Actors

First he should take over his father's inheritance. When his parents divorced, Rühmann was just 14 years old. His father then committed suicide. In 1919, after completing his schooling and completing his secondary school leaving certificate, Rühmann took acting lessons. He got his first theater role a year later in the play "Rose Bernd". Shortly afterwards, Rühmann played with Theo Lingen at the Residenztheater in Hanover. In 1923 Rühmann became a member of the Schauspielhaus Munich, from where he moved to the Munich Kammerspiele a year later. During this time he married the actress Maria Herbot. Rühmann got his major roles from 1927 in Berlin with Max Reinhardt. Among others, he played here with Marlene Dietrich and Hans Albers.

In 1930, Rühmann realized his dream and got his pilot's license. The famous film "The Three from the Gas Station" was also made during this time. The film, which was one of the first German sound films, made him the most popular actor in Germany. During the Second World War, Rühmann was indifferent to politics. He tried to come to terms with the rules of National Socialist cultural policy, which benefited his career. He was later blamed for his friendship with high-ranking members of the Nazi regime. In 1938 he divorced his wife. Shortly afterwards he married the actress Hertha Feiler, with whom he also had a son. From 1938 to 1945 Rühmann was a member of the Berlin State Theater under the direction of Gustav Gründgens. During the Second World War, Rühmann was drafted into the Wehrmacht as a pilot. The funny film "Quax, the Break Pilot" was made, which was specially commissioned from Ufa-Film in 1941 by Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels to keep the people happy.

In 1944, Rühmann appeared in the legendary comedy "Die Feuerzangenbowle", one of the classics that was produced to calm the "home front" during the war years. The film became one of his most famous films. After the end of the war, Rühmann was "denazified" and a temporary ban on playing was lifted. He moved back to Munich with his family and founded his own film company "Comedia" here in 1947. But this didn't bring him any luck; he had several failures. It wasn't until the film "Don't Be Afraid of Big Animals" came out that things started to look up again financially. Rühmann became a respected actor in post-war German cinema. He also had great success with "The Captain of Köpenick" by Carl Zuckmayer, among others. In this film, Rühmann played a shoemaker who took advantage of the confusion of authority in the military hierarchy to put himself in the position of a captain. In the 1950s, successful entertainment films such as "When the Father and the Son", "Charley's Aunt" and "The Pauker" were made.

With the thriller "It Happened in Broad Daylight" he asserted himself in demanding roles. In 1957 Rühmann was awarded the German Film Critics' Prize. Over time, the comedian became a character actor. Rühmann made a film in Hollywood in 1965: "The Ship of Fools" alongside Vivien Leigh. "The Love Carousel" was also created in 1965 with Gert Fröbe and Curd Jürgens. In 1966 the actor received the Federal Cross of Merit and in 1972 the Federal Film Prize. In 1968 Rühmann got his first television role in the film "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller. Two years later his wife died. On October 9, 1974, he married Hertha Droemer for the third time. After the film "Fondenes Fressen" was filmed, Rühmann withdrew from acting and only appeared occasionally on television.

During this time he wrote his autobiography "That was it". A final film was released in 1993: "Far away, so close" by Wim Wenders. In 1995 he was posthumously awarded the Golden Camera as "Greatest German Actor of the Century".

Heinz Rühmann died on October 3, 1994 at the age of 92 on Lake Starnberg.

Klaus Pohl was born on 1 November 1883 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was an actor, known for Woman in the Moon (1929), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and Reise in die Vergangenheit (1943). He died on 28 November 1958 in Garsten, Upper Austria, Austria.

Actor, producer, writer, and director Til Schweiger is Germany's best-known actor and also the country's most successful director. With more than 51 Million admissions no other German filmmaker drew more people to cinemas. He runs his own production company Barefoot Films based in Berlin, Germany.

Til Schweiger (born December 19, 1963) was raised along with his two brothers in his hometown Giessen. In his early years, Schweiger began studying German and Medicine. He decided to drop out of university to pursue his career as an actor and went to drama school from 1986-1989. After graduation, he played at several theaters as a stage actor to gain more experience.

In 1991, Schweiger landed his first lead role in Manta, Manta (1991) following his big breakthrough role on Maybe... Maybe Not (1994) with the support of Germany's renowned film producer and mentor Bernd Eichinger. In 1996, Til Schweiger founded his first film production company Mr. Brown Entertainment together with business partner and film producer Tom Zickler. Schweiger debuted as producer with Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997) winning several Festival Awards. The road movie remains a cult favorite with audiences worldwide. Within the same year, Schweiger was the first foreign actor to win the "Polish Oscar" at the International Warsaw Film festival for his performance in in Bandyta (1997). He has since built up acting credits in dozens of German movies including Der Eisbär (1998), where Schweiger made his debut as director.

Judas Kiss (1998) was Schweiger's first role in an international film. He then appeared in several internationally acclaimed movies including SLC Punk! (1998), The Replacement Killers (1998), Driven (2001), Intimate Affairs (2001), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003), King Arthur (2004), New Year's Eve (2011), and many more.

To this day, Schweiger has delivered a series of German-language hits and won numerous Awards as actor/writer/director/producer: Barefoot (2005) grossed about $7,7 million with 1,5 million admissions, Rabbit Without Ears (2007) was up to 2014 Schweiger's most successful film and earned some $74 million locally, followed by the sequel Rabbit Without Ears 2 (2009). In 2011, Schweiger wrote, produced and directed Kokowääh (2011), which grossed $43 million, starring alongside his youngest daughter Emma. A sequel hit theaters in 2013.

As an actor, he received widespread critical acclaim and further recognition for his portrayal as the legendary Hugo Stieglitz in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009).

In December 2014, Til Schweiger released the family-friendly dramedy Head Full of Honey (2014) , which he co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in. It is his most successful film to date breaking the 6, 3 million admissions barrier of his 2007 hit Rabbit Without Ears (2007).

Schweiger, who started his career in German TV, plays the lead role on hit local crimes series Tatort (1970)(Hamburg) (Scene of the Crime). His debut generated the best ratings for the long-running procedural in 20 years.

Complete with waxed moustache and monocle, bald, straight-backed Hubert von Meyerinck looked every inch a poster boy for Prussian militarism. A practised condescension and raspy, sometimes shrill delivery further added to this image. In fact, his grandfather had been a commanding general and his father an army major and landowner. "Hubsie" himself was supposedly destined for a career in the clergy. When he began to take acting classes, it was much to the chagrin of his conservative parents. Invalided out of military service in World War I due to a lung condition, he made his theatrical bow in Berlin in 1917. Following that, he spent two years at the Hamburg Kammerspiele (1918-20) before returning to Berlin for engagements on the legitimate stage and in cabaret, famously partnering an as yet 'undiscovered' Marlene Dietrich in the 1927 revue "Es liegt was in der Luft". He also enhanced his theatrical reputation with prominent roles as Mephisto in "Faust" and as Mack the Knife in Brecht's "Threepenny Opera".

On the rare occasions he played the outright villain, "Hubsie" could be genuinely menacing. However, more often then not, the German cinema's busiest character actor used undeniable comic talent to parody his image and appearance. Audiences loved him as oily swindlers, impoverished aristocrats out to marry for money, bigamists, effete movie folk or obtuse officials. Despite at times overplaying his outrageous personae, he improved many a lesser picture by his quirky, scene-stealing antics. A shortlist of his more memorable efforts should include The Company's in Love (1932), When Love Sets the Fashion (1932), Bel Ami (1939), Der tolle Bomberg (1957), Ein Mann geht durch die Wand (1959), The Haunted Castle (1960) and Billy Wilder's madcap farce One, Two, Three (1961). Between 1965 and 1969, "Hubsie" was given carte blanche to do his shtick as bumbling "Clouseau"-like Scotland Yard chief Sir Arthur in five enjoyably campy Edgar Wallace crime thrillers. He also continued to augment his prolific screen acting portfolio (294 appearances!) with frequent returns to the stage, his last being as ensemble member of the Thalia Theater in Hamburg from 1966 until his death from pneumonia in May 1971.

Born Kätherose Derr in Wiesbaden, Karin Dor studied acting and ballet at school and began in films as an extra. The attractive redhead made an indelible impression on Austrian director Harald Reinl (who became her first husband in 1954) and this paved the way to higher profile roles. Her first significant featured appearance was in Reinl's melodrama Der schweigende Engel (1954). Karin subsequently shared top billing in a classroom drama about wayward matriculation students, Ihre große Prüfung (1954). During the initial segment of her career she played nice girls, mainly wide-eyed ingénues, innocent victims and assorted naive juveniles in war and period dramas (As Long as You Live (1955)), Heimatfilms (Almenrausch und Edelweiß (1957)) and operettas (The White Horse Inn (1960)).

By 1960, a more glamorous, lithe and sensual Karin had graduated to juicer roles as heroines in Edgar Wallace potboilers (beginning with Der grüne Bogenschütze (1961)) and a series of Karl May European westerns, invariably directed by Reinl and co-starring Tarzan actor Lex Barker (a combination which proved equally successful for other crime/sci-fi franchises, including The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (1962)). Many of these pictures enjoyed only limited release and were rarely exhibited outside Germany.

Karin succeeded at last to break her stereotyping by playing a pathological serial killer wielding a cutthroat razor in another Wallace/Reinl outing, Room 13 (1964), and - for a total change of pace -- essayed Brunhilde in a two-part filming of the epic 'Die Nibelungen' (also directed by Reinl). With her international appeal now widening, she appeared in The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), a British-West German co-production, as a scientist's daughter menaced by the titular villain. To follow was arguably her best-known international role as an early 'Bond girl', Helga Brandt (alias Number Eleven), a SPECTRE operative whose failure to eliminate J.B. results in her being dropped into a piranha-infested pool by super villain Blofeld (Donald Pleasence) in You Only Live Twice (1967). She was then engaged by Alfred Hitchcock for the part of Cuban resistance leader Juanita de Cordoba in Topaz (1969) in which her character came to a similarly sticky end. Karin's career never quite recovered from this director's rare box-office aberration. British Times reviewer and Hitchcock specialist John Russell Taylor described the picture as "generally flat, undistinguished, and lacking in any sign of positive interest or involvement on his (Hitchcock's) part". In the wake of Topaz, Karin's screen appearances became infrequent, except for a couple of guest spots on American crime shows, followed by an of unsuccessful feature film comeback attempt in the incongruous thriller Warhead (1977). She was latterly seen on German television in several episodes of Rosamunde Pilcher (1993). Karin's third husband was actor and stuntman George Robotham who predeceased her in 2007.

Theo Lingen was born on 10 June 1903 in Hanover, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for M (1931), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and Till Eulenspiegel: Wie Eulenspiegel sich einmal erbot, zu fliegen (1936). He was married to Marianne Zoff. He died on 10 November 1978 in Vienna, Austria.

Hans Moser, whose real name is Jean Juliet, was trained in theater by the court actor Josef Moser. He later took his last name and combined it with the German translation of his first name. In 1897 he had his first engagement in Bohemia. He later took part in a traveling theater that took him through the country. He settled in Josefstadt in 1903 and was hired at the local theater. Four years later he was back on tour with the theater through Austro-Hungarian territory. Moser appeared in revues, cabarets and theaters in Vienna in 1910. He took part in the First World War. Afterwards he worked again as a member of a cabaret. Moser began his film work in 1922.

Three years later he returned to Josefstadt. There he played theater under Max Reinhardt. He favored roles in literary works by Johann Nepomuk, Odön von Horvath and Arthur Schnitzler. He later made a career in television. He particularly shone in comic roles as a small, often odd, studious man with his mumbles and erratic movements, which made him known to a larger audience. His popularity in these comic roles made him famous even after death. In expert circles, Hans Moser is considered one of the most important film comedians. In his roles he often portrayed lower-class men, such as in the melodrama "Masquerade" from 1934, in which he played a gardener. In the Schubert film "Leise beg my songs" from 1934, Moser played a pawnbroker. He could be seen as a waiter, a servant or a maid for everything as well as in many other roles.

With his often quirky, strange manner and mumbling, he became one of the most popular German-speaking film actors of the 1950s. His film partners included Heinz Rühmann and Theo Lingen. In the Erich Neuberg production of "The Stories from the Vienna Woods" from 1964, he was seen in one of his most successful adult roles. This also included the play "The Farmer as a Millionaire" by Ferdinand Reimund, which was staged by Rudolf Steinböck for the Salzburg Festival. He previously appeared alongside Romy Schneider as her grandfather in the film "The Beautiful Liar" by Axel von Ambesser. His other films include "The City without Jews" (1924), "Burgtheater" (1936), "The Thirteen Chairs" (1938), "The Disgust" (1939), "Vienna Stories" (1940) , "Schrammeln" (1943), "Der Hofrat Geiger" (1947), "Der Herr Chancellor" (1948), "Hello Serviceman" (1951) or "Die Fledermaus" (1962).

Hans Moser died on June 19, 1964 in Vienna.

Grimme-Preis award winner, Matthias Schweighöfer, is one of Germany's most successful actors and is quickly becoming an international phenomenon.

Schweighöfer was most recently seen in Christopher Nolan's film, "Oppenheimer," Netflix's "Heart of Stone" opposite Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan and "The Swimmers" for director Sally El Hosaini. Upcoming, Schweighöfer will be seen in Netflix's "Family Switch" opposite Jennifer Garner and "Girl You Know It's True," a film based on the incredible story of the R&B duo Milli Vanilli.

A talented multi-hyphenate, Schweighöfer also discovered his love for being behind the camera and has gone on to direct multiple projects. In addition, he founded his production company, Pantaleon Film, with his producing partner Dan Maag which continues to be one of Germany's preeminent production companies.

Born behind the Berlin wall, Schweighöfer's last 10 films have all reached #1 at the German Box office. He is best known for his films "Der Geilste Tag," "Der Nanny," "100 Dinge" and "Vaterfreuden," and his first English speaking role and international film, "Valkyrie" alongside Tom Cruise and Kenneth Branagh.

Schweighöfer has continued working on international projects and produced, directed and stared in the first German-language Amazon Original Series "You Are Wanted." The series launched in over 200 countries and in 6 different languages. He also starred in and produced "Resistance" for IFC Films which also stars Jessie Eisenberg, Ed Harris and Edgar Ramirez.

Most recently, Schweighöfer Directed, Produced, and Starred in "Army of Thieves," the prequel Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead," in which he also starred in. "Army of the Dead" was viewed in over 72 million households and quickly became one of Netflix's most viewed film of all time, and "Army of Thieves" became the Number 1 film on Netflix in 90-plus countries during its first week.

This corpulent, balding character actor was a ubiquitous presence in German-speaking films for almost half a century. So much so, that a contemporary critic referred to him as 'the king of the supporting roles'. A baker's son, Sima had at first aspired to become a writer. When this somehow failed to materialise, he went on to study drama at Vienna Conservatory. His first theatrical engagement in 1919 took him to the Deutsche Theater in Prague. Afterwards, he was to divide his time on stage between Vienna and Berlin. From 1927, Sima came under the auspices of Max Reinhardt, who was astute enough to recognise his singular comic talent and had him cast in satirical or comedic roles.

Sima's screen career commenced in 1921. He made limited headway until the arrival of sound. All of a sudden, he started to average several films per year, often acting in commercially successful pictures like Die Fledermaus (1931), So ein Flegel (1934), Liebe, Tod und Teufel (1934), Glückskinder (1936), Gasparone (1937), Frau im Strom (1939) and Jenny und der Herr im Frack (1941). His stock-in-trade character was the surly curmudgeon: sometimes villainous, cigar-chewing and choleric, sometimes shifty and scheming, all the while deceptively amiable. At other times, he provided effective, often scene-stealing comedy relief, as pompous, easily deflatable editors, industrialists or burgomasters. Sima continued, unabated, during the post-war era, alternating comedies with romantic melodramas. In 1967, he was forced into retirement following a heart attack, retreating to his horse-breeding stud near Vienna.

During the national socialist era, Sima's stance towards the ruling regime seemed ambivalent. On the one hand, he vociferously applauded Austria's 'Anschluss' with Germany. He went as far as to join the NSDAP, ostensibly, in order to continue performing. On the other hand, Sima appears also to have been associated with at least one resistance cell during the 1940's. Perhaps, that curious ambiguity accounted for his receiving the one major award of his prolific career, the Filmband in Gold, only just prior to his death in June 1969.

Fuchsberger grew up in Heidelberg, attended secondary school and was conscripted into the Reich Labor Service. Towards the end of the war he received training as a parachutist at the jumper school in Wittstock. After the war, Fuchsberger initially worked as a miner and fitter. In 1949 he became advertising manager for the German Building Exhibition in Nuremberg. In 1950, Fuchsberger started his media career as a speaker for Bayerischer Rundfunk and soon appeared in front of the camera as an actor. In 1951 he married the pop singer Gitta Lind. After two and a half years the marriage ended in divorce. In 1954 he became known as "Private Asch" in the "08/15" films. In the same year he married the actress Gundula Korte. Their son Thomas was born on August 5, 1957.

From 1959 to 1972, Fuchsberger, who was also called "Blacky" Fuchsberger by his fans, appeared in twelve Edgar Wallace film adaptations, with which he enjoyed great success. By this point he had already appeared in 85 feature films. Blacky didn't just limit himself to acting, but was also the songwriter and show host of shows such as "Just Don't Get Nervous", "Glücksspirale", "The Hot Wire" and "Let's Go". In addition, he published his first book, "Unplanned Adventures," in 1972. In the same year he was chief spokesman at the Summer Olympics in Munich. In 1973, Fuchsberger appeared in front of the camera as an actor for the last time when he appeared in the Erich Kästner film adaptation "The Flying Classroom". Fuchsberger celebrated success with his celebrity show "Heut Abend" from 1980 onward. In total it was broadcast 300 times by 1991. In 1984, Fuchsberger became ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund "UNICEF". He was the first German to be appointed to this office.

In the 1980s he discovered his love for Australia, where he lived alternately on the island of Tasmania and in Sydney. In 1987 his book "Good Morning, Australia" came out and since 1988 he has been making films for his TV series "Terra Australis". From 1990 to 1994, Fuchsberger was the presenter of the guessing show "Yes or No" and in 1995 he returned to acting as an actor for the first time in 22 years. He played Count "Alessio Capilupi" in the three-part television series "Flames of Love". Towards the end of the 1990s he appeared in other TV films. In 1998 he appeared in front of the camera for "The Four Kings" and "Tristan and Isolde - A Love for Eternity". Fuchsberger received numerous awards in his long career, including the "Bambi" in 1969 and 1982, the "Bavarian Order of Merit" in 1979, the "Golden Camera" in 1981, the Federal Cross of Merit in 1983, the "Golden Europe" in 1986 and the Grand Federal Cross of Merit in 1994, 2005 the Bavarian Television Prize and in 2006 the Bavarian State Medal for Social Services. In Australia in 1999 he received a certificate of thanks from Tasmania's Prime Minister Jim Bacon for his "extraordinary commitment and services to the state".

In 2000 he completed his 17th film in the series "Terra Australis". Joachim "Blacky" Fuchsberger continued to play theater even in his old age: from 2001 he appeared with Ralf Bauer in the play "The Priest Maker". In the role of the aging priest, he probably showed one of his best acting performances in the confrontation with the non-conformist student priest. The actor was awarded the honorary Bavarian Television Prize on June 3, 2005. As an ambassador for UNICEF, he received the Bavarian State Medal for Social Services in Munich on November 13, 2006. After many years of absence from the screen, Fuchsberger starred in the satire "News from the Wixxer" in 2007, based on his Edgar Wallace successes. In 2009 he became a member of the board of trustees of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup and patron of the volunteer program for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. On October 14, 2010, his son Thomas drowned in the Kulmbach mill stream. In 2011 he received the television award for his life's work. On June 4, 2013, he suffered his second stroke after 2003.

Joachim Fuchsberger died on September 11, 2014, at the age of 87, in Grünwald near Munich.

Handsome matinée idol and star of post-war German film, Viennese-born Rudolf Anton Prack was afforded the singular contractual distinction (though somewhat to his detriment) of being never permitted to act in a villainous part - lest his popularity with female audiences be diminished. The son of a postal worker who died in 1922, leaving massive debts in his wake, young Rudolf spent his teenage years as a bank clerk. Once his father's debts had at last been expunged, he began to study at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna and was eventually engaged by Hans Thimig to appear on stage at the Theater in der Josefstadt. His screen career took off rather slowly after his 1937 debut, but he registered early successes as a charismatic poacher in Krambambuli (1940) and as a farm boy seduced by Kristina Söderbaum in Veit Harlan's Die goldene Stadt (1942). After the war, he came into his own as rather more sophisticated, urbane leads in sentimental , simplistic 'Heimatfilms', like The Black Forest Girl (1950), or Grün ist die Heide (1951). Eschewing offers from Hollywood, he formed popular screen partnerships with leading ladies Sonja Ziemann and Marianne Koch, though both were decades younger. Prack won the first of two Bambi Awards in 1949, ahead of English star Stewart Granger, by a margin of seven percent of the votes.

In the 1960s, he made a successful transition to character roles, notably as a dedicated country doctor in the bucolic television series Landarzt Dr. Brock (1967). Prack retired from acting in 1976 and died of pneumonia in Vienna in December 1981.

Gunther Philipp was born on 8 June 1918 in Maroshévíz, Hungary, Austria-Hungary [now Toplita, Romania]. He was an actor and writer, known for Unsere tollen Tanten (1961), Mikosch, der Stolz der Kompanie (1958) and The Beggar Student (1956). He was married to Gisela Kirchberg, Monika S., Anna-Maria Huber and Friederike Mayrhofer. He died on 2 October 2003 in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Eccentric, self-deprecating comedian Eddi Arent first attracted attention in a series of quirky Edgar Wallace adaptations in the 1960's. For several years, he was Germany's idea of stereotypically blithering English lords (The Strange Countess (1961), as the aptly named Lord Selwyn Moron), laconic butlers (Secret of the Red Orchid (1962)) or obtuse, clumsy second-string Scotland Yard photographers (Dead Eyes of London (1961), The Door with Seven Locks (1962). Otherwise, Arent was patently reliable as droll, vaguely effete sidekicks and comic relief in westerns and adventure films based on the ever-popular writings of Karl May. He is fondly remembered as the mild-mannered, bumbling butterfly collector Castlepool in the 'Winnetou' trilogy, beginning with The Treasure of the Silver Lake (1962). To confound those who had him perpetually typecast, Arent also donned the black garb of villainy as a murderous monk for one of his last Edgar Wallace potboilers, The Sinister Monk (1965). He must have enjoyed this change of character, since he repeated the exercise: first (not too convincingly), playing a human trafficker masquerading as a priest in Der Bucklige von Soho (1966); then, as a knife-throwing killer in the English-German co-production Psycho-Circus (1966), which had the great Christopher Lee (for once) relegated to the role of the 'red herring'.

Unlike most of his peers, Arent had little formal theatrical training. Instead, he began in cabaret, where he developed the character sketches and personae which would later make his name. Nor did he have any interest in forging a career on the legitimate stage. Films first saw him as a dramatic actor in minor supporting roles, his natural talent as a comedian not recognised until the end of the 1950's. After his hey-day in the 60's, his subsequent output was fairly unremarkable. For the most part, he fluttered around on the margins of youth-oriented low-brow pop-films. Some of his other pictures may have appealed to devotees of 'Heimatfilm' schmaltz. However, in the 80's, Arent acquired a new following with the television sketch show Harald und Eddi (1987). In conjunction with perennial audience favorite Harald Juhnke, he delighted audiences with his comedic versatility. Leaving the limelight in the 1990's, Arent then endured a series of financial and personal setbacks. Suffering from depression and increasingly afflicted by dementia, he died in May 2013 at the age of 88.

After the annexation of Austria by the National Socialist regime under Adolf Hitler (1938), the family moved to Potsdam. In 1943, Schönherr passed his Abitur in the Brandenburg residential city. He came into contact with the world of film while still at school. He trained as an actor in Berlin and appeared in front of the camera for the first time in test recordings and in smaller roles.

After his military service from 1944 to 1945, Schönherr returned to Austria, where he began studying architecture in Innsbruck in 1946. However, just a year later he stopped his studies because he was offered a role in the film "Winter Melody". In 1947, Schönherr joined the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, where he worked as a director, speaker and editor until 1952. At the same time, in 1951 he began an intensive acting career on stage and in film, where he had his first major success in 1955 with the film "Shrove Monday" and was successively seen in more than 70 film roles.

Schönherr dubbed the American actor James Dean in his three major roles: "Beyond Eden", "...because they don't know what they are doing" and "Giants". Schönherr was also seen in international productions, such as "Thomas Crown" alongside Steve McQueen or "Them Not Forgiven". Schönherr gained great popularity with German-speaking television audiences through his participation in the science fiction series "Raumpatrouille" in the role of Commander McLane.

He is also unforgettable to an audience of millions through his moderation of the ZDF quiz show "Wünsch Dir was" from 1970 to 1972. However, Schönherr made his most significant contribution to the development of German television culture through his format "The later the evening" : The ARD series, which was broadcast in 22 episodes from 1973 to 1974, was the first to introduce the talk show to the Federal Republic based on the model of US television. In the 1980s, Schönherr demonstrated intensive political commitment to the international peace movement and against the rearmament plans of the US administration under Ronald Reagan.

His participation in demonstrations and his outspoken political statements cost him a lot of sympathy and also some professional television perspectives, but they also strengthened his reputation among the critical public. Despite his numerous political initiatives, Schönherr never turned his back on the world of stage and film. In 1998 he played a role in the German cinema production "Am I Beautiful?" by Doris Dörrie and in 2002 he was seen in German cinemas as the lawyer Herz in "Leo and Claire" (directed by Joseph Vilsmaier).

In September 2002, the actor shone in one of the leading roles in the ARD comedy "The Rose Warriors". Dietmar Schönherr has been awarded several prizes. In 1976 he received the "Golden Camera" from "HörZu". In 1999 he was honored with the "Heinz Galinski Prize" for his political work. As part of the "German Television Prize" in October 2005, Dietmar Schönherr was awarded the donor's honorary award. In the same year he was also awarded the "Change the World Award" by the "Club of Budapest".

Dietmar Schönherr was married to the Danish actress Vivi Bach for the second time in 1965. He died on July 18, 2014.

Ralf Wolter was born on 26 November 1926 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Cabaret (1972), One, Two, Three (1961) and Hannibal Brooks (1969). He was married to Edith Ackermann. He died on 14 October 2022 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

After the birth of her two children, Marie Aumüller married Rudolf Koch. Her children took the name of their stepfather. Although the marriage of Rudolf and Marie Koch was short-lived, the children did not know the identity of their biological father, Rudolf Schindler, a well-known gastroenterologist, until much later. He was a Jew, so the fact that he hadn't been identified as the father of Marie Koch's children may explain how they survived the Shoah. In 1934, Schindler was forced to emigrate from Germany with his wife, Gabriele Winkler, and their two children Richard and Ursula. After Gabriele Winkler's death, Rudolf Schindler married Marie Koch.

Hans Leibelt was born on 11 March 1885 in Leipzig, Germany. He was an actor, known for The False Step (1939), A Woman of No Importance (1936) and The Buddenbrooks (1959). He was married to Hilli Wildenhain and Jenny Orf. He died on 3 December 1974 in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany.

Rudolf Schündler was born on 17 April 1906 in Leipzig, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for The Exorcist (1973), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and Gruß und Kuß vom Tegernsee (1957). He was married to Christine Laszar. He died on 12 December 1988 in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany.

Gustav Knuth was born on 7 July 1901 in Brunswick, Germany. After he received acting lessons from Casimir Paris, a well known actor at that time, he made his stage debut at the Stadttheater Heidelberg in 1918. Later, he played in Hamburg and also in Basel, Switzerland, but finally returned to Hamburg. In 1935, his first movie Der Ammenkönig (1935) became a unexpected success and many more such as the legendary Great Freedom No. 7 (1944) or the Sissi (1955) trilogy in the 1950s followed. After World War II, his stage career continued in Switzerland, where he lived in Küsnacht and was ensemble member at the Schauspielhaus Zurich. On 1 February 1987, he died of a stroke in Neu-Münster near Zurich, Switzerland.

Franz Schafheitlin was born on 9 August 1895 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Raumpatrouille - Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion (1966), The Ringer (1932) and Was wissen Sie von Titipu? (1972). He was married to Hertha Scheel, ??? and Ika. He died on 6 February 1980 in Pullach im Isartal, Bavaria, Germany.

Paul Bildt was born on 19 May 1885 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Madame Bovary (1937), Two Merry Adventurers (1937) and The False Step (1939). He was married to Charlotte Friedländer and Katharina Pape. He died on 13 March 1957 in West Berlin, West Germany.

Paul Hörbiger was born on 29 April 1894 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. He was an actor and producer, known for The Third Man (1949), Three Girls Around Schubert (1936) and Königswalzer (1935). He was married to Josefa Gettke. He died on 5 March 1981 in Vienna, Austria.

Klaus Kinski was born as Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski in Zoppot, Free City of Danzig (now Sopot, Poland), to Susanne (Lutze), a nurse, and Bruno Nakszynski, a pharmacist. He grew up in Berlin, was drafted into the German army in 1944 and captured by British forces in Holland. After the war he began acting on the stage, quickly gaining a reputation for a ferocious talent and an equally ferocious temper. He started acting in films shortly afterward, showing an utter disregard for the quality of the productions he appeared in and churning out so many that a complete filmography is almost impossible to assemble.

However, he did turn out memorable work for director Werner Herzog, a similarly driven and obsessive character. Herzog and Kinski pushed each other to extremes over a 15-year working relationship, which finally ended after filming Cobra Verde (1987), a production plagued by volcanic clashes between the star and director, involving--among other things--violent physical altercations and mutual death threats. He subsequently directed and starred in the notorious Paganini (1989), his only film as director and which was marked by (again) clashes between Kinski and his producers, who accused him of turning their movie into a pornographic film and sued him in court. His autobiography, "All I Need is Love", a vicious attack on the film industry, was withdrawn for legal reasons and subsequently re-released as "Kinski Uncut" in the US & UK, "Ich brauche Liebe" in Germany, and in various other languages.

Paul Dahlke was born on 12 April 1904 in Groß-Streitz, Pomerania, Germany [now Strzezenice, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Confessions of Felix Krull (1957), Flying Classroom (1954) and Dubrovsky (1959). He was married to Elfe Gerhart and Doris Schacht. He died on 24 November 1984 in Salzburg, Austria.

Raoul Retzer was born on 22 May 1919 in Vienna, Austria. He was an actor, known for Wenn die tollen Tanten kommen (1970), Ohne Krimi geht die Mimi nie ins Bett (1962) and Luftkreuz Südost (1966). He died on 8 August 1974 in Vienna, Austria.