Horst Krause (born 18 December 1941) is a German actor.

Krause was born in Bönhof, (Benowo, Poland), the youngest of five children.

Krause worked as a machinist at the Brandenburger Traktorenwerke and started his acting career in the age of 23.

From 1969 on Krause worked at the "Schauspielhaus Karl-Marx-Stadt" (Chemnitz) and from 1984 to 1994 at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden.

After the reunification of Germany Krause became a popular TV-character in the Polizeiruf 110 series.