Rolf Kanies (born 21 December 1957) is a German actor who played many high-profile roles on the stage before switching to a career in film and television in 1997. Since then Kanies has specialized in German and international film and television. Movies he has played in have been nominated for a variety of international awards, including an Oscar.

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Rolf Kanies
Kanies in 2009
Born	(1957-12-21) 21 December 1957 (age 66) Bielefeld, West Germany
Other names	Ralph Kaines, Rolf Kanis
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979-present

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Born in Bielefeld, Kanies studied at the Westfälische Schauspielschule Bochum and at the Universität der Künste (UdK) Berlin. Upon completing his studies, he embarked on a career in the theatre. His first engagement was at the Hebbel-Theater in Berlin, followed by other works at the Schauspielhaus Bochum, the Staatstheater Kassel and productions in Krefeld, Neuss, Cologne, Weimar, Graz (Austria), Basel (Switzerland) and at the Garsington Opera Festival (Oxford, England).

Kanies' roles have included many Shakespearean characters such as Hamlet, Romeo, Mercutio, Macbeth, Theseus/Oberon (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Sir Toby (Twelfth Night), Dromio of Ephesus (A Comedy of Errors) and Lucio (Measure for Measure). Other prominent roles were those of Faust, Orest (Iphigenia) and Biff (Death of a Salesman).

He also played several lead roles in musicals.

Starting in the 1990s, Kanies played in a large variety of German television series and movies and in eight feature films. His film debut was Dark Days, directed by Margarethe von Trotta. In 1998, Rolf had his first international appearance in the science fiction series Lexx, in which he played Reginald J. Priest, a troubled alien who is also the President of the United States. In the same year Kanies played Adolf Hitler in the American production Joe and Max directed by Steve James (STARZ! Pictures). In 2004, Kanies performed the role of Gen. Hans Krebs in Oliver Hirschbiegel's Downfall, which was nominated for an Oscar. In 2008, he played the war veteran Friedrich Hoch in A Woman In Berlin, directed by Max Färberböck, which won the Best International Feature Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2009. In 2008 Rolf also appeared in the movie The Countess as Count Krajevo, a film by Julie Delpy.

• 1979 Schauspielhaus Bochum
• 1981 Schauspielhaus Bochum
• 1981 Hebbeltheater Berlin
• 1982–1986 Schauspielhaus Graz
• 1991 Schauspielhaus Bochum
• 1996–1997 Staatstheater Kassel
• 1997 RLT Neuss
• 1998 OD-Theater Basel "Don Carlos"
• 1998 Kunstfest Weimar " Sturm und Drang"
• 1999 Garsington Opera Festival "Entführung aus dem Serail"
• 2000 Schauspiel Berlin "Warten auf Godot"