, including her roles as Carmela Soprano in *The Sopranos* and Jackie Peyton in *Nurse Jackie*. She also provides the voices for Kim Delaney (e.g., *NYPD Blue*), Ally Walker (e.g., *Profiler*), and Kirstie Alley (e.g., *Fat Actress*), among others.
Nana Spier
Voice cast includes: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Claire Danes, Drew Barrymore, Liv Tyler, Thandiwe Newton.
Nana Spier is an actress, radio drama narrator, and audiobook narrator, and also works as a dialogue writer and dialogue director. She is best known as the regular voice actress for several international actresses, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Claire Danes, and Drew Barrymore.
In addition to dubbing films and TV series, she is also active in video games; for example, she voices the character Ashe in Overwatch.
Ulrike Stürzbecher
Featuring, among others: Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Pompeo, Patricia Arquette, Renée Zellweger, Zoe McLellan.
Ulrike Stürzbecher is an actress, voice actress, and radio drama narrator; in addition to her voice work, she has also appeared in film and television productions. She is best known to a wide audience for voicing Kate Winslet and Jennifer Aniston—as well as Ellen Pompeo and Patricia Arquette, among others.
Her voice acting work has been recognized on numerous occasions: In 1998, she received the Golden Screen Award for *Titanic*, and in 2010, she was honored with the German Voice Acting Award and the “Die Silhouette” Audience Award for *The Reader*. Since 2014, she has also served as the on-air voice for the radio station sixx.
Claudia Urbschat-Mingues
Voice cast includes: Angelina Jolie, Maria Bello, Rosario Dawson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Rachel Weisz, Vera Farmiga, Jennifer Connelly, Lana Parrilla.
Claudia Urbschat-Mingues works as an actress and voice actress and has been one of the most recognizable voices in German-language dubbing for many years. She is best known for her recurring voice work as Angelina Jolie, as well as for other international actresses such as Maria Bello, Rosario Dawson, and Jada Pinkett Smith.
In addition to voice-over roles, her professional career includes work on documentaries, voice-overs, and TV segments; her résumé also lists roles as a trailer voice-over artist (for Comedy Central and others). Since April 2014, she has been a regular fixture on TV, delivering the opening announcement for *Tagesschau* on *Das Erste*.
Ekkehard Belle (“Ekki”)
Voices include: Bill Bixby, Steven Seagal, Kevin Sorbo, Lorenzo Lamas, the Talking Hat (Harry Potter)
Ekkehard Belle was an actor and voice actor. Before he eventually specialized in voice acting, he was also active in the film and television industry—appearing on camera from an early stage—and later gained widespread recognition primarily for his iconic voice work for several international actors.
He passed away on January 31, 2022, in Munich at the age of 67. He was frequently cast as rugged, assertive characters and, in addition to live-action dubbing roles, also made his mark in popular franchises and animated series, including Smoker from*One Piece* and Fiesoduck from *Darkwing Duck*.
Hubertus von Lerchenfeld
Voiced by, among others: Jason Segel, Sanji (One Piece)
As an actor and voice actor, Hubertus von Lerchenfeld appears in film and TV series dubbing projects and also works as a scriptwriter and director. He is particularly associated with the role of Sanji, the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates in *One Piece*.
In addition, he plays a leading role in the KnowBe4 series *The Inside Man*, produced by VOX-OVER. This cybercrime/spy series has won multiple awards at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards since 2019; we are currently producing Season 7. Click here to visit the project page: *The Inside Man – Season 2*.
