Claude-Oliver Rudolph was born November 30, 1956, in Frankfurt am Main. He grew up in Bochum and became interested in film from an early age. Aged fifteen, he started shooting substandard films. Three years later he was discovered as a stage actor by Peter Zadek.

He studied philosophy, psychology, and dramatics, attended the renowned "Actor"s Studio" in New York, and worked as an assistant to Jiri Menzel. Until the early 1980s, Rudolph mainly performed at the Volksbühne in Berlin, the Theater am Turm in Frankfurt, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, and the Prinzregentheater in Munich. He made his big screen debut in Wolfgang Petersen"s classic "Das Boot" ("The Boat", 1981), in which he played the small role of a machinist. Subsequently, he played supporting roles in various cinema and television productions. Due to his heavily built appearance, Claude-Oliver Rudolph is usually cast as shady racketeer or brutal thug. Examples include the TV mini-series "Der Schattenmann" and his impressive role in Ralf Huettner"s thriller movie "Der kalte Finger" (1995/96), in which he turns a car upside down, using only his bare hands.

With his roles in the multi-parted miner"s drama "Rote Erde" (1983) and Joseph Vilsmaier"s epic movie "Herbstmilch" (1988), Rudolph has proven that he is also capable of playing more multi-faceted characters. Despite his movie successes, he continued to act on stage. In 1999, for example, he played the drum major in a critically-acclaimed production of Büchner"s stage play "Woyzeck".

In 1987, Rudolph made his debut as a director with the documentary "Der dicke Rebell", which was co-produced by his old school-fellow Herbert Grönemeyer. In 1992, he caused a stir with "Ebbies Bluff". The crime caper, set in the boxing milieu, was written, directed, and produced by Rudolph. Thematically, the movie seemed to be in line with his film role stereotype.

In 1999, he followed in the tradition of Gert Fröbe, Klaus Maria Brandauer, and Götz Otto, by starring in the James Bond adventure "The World Is Not Enough" – although he only played the small role of a Russian colonel. In addition to starring in mainstream productions such as this, Rudolph - a man of unexpected contrasts – also goes on reading tours around Germany, reciting texts by the likes of Klaus Kinski and Jaques Mesrine.

Until 2004, Claude-Oliver Rudolph has been married to the actress Sabine von Maydell. He is the father of two children.