Tom Pauls

Biography

Tom Uwe Pauls is a German actor, musician, and author, best known for his long association with theatres in Dresden and for creating the popular Saxon comedy character Ilse Bähnert.Born in Leipzig, Pauls grew up in the south-east of the city, near the Monument to the Battle of the Nations. From the age of seven he sang in the radio children's choir and took piano and guitar lessons. His acting talent was recognized early, leading him to study at the Theaterhochschule Leipzig from 1979 to 1983. While studying, he earned money by playing in a band and, together with fellow students Jürgen Haase and Peter Kube, founded the Zwinger Trio.After graduating, Pauls joined the Staatsschauspiel Dresden, where he enjoyed particular success as Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Don Cirillio in Goldoni’s The War, and Ariel in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.In 1991 he began working as a freelance actor and created his first solo program, Saxon Variations. In it he developed the character of Ilse Bähnert, a funny Saxon widow who has since become a cult figure in Saxon comedy. In 1994, together with colleagues, he founded the Dresdner Theaterkahn and the Kleine Burgtheater Stolpen.Since 1991 Pauls has also been a regular performer at the Dresden State Operetta, appearing in productions such as La Cage aux Folles, Die Fledermaus (as the frog), Bluebeard, Die schöne Helena, and as Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady. He frequently performs with orchestras including the Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen and the Dresden Philharmonic.A passionate advocate of the Saxon dialect, Pauls selects the “Saxon Word of the Year” annually on the Day of German Unity through his Ilse Bähnert Foundation. He has written or co-written several books, including Das wahre Leben der Ilse Bähnert, Deutschland, Deine Sachsen, the biography of Saxon poet Lene Voigt, and several crime novels featuring Ilse Bähnert. In 2011 he fulfilled a long-held dream by opening his own theatre in Pirna, the gateway to Saxon Switzerland.Pauls lives with his family in Dresden, not far from the famous Blue Wonder bridge.