Biography

He spent his childhood in Ibbenbüren. After school he completed training as a mining mechanic because he was interested in mining. He worked in the job for four years. At the age of 20 he decided to become an actor. He attended the Hedi Höpfner School in Hamburg until 1984, where he took acting lessons. This was followed by a three-year theater engagement in Bremen. Behrendt switched to television and shone in his first major role as Jupp Kowolla in the Ruhr area saga "Rote Erde II" in 1990. Two years later he made his debut in the international crime series "Tatort" as assistant Max Ballau, alongside Martin Lüttge as chief inspector Bernd Flemming.

He played this role a total of eight times. He also appeared in 26 episodes of the Sat 1 crime series "A.S." from 1985 to 1998. as private detective Alexander Stein. In 1997 Klaus Behrendt took up his "crime scene" job again, this time as head of the murder squad Max Ballauf. Since then he has been supported by his long-time friend Dietmar Bär, who is investigating as Inspector Freddy Schenk. The duo became the audience's favorite in the "Tatort" series. Around this time, Behrendt, who chose the name Joachim for the abbreviation "J" to distinguish himself from a fellow actor with the same name, also appeared in television films such as "The Gate of Fire" and "Fähre in den Tod" (both 1996). or "A Father Under Suspicion" (1997).

In "Apartment for a Suicide" from 1996 he starred alongside Katja Flint. In 2000, together with his colleague Dietmar Bär, he was awarded the German Television Prize in the "Best Series Actor" category for his work on "Tatort". Three years later he was awarded the Emmy for his role in the television film "My Father" and the audience award of the Grimme Prize in the role of his son Jochen in the TV drama "My Father" alongside Götz George. Klaus J. Behrendt is characterized by a wide range of acting skills. Among other things, he showed his skills in the Sat 1 television drama "The Miracle of Lengede" (2003) and in the political satire "The Chancellery" (2005).

Klaus J. Behrendt became the father of two sons and a daughter from his first marriage. Today he lives with his second wife Karin and their son in Berlin-Charlottenburg. There he also runs the two restaurants "Blue Goût" and "Zucca". His hobbies include judo, swimming and jogging.
- IMDb mini biography by: Christian_Wolfgang_Barth

Grew up in Ibbenbüren, Germany.

Attended acting lessons at Hedi Höpfner's drama school in Hamburg from 1981 to 1984.

Supports "pro futura," a club helping teenagers and long-time unemployed persons.