Ragnar Freidank is from Germany. He was trained as a mime and holds an MFA in Acting from the Conservatory of Music and Theatre in Hamburg. He received a scholarship from Villigst (Germany) to study the Michael Chekhov Technique in New York City; his long-time teachers were Ted Pugh and Fern Sloan, who were both certified by Beatrice Straight, one of the few actors to receive certification by Michael Chekhov to teach his method.

Mr. Freidank has worked as an actor and director in Germany, and has performed in Budapest, London, Stockholm and New York.

He is teaching in the Graduate Acting Program of Columbia University and is facilitating The Open Class, an acting class and collaborative space in New York City. Recently he directed the film “Beautiful Hills of Brooklyn”, starring Joanna Merlin, executive producer Bob Balaban. The film won "Best Short Film" at the Big Apple Film Festival in New York City as well as the Audience Awards for "Best Short" at the Beverly Hills HD Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Washington DC Independent Film Festival. The film was part of the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival 2009 in France.

Mr. Freidank serves as a board member for MICHA (Michael Chekhov Association) and teaches regularly at international MICHA conferences. He also taught for and co-directed the DVD series: “Master Classes in the Michael Chekhov Technique”,  published by Routledge.