Detlef Bothe was born in Braunschweig in 1965. After an apprenticeship as a car mechanic and several different jobs he visited drama school from 1989 till 1992. Following a first role in the TV series "Tatort", he played supporting parts in major movie productions like "14 Tage lebenslänglich", "Nichts als die Wahrheit" and "Sass" as well as in TV and stage productions .

In 2002, Bothe, who is also a distinguished screenplay writer and author of plays and a novel, debuted as a director with his feature film "Feiertag" which was awarded with the special jury prize at Filmfest München. In 2004, Bothe wrote, directed and played the leading part in his second feature film "Meine Frau, meine Freunde und ich", followed in 2008 by the dramatic road movie "Neben der Spur", that was already shot in 2005/2006, again with himself as part of the ensemble.