Winfried Glatzeder (born 26 April 1945 in Zoppot, Germany; now Sopot, Poland) is a German television actor and playwright. He began his acting career in East Germany in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, he made his breakthrough by starring in films such as Zeit der Störche and The Legend of Paul and Paula. From 1996 to 1998, Glatzeder played the role of Commissioner Ernst Roiter in the television series Tatort. Since then, he has mainly worked in theatre and television.
Winfried Glatzeder is an only child. His mother was of Jewish descent, and she hid her grandmother during the Nazi period to keep her from being deported. Glatzeder's parents were married in 1942, and his father died in 1944 in Soviet captivity. His mother did not follow the order announced on 19 March 1945 that civilians should evacuate Sopot, so his birth took place in the liberated area. Shortly afterwards, his mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where she developed tuberculosis and from then on spent many years in sanatoriums.