He also played Heinrich Himmler twice, in Der Untergang and Mein Führer – Die wirklich wahrste Wahrheit über Adolf Hitler.

In 1997, Ulrich Noethen was the year of his breakthrough as a film actor with the role of the acappella singer and arranger Harry Frommermann in the successful movie Comedian Harmonists.

In 2000 he played the theatre critic and feuilletonist Kurt Tucholsky in the literary film Gripsholm, along with Heike Makatsch, Rudolf Wessely and Jasmin Tabatabai.

In 2005 he impersonated the character of the father in the tragicomedy Polly Blue Eyes [de], alongside Matthias Schweighöfer and Meret Becker.

In the same year he received a nomination for the German Television Award for his acting creation of the opaquely cool Bent Peerson in Carlo Rola's ZDF multi-parter The Patriarch with Iris Berben in the leading role.

On February 2, 2006 he was awarded the Golden Camera for his role interpretations in The Airlift, The Boxer and the Friseuse, and Silver Wedding as Best German Actor.

In 2007 he impersonated the role of the husband Helmut Halm in Rainer Kaufmann's film Runaway Horse, which was adapted by Martin Walser alongside Ulrich Tukur and Katja Riemann.

In 2009, Ulrich Noethen appeared as Commissioner Tabor Süd in two ZDF films based on Friedrich Ani's crime novels.

For Commissioner Süd and the air guitarist, Noethen received the Adolf Grimme Prize as well as before for his leading role in Hermine Huntgeburth's TV two-part Devil's Roast.