In The Lives of Others (2006), he plays an agent of the Staatssicherheit, East Germany's main security and intelligence organization. The role had particular resonance for him, as he was under surveillance by the Stasi, being a noted theater actor. In a tie-in book promoting the film, he claimed that his ex-wife Jenny Gröllmann was registered as an informant during their marriage. Nevertheless, she denied those allegations until her death.
