You’ve seen him. Maybe it was that guy with the effortless charm in a sun-drenched detective show on Prime Video, or perhaps you caught him speaking perfect German in a dark, snowy thriller. Julian Looman is one of those actors who seems to have just "appeared" on the international stage, but his filmography is a lot more complex than most casual viewers realize. People often mistake him for a strictly British or German TV actor because of his accent work, yet his roots are actually a fascinating blend of Austrian and Dutch.
Honestly, if you only know him as the "fun one" in a procedural, you’re missing out on the guy who dominated the Dutch musical theatre scene for years.
The Breakthrough: Why Julian Looman Movies and TV Shows Are Dominating Streamers
Most international audiences first encountered Looman in The Mallorca Files. He plays Max Winter, a German detective who is essentially the human equivalent of a golden retriever—relaxed, slightly chaotic, and a perfect foil to Elen Rhys’s buttoned-up Miranda Blake. It’s a classic "odd couple" setup, but Looman gives it a specific flair that prevents it from feeling like a tired trope.
The show recently moved to Amazon Prime Video for its third season, which basically solidified its cult-hit status.
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From The Ibiza Affair to Outer Space
If you want to see Looman’s range, you have to look at The Ibiza Affair (Die Ibiza-Affäre). This is about as far from a lighthearted detective romp as you can get. It’s a gritty, dramatized version of the real-life political scandal that brought down the Austrian government in 2019. Looman’s performance here is sharp, proving he can handle high-stakes political drama just as well as beachside banter.
Then there is Constellation (2024) on Apple TV+. He plays Frederic Duverger in this psychological space thriller. Working alongside Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks is no small feat, and Looman holds his own in a story that is—frankly—pretty mind-bending.
The Musical Past Nobody Talks About
Before the TV cameras started rolling, Looman was a titan of the stage. He didn’t just "do some theater"; he starred in Soldaat van Oranje (Soldier of Orange), which is basically the Hamilton of the Netherlands. It is the most successful theater production in Dutch history.
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- He played the lead role of Erik Hazelhoff.
- The show ran for over 1,500 performances.
- He also played the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret, a role that won him the Kurt-Sieder-Award.
It’s this musical background that gives him such great physical control on screen. You can see it in how he moves as Max Winter—there's a certain rhythmic timing to his comedy that most "standard" dramatic actors just don't have.
A Career Without Borders
One of the reasons Julian Looman movies and TV shows are hard to categorize is his multilingualism. Born in Vienna in 1985 to a Dutch father and an Austrian mother, he’s native in both German and Dutch. He also speaks English, Italian, and French.
This has allowed him to hop between very different industries:
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- Germany/Austria: Projects like Pagan Peak (Der Pass) and Nightlife (2020).
- The Netherlands: Movies like Prey (Prooi), a horror film about a man-eating lion in Amsterdam.
- UK/Global: The Mallorca Files and Emily in Paris (where he had a guest spot).
He's basically a shapeshifter. In the 2016 film Prey, he’s dealing with a literal lion. In Pagan Peak, he’s navigating a dark, atmospheric crime story. He doesn't stay in one lane.
What's Next for Julian Looman?
As we move through 2026, Looman’s trajectory is pointing toward even bigger international productions. There is a specific nuance he brings to "the outsider" roles—likely because he has spent his life moving between cultures.
If you are looking to catch up on his work, don't just stick to the hits. Look for the short films like Hyäne (2025) or his earlier German TV movies like Marie fängt Feuer. They show a more vulnerable side of his acting that the big-budget streamers sometimes gloss over.
Actionable Viewing Guide
To really understand Looman’s evolution, watch his projects in this specific order to see his range:
- The Mallorca Files (Seasons 1-3): For the charisma and comedic timing.
- The Ibiza Affair: To see him handle intense, real-world political stakes.
- Prey (Prooi): If you want to see him in a genre-bending Dutch horror-comedy.
- Constellation: For his ability to play a supporting role in a massive, complex sci-fi ensemble.
Stop thinking of him as just "that guy from the island show." Start following the career of a guy who can sing Andrew Lloyd Webber in a theater one night and track down a killer on a Spanish island the next. Check out his credits on Apple TV+ or Prime Video this weekend to see exactly why he's becoming a household name in multiple languages.