"Crimetime: Checkmate" The Bitter End of a Valuable Ally
- ~ 2 Mins
The unfortunate exit of the coroner - Sad Demise of the Investigative Specialist in Forensics
In a nail-biting close call, detectives Leitmayr (Udo Wachtveitl, 66) and Batic (Miroslav Nemec, 70) narrowly evade a deadly trap. Their reliable medical examiner, Dr. Mathias Steinbrecher (Robert Josef Bartl, 52), doesn't share their luck - he meets his end during an international chess tournament when he's fatally poisoned with nerve agent. It seems we'll have to bid farewell to this eccentric colleague.
Dr. Steinbrecher's departure in this gripping Sunday drama is as heroic as it is heartbreaking: In a last-ditch bid to save an American chess grandmaster, he snatches a lethal pipette from him, but it shatters in his hand, exposing him to the lethal toxin.
A Festive Death Scene in the Restroom Mirror
As a medical examiner, he knows he has only a few minutes left to live. Bartl uses this tense moment to deliver a powerful, desperate death scene in front of a restroom mirror, pouring every ounce of his acting prowess into the performance. In the end, the medical examiner lies lifeless upon the tiles, and the paramedics can't revive him.
Bartl's impactful on-screen swansong is so affecting, largely due to his esteemed career in theater. His accomplished stage work has earned him a reputation as one of Germany's most revered and innovative actors.
An Impressive Stage Career
Born in 1973 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, the man with the impressive eyebrows was mentored at the Vienna Max Reinhardt Seminar under renowned veterans like Klaus Maria Brandauer and Samy Molcho. Following engagements at the Burgtheater Vienna, Schauspiel Frankfurt, and Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel, he became a permanent ensemble member at the Wiener Theater in der Josefstadt in 2019/2020, where he is currently performing in a rendition of John Steinbeck's classic "Of Mice and Men."
A Recurring Role in Munich's "Crimetime" since 2014
Since the new millennium, Bartl has dabbled in television intermittently, appearing in shows such as "Die Rosenheim-Cops" and "Polizeiruf 110." In 2014, he joined the Munich "Crimetime" team as the quirky medical examiner and opera enthusiast, Dr. Mathias Steinbrecher.
The passing of the character portrayed by Bartl appears to coincide with the announced retirement of his supervising detectives. After 35 years and 100 closed cases, popular "Crimetime" detectives Ivo Batic and Franz Leitmayr will call it quits in 2026. Their promising younger colleague, Kalli Hammermann (Ferdinand Hofer), will step up, accompanied by newcomer Carlo Ljubek.
- "Crimetime"
- Ivo Batic
- Udo Wachtveitl
- Miroslav Nemec
- I'm not going to be able to get Udo Wachtveitl and Miroslav Nemec, the detectives Leitmayr and Batic, to reconsider their decision to retire in 2026, as they've announced their retirement after 35 years and 100 closed cases.
- The quirky medical examiner Dr. Mathias Steinbrecher, who is played by Robert Josef Bartl, was a recurring character in the Munich "Crimetime" series since 2014.
- In a devastating turn of events in the TV show "Crimetime," Dr. Steinbrecher, who was fatally poisoned during an international chess tournament, was unable to be saved by the paramedics.
- Robert Josef Bartl's acting career spans acrossstage, screen, and TV, with his death scene in "Crimetime" being particularly powerful, drawing on his esteemed career in theater, where he's performed at renowned institutions such as the Burgtheater Vienna and Wiener Theater in der Josefstadt.
