- For his character 'Kommissar Ehrlicher' in the Tatort (1970) crime series Sodann has been nominated a 'Kommissar ehrenhalber' (honorary inspector) by the head of police forces of the city of Dresden in spring 1997.
- Declared candidacy for German parliament as nominee of post-communist PDS. As German networks announced not showing any of his films during the electoral campaign, he withdrew his candidacy some days later (6 July 2005).
- Together with former German Minister for Labour Norbert Blüm, he tours with their own cabaret program (2007).
- Being impresario of the neues theater until 2005, he founded a cultural center in Halle, where he has lived since 1980.
- Has four children from his first marriage: Tina, Susanne, Franz and Karl.
- Being considered "counter-revolutionary", his students' cabaret show "Rat der Spötter" was forbidden by the East German communists (1961).
- Was trained to be a tool and die maker, but later decided to study law.
- On stage from 1964 with the Berliner Ensemble. Later worked as director at the Städtische Theater Karl-Marx-Stadt, specialising in the works of Berthold Brecht.
- On 13 October 2008, the Left Party's Bundestag delegation nominated Sodann as their candidate for the 2009 presidential election As an actor-turned-politician, the German media has compared him (usually as a criticism) to Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegge.
- In 1959 he transferred to the Theaterhochschule Leipzig, where he led a cabaret group. The group's performance was deemed subversive by the East German authorities and closed in 1961. Sodann was arrested by the Stasi and spent nine months in prison and was on probation for four years.
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