Departures of note

Andreas Hoppe was a German actor who became widely known to television audiences as Kommissar Mario Kopper, the long-time partner of Lena Odenthal in the ARD Sunday crime series Tatort. He played the role from 1996 until his farewell episode in early 2018, appearing in dozens of episodes alongside Ulrike Folkerts. Before that he trained at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover and performed at theatres in Bielefeld, Berlin and elsewhere, including the Grips-Theater.

Beyond acting, Hoppe was an outspoken advocate for animal welfare and sustainable, regional food. He published the book Allein unter Gurken about his attempt to eat only regionally produced food, hosted the SWR documentary series Der Kommissar im Kühlschrank, and served as an ambassador for the animal protection organization Vier Pfoten and the Bärenwald Müritz bear sanctuary. He also supported the NaturVision nature film festival.

Hoppe was born in West Berlin in 1960 and lived in Berlin-Charlottenburg and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He died in August 2026 at the age of 66.