Inspector Ernst Gennat, of the Berlin police

Inspector Karl Lohmann (Otto Wernicke)

Ernst Gennat (1880-1939) was director of the criminal police in Berlin. He is credited with having coined the term « serial killer ».

He worked in the investigations of the crimes by the  notorious Fritz Haarmann, the Butcher of Hanover, and Peter Kürten, the Vampire of Düsseldorf. Gennat inspired the fictional inspector Karl Lohmann who appeared in Fritz Lang's M (1931) and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1932), played in both films by Otto Wernicke (1893-1965).

Among his colleagues he was known as "The Buddha", because of his wisdom but also because of his physical appearance.

Inspector Gennat appears in the second season of the TV-series Babylon Berlin.

The real Ernst Gennat

Ernst Gennat in Babylon Berlin (played by Udo Samel)