Michael Degen

Michael Degen (1932–2022) was a German actor and writer. He survived the Nazi era with his mother in hiding in Berlin. After the Second World War, he trained at the acting school of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin and performed at major German-language theatres, including the Berliner Ensemble. He also appeared in numerous films and television productions and was widely known for playing Vice-Questore Patta in television adaptations of Donna Leon’s crime novels. As a writer, he gained recognition with his autobiography »Nicht alle waren Mörder« (1999), which recounted his childhood in hiding in Berlin. His later autobiographical books included »Mein heiliges Land« (2007) and »Der traurige Prinz« (2015).