After graduating from drama school, Kurth performed at
Theater für junge Leute in
Magdeburg from 1981 to 1984 and at in
Stendal from 1984 to 1988. He then moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt (
Chemnitz), where he performed at
Städtisches Theater. He joined the
Maxim Gorki Theater in
Berlin in 2006, and later transferred to the
Stuttgart Drama Theater. Kurth prepared extensively for the role, gaining in the months before filming to physically resemble a former boxer, before losing his newly gained weight over the course of the 35-day shoot to portray Herbert's ALS progression. ==Personal life==