The Biography

Marko Dyrlich (born 1975 in Bautzen) is a German-Sorbian actor who frequently takes on the role of the villain. Marko Dyrlich is the son of the Sorbian writer and poet Benedikt Dyrlich. As a child, he was introduced to the theater through his grandmother—who served as a stage manager at the German-Sorbian Folk Theater in Bautzen—and occasionally played small roles there. After dropping out of school and an apprenticeship during his youth, he secured his first contract at the Folk Theater in Bautzen through his grandmother's mediation. In 1994, he was accepted into the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig. Following his graduation, he took up an engagement at the Folk Theater Rostock, followed by various guest and permanent engagements at venues including the Staatstheater Kassel, the Staatsschauspiel Dresden, and the Volksbühne Berlin. From 2004 to 2007, he also served as a lecturer at the Leipzig Drama School. Beginning in 2010, Dyrlich increasingly focused on film and television roles. Initially, he played minor parts in episodes of *Tatort* and other television productions. In 2014, he made his feature film debut in *The Grand Budapest Hotel*. He gained wider recognition for his pivotal role in the *Tatort* episode *Der sanfte Tod*. On stage, Dyrlich has played lead roles in productions such as *Tales from the Vienna Woods* (*Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald*), *Before Sunset* (*Vor Sonnenuntergang*), and *Liliom*. Dyrlich lives in Berlin and, alongside his acting career, occasionally works as a bouncer at Berlin's Berghain nightclub. Since the 2020/2021 season, he has also been a member of the acting ensemble at the Mecklenburg State Theater in Schwerin.