Background
Wiesnekker grew up in a music-loving family and tried out various instruments.
Wiesnekker grew up in a music-loving family and tried out various instruments.
Despite that, he wanted to become an actor, because he adored Charlie Chaplin. At the age of 15, Wiesnekker began doing an education as a cook, but that couldn’t satisfy him, because of the “hierarchic structures”. One of his hobbies were sports, so he planned to become a sports teacher at the age of 16, but cancelled this plans and started working in a hospital.
Soon he noted, that the job as a male nurse wasn’t meant for him.
He began working in a Gassenküche (literally “alleyway-kitchen” - a soup kitchen for the homeless and those people, who are addicted to drugs), a job that coined him deeply. Then he finally decided to become an actor.
From 1986 to 1989, he frequented the Schauspielakademie (a drama school) in Zürich. Even before he received the diploma, he was engaged by the theater Schauspielhaus Bochum, Germany.
Wiesnekker went back to Zürich – despite offers of possible roles abroad.
In Zürich he participated in very different productions e.g. in Der Menschenfeind at the Schauspielhaus Zürich. He was already familiar with film acting in 1989, having played a role in short film Karl and afterwards e.g. in the Eurocops series (1991) with Barbara Rudnik (Director: Markus Imboden). Beginning in summer 2003, he was part of Swiss sitcom Lüthi und Blanc.
In 2005, Wisenekker has got the Schweizer Filmpreis als Bester Hauptdarsteller (Swiss film award for the best main role) for his role of drug addict policeman Herbert Strähl in Strähl.
Frow then on, Wiesnekker was able to select his roles himself, even abroad (He speaks German, Swiss-German, Dutch, English and French). He likes to learn his lines in fully occupied beer taverns.
He chooses his roles intuitively, they don’t have to be big, but have to contain complex characters, a good book and a good director Marmorera (Director: Markus Fischer), 2007
Breakout (Director: Mike Eschmann), 2006
Strähl (Director: Manuel Flurin Hendry), 2004
Eden (Director: Michael Hofmann), 2004
Bad News (short film) (Director: Christian Roesch), 2004
666 - Trau keinem mit dem Du schläfst (Director: Rainer Matsutani), 2002
Stille Liebe (Director: Christoph Schaub), 2001
Komiker (Director: Markus Imboden), 2000
Katzendiebe (Director: Markus Imboden), 1996
Der Nebelläufer (Director: Jörg Helbling), 1995
Always & Forever (1991)
Tarragona (Director: Peter Keglevic), 2006
Nebenwirkungen (Director: Manuel Siebenmann), 2006
Doctor Psycho (Director: Ralf Huettner), 2006
Der falsche Tod (Director: Martin Eigler), 2006
Blackout – Die Erinnerung ist tödlich (Director: Peter Keglevic, Hans Günter Bücking), 2005
Tatort – Schneetreiben (Director: Tobias Ineichen), 2005
Schwabenkinder (Director: Jo Baier), 2003
Königskinder (Director: Isabel Kleefeld), 2002
Füür oder Flamme (Director: Markus Fischer), 2002
Dilemma (Director: Tobias Ineichen), 2002
Hat er Arbeit? (Director: Kai Wessel), 2000
Wolfsheim (Director: Nicole Weegmann), 2000
Erhöhte Waldbrandgefahr (Director: Matthias Zschocke), 1996
Clockwork Orange (Director: Michel Schröder), Fabriktheater Zürich, 2004
Nur noch heute (Director: Barbara David Brüesch), Theater Gessnerallee Zürich and Sophiensäle Berlin, 2004
Heinrich IV (Director: Stefan Pucher), Schauspielhaus Zürich, 2002.