Laurence Rupp is an Austrian theatre and film actor. He was part of the ensemble of the Vienna Burgtheater before moving to the Berliner Ensemble. He has had roles in recent Netflix series Barbarians (2020) and spy thriller Unfamiliar (2026).
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Early life and education
Laurence Rupp was born in Vienna, Austria.
He has been in front of the camera since he was a child. At a casting for Commissioner Rex in 1999, Rupp, who was almost 12 years old at the time, stood out and was hired for the episode Terrible Truth. Afterwards, Rupp devoted himself to his school education and only occasionally appeared in front of the camera in small roles, including “Tom and the Beaver Gang” in 2001.
He graduated high school in 2006.
Career
Shortly after leaving school in 2006, the director Andreas Prochaska hired him for the horror film You'll Be Dead in 3 Days. The Austrian soap opera Mitten im 8en, in which Rupp appeared in 2007, was cancelled after 56 episodes due to falling ratings. In the same year he also starred in the Swiss film comedy Tell by Mike Eschmann.
Rupp co-directed the two-part thriller The Last Judgment in 2008 together with Tobias Moretti, whose son he played, directed by Urs Egger.
From 2010 to 2014, Rupp studied acting at the Vienna Max Reinhardt Seminar.
In September 2013, he became an ensemble member of the Vienna Burgtheater. From the 2017–18 season he moved to the Berliner Ensemble under the direction of Oliver Reese.
In the Netflix series Barbarians, released in 2020, he portrayed Arminius in the events surrounding the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest and its consequences.
Rupp then went on to star in the 2024 romantic comedy The Heartbreak Agency on Netflix.
In 2026 he played Ben Krüger in the Netflix / Gaumont spy thriller series Unfamiliar, which is set in Berlin.
Awards and nominations
For Cops, Rupp received the 2019 Austrian Film Award for the category Best Male Lead Actor.
For his role in the ORF-Landkrimi Vier he was nominated at the TV Film Festival Baden-Baden 2022 together with Manuel Rubey awarded the special prize for outstanding acting performance.
Personal life
Rupp has a son with Austrian actress Sabrina Reiter, but the couple separated shortly after his birth in November 2007. Rupp then began a relationship with actress Paula Schramm, whom he met while filming Der Eisenhans, and their son was born in March 2015.
Theatre
2013: The Alpine King and the Misanthrope by Ferdinand Raimund, director: Michael Schachermaier, role: August Dorn – Burgtheater
2014: Wishless Misfortune by Peter Handke, director: Katie Mitchell, role: the son-in-law - casino
2014: The Last Days of Humanity by Karl Kraus, director: Georg Schmiedleitner – Burgtheater
2014: The Evil Spirit Lumpacivagabundus by Johann Nestroy, director: Matthias Hartmann, role: Lumpazivagabundus - Burgtheater
2014: At Nightfall by Peter Turrini, director: Christian Stückl, role: HC Artmann – Burgtheater
2015: The Imaginary Invalid, by Molière, director: Herbert Fritsch, role: Cleante – Burgtheater
2016: The Squatting by Miroslava Svolikova, director: Alia Luque – Burgtheater Vestibül
2017: The Abduction of Europe by Alexander Eisenach, director: Alexander Eisenach – Berliner Ensemble
2017: The Last Stop of Ersan Mondtag, director: Ersan Mondtag – Berliner Ensemble
2018: Panikherz by Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre, director: Oliver Reese – Berliner Ensemble