Born in Berlin in 1942 and raised in Rostock and West Berlin, Stefan Schweninger initially trained as a steel shipbuilder. He later reoriented himself and studied acting at the Berlin-Schöneweide drama school from 1967 to 1970, after which his first engagement took him to Meiningen. From 1973 to 2008, he was a member of the ensemble at Schauspiel Chemnitz.