Franz Buchrieser (born December 23, 1937) is a venerated Austrian actor whose career spans over six decades of excellence in theater, film, and television. He is perhaps most iconic for his portrayal of the gritty detective Adolf "Kottan" Kottan in the cult classic satirical police series Kottan ermittelt (1980–1983), a role that cemented his status as a household name in the German-speaking world. A master of character acting, Buchrieser has worked with legendary directors like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, appearing in the epic miniseries Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980), and has graced the stages of Europe’s most prestigious theaters, including the Burgtheater in Vienna and the Schaubühne in Berlin.