In the bustling, high-stakes world of Berlin’s busiest emergency room, every second counts—and every decision could mean life or death. Apple TV+’s Berlin ER thrusts viewers into the chaotic corridors of Charité Hospital, where a diverse team of doctors grapple with ethical dilemmas, systemic pressures, and their own fractured personal lives. Created by acclaimed German showrunner Lena Wolf (Babylon Berlin), the series blends the gritty realism of ER with the atmospheric tension of Charité, weaving multilingual storylines across German, English, and Turkish. At its core is Dr. Laura Kipping (Morgane Ferru), a brilliant but emotionally guarded trauma surgeon racing against time to save patients while confronting her shadowy past. From drug-resistant superbugs to political protests spilling into the ER, Berlin ER paints a visceral portrait of modern healthcare in a city where cultures and crises collide.
With its ensemble cast of rising stars and veteran actors, the series explores themes of immigration, identity, and the cost of compassion in a fractured system. Cinematography shifts between frenetic handheld sequences in the OR and hauntingly still moments in Berlin’s rain-soaked streets, underscored by a minimalist score from Oscar-winning composer Volker Bertelmann.
Introducing the Cast of Berlin ER:
1- Morgane Ferru as Dr. Laura Kipping
Born in Paris on March 14, 1990, Morgane Ferru is a Franco-German actor renowned for her intense, psychologically layered performances. Trained at Berlin’s Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, she broke out as conflicted spy Anika Brandt in the spy thriller Deutschland 89 (2020). Her film work includes the Cannes-selected drama Fog in August (2016) and the dark comedy Lara (2019), where she played a concert pianist unraveling under perfectionism. Ferru’s TV versatility shines in roles like the tormented artist in Dark (2017–2020) and the cunning lawyer in Babylon Berlin (2022).
A polyglot fluent in four languages, Ferru often tackles roles exploring cultural duality—a theme central to her Berlin ER character. Off-screen, she advocates for mental health awareness in the arts and mentors young actors through Berlin’s Open Theater Initiative. As Dr. Kipping, she delivers a career-defining performance, balancing surgical precision with raw vulnerability.
2- Colin Lainchbury-Brown as Zannas Dad
Colin Lainchbury-Brown, born September 5, 1987, in London to a British father and Greek-German mother, is a chameleonic character actor. After studying at RADA, he gained notice as a troubled soldier in Das Boot (2018–2020) and a manipulative cult leader in The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022). His film roles range from the indie darling Lamb (2021) to the action-comedy The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021), showcasing his genre range.
In Berlin ER, Lainchbury-Brown plays Zannas Dad, a grieving father whose clash with hospital protocols exposes systemic inequities. Known for his physical transformations, he lost 30 pounds for the role to embody a man hollowed by loss. Outside acting, he’s a published poet and co-founder of the Berlin-Bristol Theatre Exchange.
3- Haley Louise Jones as Dr. Suzanna Parker
Haley Louise Jones, born August 19, 1995, in Cardiff, Wales, is a rising star with a background in neurosurgery consulting—a rarity in acting. After earning a medical degree from Oxford, she pivoted to drama, landing breakout roles in Sex Education (2021) and The Peripheral (2022). Her film debut in The Almond and the Seahorse (2022) as a TBI survivor earned critical praise for its authenticity.
Jones brings scientific rigor to Dr. Parker, a prodigious neurosurgeon battling sexism in the OR. She shadowed real surgeons at Berlin’s Charité Hospital for months, later stating, “I wanted the scalpels to feel like extensions of her hands.” An advocate for women in STEM, she hosts workshops encouraging girls to pursue science careers.
4- Slavko Popadic as Dr. Ben Weber
Belgrade-born Slavko Popadic (December 2, 1988) is a Serbian-German actor best known for his role as war criminal Luka Kovac in The Balkan Line (2019). A former competitive boxer, he transitioned to acting via theater, starring in The Brothers Karamazov at Vienna’s Burgtheater. His TV credits include 4 Blocks (2017–2019) and Tribes of Europa (2021), where he played a ruthless warlord.
As Dr. Weber, an ER chief with a militaristic approach, Popadic channels his physicality into a performance Wolf describes as “a storm contained in a white coat.” He’s also a UNHCR ambassador, drawing from his family’s experience as Yugoslav War refugees to inform his character’s hardline ethics.
5- Bernhard Schütz as Olaf Hendel
Veteran German actor Bernhard Schütz (born June 15, 1962) brings gravitas to corrupt hospital administrator Olaf Hendel. A stalwart of stage and screen, he starred in Downfall (2004) as Joseph Goebbels and won a Bavarian Film Award for The Silence (2010). His TV work includes Babylon Berlin and Dark, often playing morally ambiguous figures.
Schütz’s Hendel is a Machiavellian bureaucrat prioritizing profits over patients—a role he likens to “Shakespearean villainy in scrubs.” Off-camera, he’s a celebrated director of Brechtian plays and a vocal critic of healthcare privatization.
6- Safak Sengül as Dr. Emina Ertan
Istanbul-born Safak Sengül (March 8, 1993) merges ferocity and compassion as Dr. Ertan, a Kurdish-Turkish immigrant fighting for marginalized patients. A rising star in Turkish cinema (Ayla, 2017), she gained international attention in The Protector (2018–2020) and Ethos (2020), the latter exploring Turkey’s class divides.
Sengül learned German phonetically for the role and consulted with refugee doctors to ground her performance. An activist for Kurdish rights, she infuses Emina with quiet resilience, turning every diagnosis into a political act.
7- Aram Tafreshian as Dr. Dominik Kohn
Aram Tafreshian (born July 22, 1985, in Yerevan, Armenia) delivers a breakout performance as the idealistic pediatrician Dr. Kohn. A former child refugee, Tafreshian trained at Moscow’s MKhAT before starring in The Gulls (2019), a drama about Armenian diaspora identity. His TV work includes Bad Banks (2018–2020) and Parfum (2018).
Tafreshian’s own history of fleeing conflict informs Dr. Kohn’s empathy for refugee children. He’s also a classical pianist, composing pieces his character plays to calm young patients.
8- Samirah Breuer as Olivia Kropf
Samirah Breuer (October 30, 2001), a German-Lebanese prodigy, stuns as Olivia, a teenage medic navigating her first ER shifts. At 19, she became the youngest winner of the Max Ophüls Prize for Shards (2022), a film about radicalized youth. Her role in System Crasher (2019) as a traumatized child earned her comparisons to a young Jodie Foster.
Breuer spent weeks volunteering at a Berlin youth clinic to prepare, later stating, “Olivia isn’t a savior—she’s a mirror of our broken system.” A vegan and climate activist, she’s redefining Gen Z stardom.
9- Peter Lohmeyer as Dr. Steffen Beck
Peter Lohmeyer (born January 22, 1962), a legend of New German Cinema, plays the jaded oncologist Dr. Beck. Famous for The Experiment (2001) and Rossini (1997), Lohmeyer brings weathered humanity to a doctor facing his own mortality. His TV roles include Tatort and Ku’damm 56 (2016–2021).
Detail: Berlin ER aka Krank: Berlin Cast Details, premiere date & Everything We Know
Lohmeyer, a cancer survivor, drew from his diagnosis journey for the role. “Beck isn’t heroic—he’s just tired,” he says. A mentor to young actors, he runs Bremen’s Theater der Versammlung.
10- Benjamin Radjaipour as Dr. Kian Amini
Benjamin Radjaipour (May 10, 1995), an Iranian-German actor, electrifies as the rebellious Dr. Amini. After fleeing Tehran at 12, he channeled his trauma into Sun and Concrete (2023), a gang drama praised for its raw energy. His stage work in Hamlet (2022, Deutsches Theater) reimagined the prince as a refugee.
Radjaipour’s Amini is a rule-breaking intern with a hero complex—a role he calls “a middle finger to respectability politics.” He’s also a rapper under the alias BENJii, blending Farsi and German lyrics.
11- Jurassica Parka as Daniel Neumann
Nonbinary actor Jurassica Parka (they/them, born February 29, 1996) makes history as Daniel, the ER’s first openly queer head nurse. A Berlin underground icon, Parka starred in the anarchic web series Queerantine (2020) and the drag horror film Bloody Lips (2023). Their theater work includes radical reinterpretations of Faust and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Parka improvised much of Daniel’s biting humor, citing “ER nurses as the true punk heroes of healthcare.” They co-founded the Queer Care Collective, providing medical support to Berlin’s LGBTQ+ community.
12- Simona Theoharova as Nezire Kapanadze
Bulgarian powerhouse Simona Theoharova (April 3, 1988) stuns as Nezire, a Roma surgeon battling prejudice. A graduate of London’s Guildhall School, she broke barriers as the first Roma actor in Peaky Blinders (2019) and the BBC’s Ridley Road (2021). Her film Shutka (2022), about Roma boxers, won the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Theoharova fought to expand Nezire’s role, insisting her character “isn’t a victim, but a warrior.” She’s also a professional kickboxer, performing all her own stunts.
13- Amer El-Erwadi as Pierce Johnson
Tunisian-German actor Amer El-Erwadi (August 17, 1990) smolders as Pierce, a disgraced surgeon seeking redemption. After roles in El Chapo (2017–2018) and Skylines (2020), he gained global fame as the lead in Netflix’s The Fck-It List* (2024), a dark comedy about terminal illness.
El-Erwadi trained with Médecins Sans Frontières for the role, later donating his salary to their Gaza missions. “Pierce isn’t here to be liked—he’s here to survive,” he says.
Mark your date:
With its fearless cast and unflinching look at healthcare’s front lines, Berlin ER isn’t just a show—it’s a diagnosis of our times. Don’t miss its Apple TV+ debut on February 26, 2025.
