Born in Hamburg on January 20, 1965, Matthias Glasner used to work at the Hamburg State Opera and as a film projectionist. He has lived abroad in Russia and Texas. In 1983, he started making films with Birgit Staudt, including "Schicksal und Zufall" (1990). Whilst also working as a musician in the band "homesweethome", Glasner founded the Jack Film & Musikproduktion company in 1993. In 1994/95, he directed "Die Mediocren", a movie depicting the complicated love-lives of two women and two men. He followed this work with "Sexy Sadie" (1996), his first collaboration with his friend Jürgen Vogel (with whom he had founded the film production company Schwarzweiss Filmproduktion). In "Sexy Sadie", Jürgen Vogel played a serial killer who escapes from prison after a doctor tells him that he only has a few more days to live.

In the following years, Glasner directed several TV crime thrillers, including an episode for the German series "Schimanski" (2000). His next work for cinema was the gangster-themed drama "Fandango" (2000), starring Nicolette Krebitz and Moritz Bleibtreu. After directing a couple of more TV movies as well as an episode for the compilation movie "99 Euro Films" (2001), Glasner returned to the big screen in 2006. "Der freie Wille" ("The Free Will"), a provocative drama about a rapist who tries in vain to lead a normal life, won him the Prize of the Guild of German Arthouse Cinemas at the Berlinale 2006. As leading actor, author and producer, Jürgen Vogel was awarded the Silver Bear for Artistic Contribution.

In 2007, Glasner directed three episodes of the acclaimed yet short-lived TV series "KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst" and also helmed the TV thriller "Eine gute Mutter" starring Barbara Auer and Justus von Dohnányi.

His next cinema release "This is Love" (2009) again caused a controversy: The film centers around a paedophile who tries to suppress the dangerous urges while his best friend (Jürgen Vogel) freely gives in to them.

Following the mystery thriller "Die Stunde des Wolfes", featuring Silke Bodenbender and Jürgen Vogel as a couple investigating a dark family secret which affects a whole village, Glasner directed his seventh feature film: "Gnade", again starring Jürgen Vogel, is the the story of a couple whose tarnished relationship changes surprisingly for the better after the woman (Birgit Minichmayer) runs over a girl. The film premiered in the competition of the 2012 Berlin IFF.

For the next ten years, Glasner worked exclusively for television. His "Tatort" episode "Die Ballade von Cenk und Valerie" (2012), the last case of undercover police officer Cenk Batu (Mehmet Kurtuluş), was highly praised by critics. The five-part crime series "Blochin" (2015), starring Jürgen Vogel as the titular detective, was less well received. Nevertheless, Glasner wrote and directed a final episode of the short-lived series, "Blochin - Das letzte Kapitel" (2018), three years later.  

Other television work included "Landgericht - Geschichte einer Familie" (2017) and "Polizeiruf 110: Demokratie stirbt in Finsternis" (2018). Glasner also directed four episodes of the series "Das Boot" (2020, second season).  

Between November 2022 and April 2023, Matthias Glasner shot his first feature film in ten years, the family drama "Sterben" ("Dying"), starring Lars Eidinger, Corinna Harfouch and Lilith Stangenberg. The film premiered at the 2024 Berlinale, marking Glasner's third time in competition at the festival, and was awarded the Silver Bear for Best screenplay. That same year, "Sterben" was nominated for nine German Film Awards.