Rolf Kanies (born 21 December 1957) is a German actor who played many high-profile roles on the stage before switching to a career in film and television in 1997.

Born in Bielefeld, Kanies studied at the Westfälische Schauspielschule Bochum and at the Universität der Künste (UdK) Berlin.

His first engagement was at the Hebbel-Theater in Berlin, followed by other works at the Schauspielhaus Bochum, the Staatstheater Kassel and productions in Krefeld, Neuss, Cologne, Weimar, Graz (Austria), Basel (Switzerland) and at the Garsington Opera Festival (Oxford, England).

Starting in the 1990s, Kanies played in a large variety of German television series and movies and in eight feature films.

In the same year Kanies played Adolf Hitler in the American production Joe and Max directed by Steve James (STARZ!