Acting
Apr 25, 1959
Leipzig, Germany
Tom Pauls
Acting
Biography
Tom Uwe Pauls is a German actor, musician, and author, best known for his long association with theatres in Dresden and for creating the popular Saxon comedy character Ilse Bähnert.Born in Leipzig, Pauls grew up in the south-east of the city, near the Monument to the Battle of the Nations. From the age of seven he sang in the radio children's choir and took piano and guitar lessons. His acting talent was recognized early, leading him to study at the Theaterhochschule Leipzig from 1979 to 1983. While studying, he earned money by playing in a band and, together with fellow students Jürgen Haase and Peter Kube, founded the Zwinger Trio.After graduating, Pauls joined the Staatsschauspiel Dresden, where he enjoyed particular success as Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Don Cirillio in Goldoni’s The War, and Ariel in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.In 1991 he began working as a freelance actor and created his first solo program, Saxon Variations. In it he developed the character of Ilse Bähnert, a funny Saxon widow who has since become a cult figure in Saxon comedy. In 1994, together with colleagues, he founded the Dresdner Theaterkahn and the Kleine Burgtheater Stolpen.Since 1991 Pauls has also been a regular performer at the Dresden State Operetta, appearing in productions such as La Cage aux Folles, Die Fledermaus (as the frog), Bluebeard, Die schöne Helena, and as Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady. He frequently performs with orchestras including the Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen and the Dresden Philharmonic.A passionate advocate of the Saxon dialect, Pauls selects the “Saxon Word of the Year” annually on the Day of German Unity through his Ilse Bähnert Foundation. He has written or co-written several books, including Das wahre Leben der Ilse Bähnert, Deutschland, Deine Sachsen, the biography of Saxon poet Lene Voigt, and several crime novels featuring Ilse Bähnert. In 2011 he fulfilled a long-held dream by opening his own theatre in Pirna, the gateway to Saxon Switzerland.Pauls lives with his family in Dresden, not far from the famous Blue Wonder bridge.
Feature Films (15)
For his mockery a witch transforms the pert boy Jacob into an ugly dwarf, but teaches him at the same time how to cook. Jacob quickly becomes a master of his trade and is named the prince's first cook. Only the mysterious herb "sneeze-with-passion" is unknown to him. Based on a fairy tale by Wilhelm Hauff.
Dwarf Nose
The opera singer Ludwig Löwenhaupt wants a proper festive roast for Christmas, so he buys a goose in advance to feed the whole family. What he doesn't realize, however, is that the children, Elli, Gerda and Peterle, will grow fond of the animal, which is christened Gustje, and will no longer want to eat it. After the "liberation", the "five kilos of meat", which were initially locked up in the cellar, become a pet that the children take to bed with them and communicate with. But shortly before Christmas, father Löwenhaupt still wants to slaughter them. However, as his family protests and his conscience gets in the way, he can't slaughter the goose after all. So Gustje only has to leave a few feathers as proof that she has been plucked, and the opera singer is given another goose that has already been cut up.
Die Weihnachtsgans Auguste
The fact that chocolate makes you happy is something that the travel-loving Saxon brought back with her from a sweet tour through central Germany. Especially as she has also brought happiness in the form of sweets for on and under the Christmas tree in her café in Pirna. Ilse Bähnert indulges in memories of her trip to the region's chocolate manufacturers, where she melted away with Ute Freudenberg and Katrin Weber, among praline balls, nougat bars and drinking chocolate. Not only because Ilse was allowed to become a "chocolatier" herself, she notes - Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt have been Germany's most traditional chocolate countries for over 100 years. Frank Schöbel is coming directly to Pirna, bringing his favorite Christmas cookies and cheerful, contemplative songs with him.
Ilse Bähnerts süße Weihnacht
Television & Series (12)
Polizeiruf 110 is a long-running German language detective television series. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic Republic, and after the dissolution of Fernsehen der DDR the series was picked up by ARD. It was originally created as a counterpart to the West German series Tatort, and quickly became a public favorite.
Polizeiruf 110
Polizeiruf 110 is a long-running German language detective television series. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic Republic, and after the dissolution of Fernsehen der DDR the series was picked up by ARD. It was originally created as a counterpart to the West German series Tatort, and quickly became a public favorite.
Polizeiruf 110
A 30-minute weekly cultural magazine program. The head of aspekte, Wolgang Herles, describes the program as follows: "For 40 years, "aspekte" has repeatedly set out to enrich television with cultural contrasts. "aspekte" understands culture not as the sum of facts and events, but as the taste, the sound, the rhythms of the times. It has proven itself as a journal of true luxury and fashions as well as an instrument of public education and information."
