Ulrich Noethen (born Ulrich Schmid; November 18, 1959, in Munich) is a German actor, radio play performer, and audiobook narrator. He is considered one of the best-known German film actors and gained widespread public recognition for his role in the feature film Comedian Harmonists.

Noethen grew up as the youngest of five children in a pastor's family. After graduating from high school in Augsburg, he initially studied law but then decided to devote himself to acting and completed his training at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. He took the stage name "Noethen" from his grandmother's maiden name.

His theater career began in the mid-1980s at the Municipal Theaters of Freiburg. Further engagements took him to theaters such as Schauspiel Köln and the Berlin State Drama Theaters, where he distinguished himself in roles in classical productions such as Faust and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

His cinematic breakthrough came in 1997 with the role of Harry Frommermann in the film Comedian Harmonists. For this work he received the German Film Award for Best Actor and the Bavarian Film Award. Numerous other significant film and television roles followed.