About Me

Learn more about Klaus Wilder — or Nick Wilder — and discover new facets of who I am.
Erfahre mehr über Klaus Wilder bzw. Nick Wilder und entdecke neue Facetten von mir.
nick wilder jugend fehmarn

Childhood in Altjellingsdorf

Six farms, one laborer’s house — and not much else to spark the imagination. So I had to create my own world — day by day, between the cowshed, the wind, and the wide horizon.
Do you know my biography?

Music

At the age of 14, I started making music, and at 17, my rock & blues band Flangia Kaiphos was named the second-best student band in Germany in a nationwide competition held by the newspaper BILD. Since then, music has remained a part of my life, and among other things, I performed the title song “Out of My Mind” for the crime thriller Jammertal. In addition to singing, I also love playing the harmonica — as in the song “These Boys Must Be Free op Platt.”
Read more about my music
nick wilder band
nick wilder windsurfing

Windsurfing

At 25, I became the world champion in tandem windsurfing and, in that same year — 1977 — I founded my first windsurfing school in Denmark, all while completing my degree in wood science at the University of Hamburg. Three years later, at 28, I moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where I opened my second sporting goods store, Windsurfing Madness, in 1983. In 1991, I sold my businesses, moved to Hollywood, and devoted myself entirely to my acting career.

Acting

My first appearance on television came in 1984 with a guest role in an episode of Miami Vice. In 1991, I sold my two businesses, moved to Hollywood, and devoted myself entirely to acting. After landing several roles in U.S. soap operas and a handful of B-movies, I portrayed the construction supervisor Taylor in Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster Stargate in 1994. That role became the springboard for a series of national and international film and television productions.
Read more about my filmography
nick wilder tv karriere
nick wilder ehe

Life beyond the spotlight

Since June 30, 2001, I’ve been married to the Italian actress Christine Mayn — a woman with beauty, brains, and a remarkable level of patience for a man like me. We split our time between South Tyrol (Italy) and Helena, Montana (USA), which means we’re either surrounded by mountains or by elk. Sometimes by both. I actually met Christine back in 1998 during the filming of a “Unser Charly” special for German television “ZDF”. While others fell in love at first sight, I needed a little longer — apparently my brain was still stuck in Montana time. But once the penny dropped, it dropped hard: Christine turned out to be not only the love of my life, but also my soulmate, travel companion, stage partner, and the only person who can tell me with a straight face when I’m talking nonsense. Whether on stage, on set, or halfway across the world with a suitcase that’s definitely too heavy — we’ve discovered a kind of happiness you can’t search for. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it… usually while you’re trying to remember where you parked the rental car.

Montana -
Our Place Between Mountains And Big Sky

As a boy, I used to slip over to the neighboring farm to watch Bonanza — and by the age of ten, I was already dreaming of Montana. The wide-open spaces of the American West, the wild landscape, the feeling of endless freedom… all of it fascinated me then just as much as it does today. 

In 1996, that childhood dream turned into something real: I found a piece of land that felt like it had been waiting for us — 40 acres of forest overlooking the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains. A place where silence has its own sound. Two years later, in 1998, Christine and I made Montana our home. We called our land TING, named after the Celtic word for a mystical meeting place between heaven and earth. For the Celts, a “Ting” was where communities gathered to make decisions and seek harmony. And that is exactly what this place became for us: a retreat that grounds us, inspires us, and reminds us of what truly matters. Over more than 25 years, our TING has grown into a sanctuary — a place of peace, creativity, and freedom. A place where we feel at home the moment we arrive. And because we love sharing this feeling with others, we built a guesthouse with a 5-star standard for anyone who wants to experience this special energy for themselves. It isn’t the Bonanza of my childhood — it’s something better. Because this one is real. And it’s home.
View TING Guesthouse
ting guesthouse

Nick Wilder at a Glance

Languages

Native language:
  • German
Near-native level:
Conversational:

Sports

  • Golfing
  • Horseback Riding
  • Sailing
  • Diving
  • Water Skiing
  • Windsurfing

Music

  • Singing
  • Blues-Harp
  • Guitar
  • Harmonica
  • Ukulele