Managed to survive the Nazi terror regime together with his mother. While his father was deported to a concentration camp and died shortly after World War II, they were hidden by friends in Berlin.Published his critically acclaimed autobiography "Nicht alle waren Mörder - Eine Kindheit in Berlin" (Not everyone was a murderer - A childhood in Berlin) in 1999.After studying acting in Berlin, he made his stage debut at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. In the following decades, he collaborated with some of the most important stage directors in Germany such as Bertolt Brecht, Rudolf Noelte or Peter Zadek.Is portrayed by Aaron Altaras on Nicht alle waren Mörder (2006) (TV), the movie about his childhood.Degen is married for the third time, his second wife was the actress Dora Degen Borkoff, they have two children: Adina and Jakob Degen.He's also the father of Elisabeth Degen (actress) and Gabi Degen (first marriage).