Television: “Tatort” with cult status: Jan Josef Liefers turns 60

His plan worked. At least at the very beginning, as actor Jan Josef Liefers tells in 2022 on the MDR talk show “Riverboat”. For his role as the snooty forensic scientist Professor Karl-Friedrich Boerne in the popular “Tatort” from Münster, he came up with a beard, glasses and suit as a dress code so that he could have some peace and quiet in his private life. And indeed: At first, “Tatort”-loving salespeople in the grocery store in Berlin did not recognize him.

That has probably changed by now. Liefers is considered one of the most famous actors in Germany. On Thursday (8 August), the Dresden native, who likes to show off his striking glasses, turns 60.

Speaker at demonstration shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall

Liefers enjoys cult status as a popular pain in the neck in the “Tatort” series. He also plays prominent roles in many cinema and television films and is active as a musician with his band “Radio Doria”. The actor, who grew up in the GDR and lives in Berlin, also takes a stand on social and political issues.

At just 25 years of age, on November 4, 1989 – shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall – he appeared as a speaker at the legendary Alexanderplatz demonstration, where hundreds of thousands protested against violence and oppression in the Stasi system.

During the pandemic, Liefers had repeatedly spoken out about corona policy and at times had to endure harsh criticism for this. In April 2021, he took part in the controversial video campaign #allesdichtmachen. At that time, people from the film and television scene criticized the handling of the corona virus with satirical videos on the Internet, which provoked controversial reactions. Liefers later visited an intensive care unit in a hospital and worked there.

Breakthrough in 1997

He came into contact with acting at an early age: his parents worked in the theater in Dresden, and his grandfather was also an actor. In the 1980s he graduated from the renowned Ernst Busch acting school in Berlin.

Liefers made his breakthrough in 1997 with two box office hits: Helmut Dietl’s social satire “Rossini or the murderous question of who slept with whom” and the road movie “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”. Highlights also include the lead role as surgeon Richard Hoffmann in the best-selling film adaptation of Uwe Tellkamp’s reunification novel “The Tower” (2012).

Cycling and homemade pesto

Liefers has been married to actress Anna Loos for around 20 years. They no longer want to say anything about their private relationship, as the two emphasized in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” in March. “We have decided not to talk about private matters anymore.”

The actor’s Instagram profile still provides some insights into his private life. For example, Liefers can be seen riding his bike wearing a helmet and shorts, or he posts homemade wild garlic pesto. In another post, he thanks everyone for the ratings of the 45th episode of the Münster “Tatort”, which was watched by an average of 12.73 million people in March.

When asked how long he wanted to continue playing his role as Professor Boerne, Liefers said in the “Kölner Treff” in the spring: “You always think to yourself: you have to stop and pull the plug when things are at their best. But when is it at their best?” That is difficult to say. He and his acting colleague Axel Prahl have been seen in the Münster “Tatort” since 2002 – and from his point of view, it can continue like this, he said. “As long as it is still good, it can always get a little bit better.”