Grumpy, taciturn St. Pauli fan meets arrogant, constantly chattering flagship snob. If you send both of them on a hunt for criminals, one of the most successful "crime scene" duos in the history of crime novels will result. Since 2002, Axel Prahl has been chief commissioner Frank Thiel in the "crime scene" in Münster. On March 26th he celebrates his 60th birthday.
On the road to success for 17 years
Together with Jan Josef Liefers (55), who is Prof. Dr. Dr. Karl-Friedrich Boerne interferes in the investigation again and again, Axel Prahl as chief inspector Frank Thiel regularly ensures "crime scene" dream quotas. The biggest success so far: 14.56 million people tuned in to the episode "Fang Shot" on April 2, 2017.
For 17 years, the duo has been making the crime thriller star staring at the home screen on Sunday evening. Most recently, 12.66 million followed the episode "Father Frost", for which Liefers thanked with an illustrious Instagram post. To see: Jan Josef Liefers as Boerne, Axel Prahl alias Commissioner Thiel and Christine Ursprunguch (49) alias Silke Haller and "Alberich" have lined up in succession and laugh at the camera.
"Maybe you can do a little less stuff?"
Laughing is a good keyword, because people from Münster are often accused of doing so – too much gossip, too little thriller. An example is the scene from "One foot seldom comes alone", in which Thiel turns to Boerne and asks: "Can you do a little less stuff?" He replies matter-of-factly: "You have to look for another legal doctor" – and maybe another "crime scene". Because even if some can no longer see and hear the "silly freeze" of the duo, there are always enough crime thriller fans who want just that.
A career as an actor was initially not on the agenda for the native Schleswig-Holstein boast. Instead, he struggled as a street musician in Spain, working as a beer driver, track builder and waiter. The music accompanied him wherever he went. First he joined the group "Ougenweide" and later founded the band "Impuls".
Sing with Vanessa Mai
With the TV production "Sleeping Dogs" (1992), acting finally got the upper hand. For his engagements in "The Policewoman", "Half Stairs" and "Willenbrock" he received an actor award – including the coveted "Adolf Grimme Prize". The man with the rasping voice cannot do without music: he published his album "Blick auf Mehr" back in 2011. Since then he has released four more records with "Live 2013 – Das Konzert", "Leinen Los" (2015), "Assel Pi" (2016) and "Mehr" (2018).
The actor is also successful with his concerts. Together with director Andreas Dresen ("Halbe stairs", 56) he plays songs by Gerhard Gundermann, Rio Reiser, Gisbert zu Knyphausen and of course his own. Latest musical highlight: Working together with pop star Vanessa Mai (27) on the film "Just with you". In it, Prahl not only presents the rock star Wim, but also a duet with May for the best.
"I need time again …"
Lots to do for Axel Prahl, who announced in December last year that he wanted to take a break. In the "Bild" interview, he said that in 2021 there would be "no concerts or filming for other films". "Crime scene" fans don't have to worry: "Don't worry, I will of course continue to shoot the 'crime scene'." Still, you can't always stick to the accelerator, as Prahl thinks. He also needed time to paint, compose or travel.