Christian Wunderlich (born July 12, 1979, in Cologne, Germany) is a German actor, singer, songwriter, director, and children's author. He first became known through television before establishing a parallel career as a pop singer in the late 1990s.
Wunderlich entered the entertainment business in 1995 after answering a newspaper advertisement for the long-running German soap opera Verbotene Liebe. He was cast as Frank Levinsky, initially in a supporting role, but the character soon became a more prominent part of the series. Wunderlich remained with the program until 1999, gaining a substantial television audience and becoming one of its recognizable young performers.
His musical career began during this period. In 1998, he released the single "That's My Way to Say Goodbye", followed by "In Heaven" and "So in Love". The songs presented him as a polished pop performer working in the commercially oriented ballad tradition of the period. His first album, Real Good Moments, appeared on September 6, 1999. It reached number 20 in Germany and number 11 in Switzerland, making it his most successful album. The title track was also used as the theme song for the television series Nesthocker - Familie zu verschenken, in which Wunderlich played Oliver Brandt from 2000 to 2001.
The follow-up album Reflections was released in November 2000. Although it did not match the chart impact of his debut, it confirmed Wunderlich's effort to develop an identity beyond his soap-opera fame. He also continued to combine acting and music, including appearances connected with the Irish pop group Westlife. In 2001, he performed as a support act on selected dates of Westlife's Where Dreams Come True Tour, including shows in Asia.
After Nesthocker, Wunderlich reduced his public presence for several years. He returned to television in 2006 with the telenovela Schmetterlinge im Bauch, playing the good-natured and somewhat awkward air-traffic controller Jochen "Klemmi" Klemm. The role introduced him to a newer television audience and demonstrated his ability to move from youthful romantic drama into comic and character-based parts.
Wunderlich later expanded his work behind the camera. He was involved in writing, directing, and acting in projects including Sparline - Das Flugimperium kehrt zuruck and Columbus. In music, he announced a renewed recording career in 2009. The single "Gelacht, um nicht zu weinen" was released in March 2010 as a preview of the album Zwischen den Zeilen. He also worked for a time as an editor on the call-in program Domian.
From the mid-2010s onward, Wunderlich appeared mainly in German television films and series, including Lizenz zum Seitensprung, Kreuzfahrt ins Gluck, Inga Lindstrom, Einstein, Lindenstrasse, SOKO Wismar, and Familie Dr. Kleist. In 2023, he added children's literature to his body of work with Dachs Naseweis: Phantastische Geschichten aus dem Wunderlichen Wald, followed by a second volume in 2024. His career is notable for its movement between television acting, pop music, screenwriting, directing, and writing for younger readers.