Lechtenbrink was stage director at the Ernst Deutsch Theater in Hamburg, and intendant of the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele.

He started his career at the age of 14 acting in the Oscar-nominated anti-war movie The Bridge (1959) by director Bernhard Wicki.

[2][3] After leaving the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums a year after completing his mittlere Reife, he was educated at the drama school of the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg.

[7] He was the German dubbing voice of Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Avery Brooks and Dennis Quaid.

[3][8] Besides his work as an actor he also started a very successful career as a singer and songwriter during the 1970s and 1980s, with songs like "Der Macher" and "Ich mag",[4] some his own, others German versions of country rock ballads.