Jeff Burrell

Burrell was born in Staten Island, New York, in 1968. He studied acting at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. He then got a BA in German Studies at Oberlin College in 1990. After that he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study acting at the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch in Berlin, Germany. He got a degree in 1994, with which he was the first American to do so.[1]

Burrell began his professional career at the Neues Theater [de] in Halle (Saale). He was in the acting ensemble until 2000, when he moved to Berlin.

Among other movies, Burrell acted in Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer (2010),[2] and Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac (2013).[3] He was in the spy thriller Jack Strong by Władysław Pasikowski,[4] and was a narrator in the documentary Warsaw Uprising by Jan Komasa.[5]

He acted in Oles Sanin's film The Guide, which was Ukraine's 2014 nomination to the Academy Awards.[6] His acting partner was the singer Jamala, who would later go on to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2016.

Burrell won a "Best Actor Award" for his performance in the film Robin: Watch for Wishes at the Festival South Film Expo 2018.[7]

In the fall of 2018 Burrell performed the role of Fred Madison in Yuval Sharon's production of Lost Highway at the Oper Frankfurt.[8]