Götz George
Götz George | |
---|---|
Born | Berlin, Germany | 23 July 1938
Died | 19 June 2016[1] Hamburg, Germany | (aged 77)
Götz George (23 July 1938 – 19 June 2016) was a German actor, son of actor couple Berta Drews and Heinrich George. His arguably best-known role is that of Duisburg detective Horst Schimanski in the TV crime series Tatort.
Early years
George was born in Berlin into a well known acting family: his father, Heinrich George, was a film and theater actor, and his mother, Berta Drews, a character actress. George is named after his father's favorite, Imperial Knight Götz von Berlichingen. His father was imprisoned by the Soviets and starved in the Soviet concentration camp Sachsenhausen Speziallager Nr. 7 Sachsenhausen. George grew up in Berlin with his elder brother Jan and his mother. He attended school in Berlin-Lichterfelde and later attended the Lyzeum Alpinum in Zuoz, Switzerland. He was married to Loni von Friedl from 1966 to 1976; the couple's daughter, Tanja-Nicole, was born in 1967. Since 1997 he lived together with Hamburg journalist Marika Ullrich ; the couple married in 2014.[2]
Acting career
Stage
George made his stage debut in 1950, performing a role in William Saroyan's My Heart's in the Highlands. From 1955 to 1958 he also studied at the Berlin UFA-Nachwuchsstudio, though he received the crucial part of his acting education between 1958 and 1963. Following his mother's advice he occasionally played at the Deutsches Theater in Göttingen under the direction of Heinz Hilpert. After Hilpert's death, George would never join a fixed theater company again, although he did regularly perform on tours and as a guest performer.
Hansgünther Heyme signed him in 1972 to the Kölner Schauspielhaus, where George played Martin Luther in Dieter Forte's Martin Luther und Thomas Münzer. His most important stage achievement, in his own opinion, was the lead role in Büchner's Danton's Death during the Salzburg Festival in 1981. In 1986 and 1987 George, together with Eberhard Feik and Helmut Stauss, stage-managed Gogol's The Government Inspector. Performing in Anton Chekhov's Platonov, George went on his hitherto last theater tour.
Cinema and television
In 1953 he was able to get a small film role next to Romy Schneider in Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht. In the same year he played, as he would often do from then on, next to his mother in Shakespeare's Richard III. After small movie parts during the 1950s, Götz George broke through with audiences and critics in the film Jacqueline (1959). George was awarded the Bundesfilmpreis and the Preis der Filmkritik for his role. In 1962 he received the Bambi Award as the most popular actor.
In the sixties, George got the chance to show that he is able to do more than playing sappy peasants, through roles in movies such as Kirmes, playing a desperate Wehrmacht deserter, and Herrenpartie. More often, though, he performed in comedies and action-oriented movies which benefited from his physical presence. He became well-known to a broad audience when, during his theater tour in Göttingen, Horst Wendlandt persuaded him to play in one of the Karl May series of films, which he started in 1962 with Der Schatz im Silbersee. It was originally planned to give him the lead role, but this plan was abandoned when Lex Barker was hired to play the role of Old Shatterhand, so George played the farmer son Fred Engel. George performed all stunts himself, even in his lead role as sheriff in de .
In the 1970s he turned primarily to stage roles and to television, including the many episodes of Der Kommissar, Tatort, Derrick, and The Old Fox for which he would become famous. It was not until 1977 that he was cast in a prominent role again, playing Franz Lang in Aus einem deutschen Leben (Death is My Trade), a character modeled after Auschwitz commander Rudolf Höß.
George probably had his greatest popular success in the eighties on TV: in Tatort episodes of the WDR, broadcast from 1981 to 1991, he portrayed proletarian police officer Horst Schimanski, who eventually became cult in German TV. In 1984 and 1987 he again won the Bambi Award as the most popular actor.[3] The series of Schulz & Schulz movies, starting in 1989 and dealing with the issue of the German reunification, gave him the opportunity to show his talents as a comedian in a double role, as did the role of the industry consultant de in the series of the same name, which is rather far removed from the roughneck charm of senior commissar Schimanski.
Among George's most impressive roles in the nineties were his appearances in the television movie de , in which he portrayed the alleged serial killer and writer Henry Kupfer as a cold, calculating and manipulative intellectual, the movie Deathmaker (Der Totmacher), in which he portrayed Fritz Haarmann (The Butcher of Hanover), and in the television movie Die Bubi-Scholz-Story, the trauma of an aged, broken boxer.
Death
George died at the age of 77 after a short illness.[4]
Awards
- 1995 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Actor[5]
- 1995 Volpi Cup, Best Actor
- Awards for Götz George at IMDb
Filmography (Movies)
- Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht, 1953 … Klaus
- Ihre große Prüfung, 1953 … Peter Behrend
- Old Barge, Young Love (Alter Kahn und junge Liebe aka Sonne über den Seen), 1957 … Kalle Borchert
- Solange das Herz schlägt, 1958 … Eberhard Römer
- Jacqueline, 1959 … Gustav Bäumler
- The Fair (Kirmes), 1960 … Robert Mertens
- Carnival Confession, 1960 … Clemens
- de , 1961 … Peter Joost
- de , 1961 … Hein Kersten
- de , 1961 … Georg Ambrock
- de aka Das Fenster zum Flur, 1962 … Adam Kowalski
- Das Mädchen und der Staatsanwalt, 1962 … Jochen Rehbert
- Treasure of the Silver Lake (Der Schatz im Silbersee), 1962 … Fred Engel
- Hipnosis, 1963 … Chris Kronberger
- de , 1963 … Hansgeorg Lehmbruck
- Man and Beast (Mensch und Bestie), 1963 … Franz
- Destination Death (Herrenpartie), 1964 … Herbert Hackländer
- Waiting Room to the Beyond (Wartezimmer zum Jenseits), 1964 … Don Micklem
- Among Vultures (Unter Geiern), 1964 … Martin Baumann Jr.
- A Holiday with Piroschka, 1965 … Thomas Laurends
- de , 1965 … Mace Carson
- de , 1966 … Jeff Brown
- The Long Day of Inspector Blomfield, 1968 … Eddie Blomfield
- The Blood of Fu Manchu, 1968 … Carl Jansen
- Commandos, 1968 … Oberleutnant Rudi
- fr , 1970 … Soldier
- Aus einem deutschen Leben (Death is My Trade), 1977 … Franz Lang (based on Rudolf Höss)
- Abwärts, 1984 … Jörg
- de , 1985 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1987 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1988 … Probek
- de , 1989 … Walter Graf
- de , 1989 … Johann Neudorf
- Schtonk!, 1992 … Hermann Willié
- Ich und Christine, 1993 … Bruno
- de , 1993 … Robot Max
- de , 1995 … Henry Kupfer
- Deathmaker (Der Totmacher) 1995 … Fritz Haarmann
- de , 1997 … Uhu Zigeuner
- de , 1998 … Zobel
- de , 1998 … Bernie Kominka
- After the Truth (Nichts als die Wahrheit), 1999 … Dr. Mengele
- Viktor Vogel – Commercial Man, 2001 … Eddie Kaminsky
- Gott ist tot, 2003 … Heinrich Lutter
- de , 2006 … Jost
- Mein Kampf (aka Dawn of Evil), 2009 … Schlomo Herzl
- de , 2012 … Chancellor Olli Ebert
Filmography (made-for-TV movies and series)
- Kolportage, 1957 … Erik Stjernenhö
- Alle meine Söhne, 1961 … Christian Keller
- Alle meine Söhne, 1965 … Chris Keller
- Der Werbeoffizier, 1967 … Captain Plume
- Schlehmihls wundersame Geschichte, 1967 … Peter Schlemihl
- Match, 1968 … André
- Der Eismann kommt, 1968 … Rocky Pioggi
- Spion unter der Haube, 1969 … Cazmio
- Ein Jahr ohne Sonntag, 1969 (TV series, 13 episodes) … Robert Sonntag
- 11 Uhr 20, 1970 (TV miniseries) … Mûller
- Der Kommissar: Tod einer Zeugin, 1970 … Wolfgang Karrass
- de , 1971 … Joachim Seidel
- Diamantendetektiv Dick Donald, 1971 (TV series, 13 episodes) … Dick Donald
- Der Kommissar: Der Amoklauf, 1972 … Paul Neumann
- Der Illegale, 1972 … Nikolai Grunwaldt aka Kurt Blohm
- de , 1972 … Jerry
- Kesselflickers Hochzeit, 1972 … Michael Byrne
- Die Gräfin von Rathenow, 1973 … Leopold
- Der Kommissar: Sommerpension, 1973 … Gottfried Schuster
- Zwischen den Flügen, 1973 (TV series, 1 episode)
- Mandragola, 1974 … Siro
- Tatort: Transit ins Jenseits, 1976 … Martin
- Hungária kávéház (Café Hungaria), 1977 (TV series, 1 episode) … Hadnagy
- Polizeiinspektion 1: Verfolgungswahn, 1977 … Alfred Neumeier
- Les Diamants du président (The Pawn), 1977 (TV miniseries) … Pierre Vidal
- Vermutungen über Franz Bieberkopf, 1977
- Derrick - Season 5, Episode 10: "Der Spitzel" (1978) … Georg Lukas
- The Old Fox: Der schöne Alex, 1978 … Alex Bergemann
- The Old Fox: Der Auftraggeber, 1979 … Martens
- Überfall in Glasgow, 1981 … Craig Kennan
- fr , 1981 (TV series) … Victor
- de , 1981 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1981 … Frederick William I of Prussia
- Dantons Tod, 1981 … Danton
- de , 1981 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1982 … Horst Schimanski
- Der Regenmacher, 1982 … Bill Starbuck
- de , 1982 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1982 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1983 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1984 … Craig Murray
- de , 1984 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1984 … Horst Schimanski
- Abgehört, 1984 … Bozidar Popkov-Prokop
- de , 1984 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1985 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1985 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1985 (theatrically released) … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1986 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1986 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1986 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1987 (theatrically released) … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1987 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1988 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1988 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1988 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1989 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1989 … Horst Schimanski
- Spielen willst du ja alles. Götz George - rastlos im Einsatz, 1989
- de , 1989 … Horst Schimanski
- Schulz & Schulz, 1989 … Walter Schulz and Wolfgang Schulz
- de , 1990 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1990 … Horst Schimanski
- Tatort: Unter Brüdern, 1990 … Horst Schimanski
- Schulz & Schulz 2: Aller Anfang ist schwer, 1991 … Walter Schulz and Wolfgang Schulz
- de , 1991 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1991 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 1991 … Horst Schimanski
- Schulz & Schulz 3: Wechselspiele, 1992 … Walter Schulz and Wolfgang Schulz
- Schulz & Schulz 4: Neue Welten, alte Lasten, 1992 … Walter Schulz and Wolfgang Schulz
- de : Kinderkram, 1993 … Carl Morlock
- de : Die Verflechtung, 1993 … Carl Morlock
- de : König Midas, 1993 … Carl Morlock
- Schulz & Schulz 5: Fünf vor zwölf, 1993 … Walter Schulz and Wolfgang Schulz
- de : Der Tunnel, 1994 … Carl Morlock
- de , 1995 (TV miniseries) … Stefan Stolze
- Der König von Dulsberg, 1995 … Bruno Bülle
- de , 1995 … Henry Kupfer
- Der Mann auf der Bettkante, 1995 … Jack Förnbeisser
- Tote sterben niemals aus, 1996 … Benno / Theobald
- Tor des Feuers, 1996 … Harry Kowa
- Schimanski: Die Schwadron, 1997 … Horst Schimanski
- Schimanski: Blutsbrüder, 1997 … Horst Schimanski
- Schimanski: Hart am Limit, 1997 … Horst Schimanski
- Schimanski: Muttertag, 1998 … Horst Schimanski
- Schimanski: Rattennest, 1998 … Horst Schimanski
- Schimanski: Geschwister, 1998 … Horst Schimanski
- Die Bubi-Scholz-Story, 1998/99 … Bubi Scholz
- Die Entführung, 1999 … Carl Heidfeld
- Racheengel - Stimme aus dem Dunkeln, 1999 … Dr. Meinfeld
- Schimanski: Sehnsucht, 1999 … Horst Schimanski
- Die Spur meiner Tochter (aka Element des Todes), 1999 … Paul Flemming
- Schimanski: Tödliche Liebe, 2000 … Horst Schimanski
- Schimanski: Schimanski muß leiden, 2000 … Horst Schimanski
- Bargeld lacht, 2001 … Harry Freundner
- Schimanski: Kinder der Hölle, 2001 … Horst Schimanski
- Liebe. Macht. Blind., 2001 … Alexander Stahlberg
- Mein Vater, 2002 … Richard Esser
- Liebe ist die halbe Miete, 2002 … Dr. Gottfried Naumann
- Schimanski: Asyl, 2002 … Horst Schimanski
- Verliebte Diebe, 2002 … Vinzenz Kröger
- Der Anwalt und sein Gast, 2002 … Frank Karmann
- Geheimnisvolle Freundinnen, 2003 … Sandmann
- Familienkreise, 2003 … Raimund Parz
- Alpenglühen, 2003 … Hannes Seeger
- René Deltgen - Der sanfte Rebell, 2004
- Schimanski: Das Geheimnis des Golem, 2004 … Horst Schimanski
- Blatt und Blüte - Die Erbschaft, 2004 … Vincent Gottwald
- Alpenglühen zwei - Liebe versetzt Berge, 2005 … Hannes Seeger
- Kein Himmel über Afrika, 2005 … Larry
- de , 2005 … John Schlesinger
- de , 2005 … President von Walter
- Schimanski: Sünde, 2005 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 2006 … Jens Urban
- Commissario Laurenti: Die Toten vom Karst, 2006 … Antonio Gubian
- Als der Fremde kam, 2006 … Dr. Robert Stubenrauch
- Schimanski: Tod in der Siedlung, 2007 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 2007 … Henry Lichtfeld
- Die Katze, 2007 … Siegmar
- Meine fremde Tochter, 2008 … Johann Bergkamp
- Schimanski: Schicht im Schacht, 2008 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 2008 … Ernst Schmitt
- de , 2010 … Peter Jordan
- de , 2010 … Hape Wegener
- Schimanski: Schuld und Sühne, 2011 … Horst Schimanski
- de , 2012 … Bruno Theweleit
- de , 2013 … Heinrich George
- Schimanski: Loverboy, 2013 … Horst Schimanski
- Besondere Schwere der Schuld, 2014 … Joseph Komalschek
References
- ^ "Götz George ist tot" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 2016-06-26. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
- ^ Katharina Dockhorn (2014-10-17). "Götz George will nicht mehr: "Ich hab genug gestrampelt"". Hamburger Abendblatt. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
- ^ Awards for Götz George at IMDb
- ^ "German 'Tatort' star Götz George, dead at 77". Deutsche Welle. 2016-06-26. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
- ^ "Bayerischer Filmpreis - "Pierrot"" (PDF). 2008-02-05. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-25. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
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