Actor Florian Bartholomäi (37) is a real “crime scene” villain specialist; he has already appeared in a Sunday crime thriller a total of 13 times, including three times (2014, 2017, 2020) as Inspector Faber (Jörg Hartmann, 54), insidious adversary Markus Graf in the Dortmund crime novels. Most recently he played Chief Public Prosecutor Heise in the legal drama “She says. He says.” (2024) by Ferdinand von Schirach (59). The artist, who was born in Frankfurt am Main, also embodies a lawyer in his new film: in the episode “Relapse” of the TV series “Letzte Spur Berlin” (since 2012), which will be broadcast on ZDF on May 3rd at 9:15 p.m .
In a lifestyle interview with spot on news, Florian Bartholomäi reveals what he does outside of acting. For example, there is the Berliner-by-choice’s great love of France…
France is both his favorite vacation spot and the country where he could imagine living for a longer period of time. If he could travel in a time machine, however, he would end up in Italy, more precisely “during the Renaissance in Rome”, i.e. the mid-15th to mid-16th centuries. There he would also find the person in contemporary history whom he would have liked to have met: the Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). In both countries, his current favorite app, the language course service Duolingo, could certainly provide him with valuable services. “I try to learn a few words every day,” says Bartholomäi.
In addition, his favorite pastime is “a long meal with friends.” From time to time they probably get to enjoy his cooking and his favorite dish: “I make venison leg once a year and that’s a highlight,” he enthuses. However, things are completely different when it comes to what is actually a very popular dessert: “I have a hard time with tiramisu,” says the actor about his feared opponent in the kitchen. When it comes to calorie bombs, Bartholomäi relies on a different sweet anyway: “Chocolate and more chocolate,” he says.
Speaking of sweets, what about diets? He has already tried “FDH – eat half,” says Bartholomäi. But he doesn’t seem to be really happy with it, because he also admits: “Unfortunately, I lack the discipline when it tastes too good.” The actor shows a lot of discipline in another field: “I have always enjoyed martial arts since I was a child.” The fact that he keeps himself fit cannot be overlooked in his film and television productions.
Bartholomäi took off from the start in his career and took on the lead role in his first feature film, “Kombat Sixteen” (2005). This was followed by sensational cinema productions such as the Oscar-winning film “The Reader” (2008) with Kate Winslet (48), the fantasy trilogy Ruby Red (2013), Sapphire Blue (2014) and Emerald Green (2016) or the Oscar-nominated film “Werk ohne Author” (2018) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (51). And he also made a name for himself on TV almost from the start. He received three awards, including the German Television Prize, for his leading role in the episode “Bloch: Schattenkind” (2009).
He also relies on a clear line when it comes to fashion taste. It can be classic and down-to-earth. When it comes to fashion role models, he thinks of an award-winning US series format. “The show ‘Mad Men’ had great men’s fashion,” he says of the drama series, which was produced from 2007 to 2015, was set in 1960s New York and won numerous Golden Globes and Emmys. However, Florian Bartholomäi feels most comfortable in the here and now and simply in “jeans, boots and a T-shirt”.
