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Director Max Ophüls was born Max Oppenheimer in Saarbrücken, Germany. He began his career as a stage actor and director in the golden twenties. He worked in cities such as Stuttgart, Dortmund, Wuppertal, Vienna, Frankfurt, Breslau and Berlin. In 1929 his son Marcel Ophüls was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He had begun to work under his pseudonym Max Ophüls by that time. In the early 1930s Ophüls discovered the movie world and began to work as an assistant director for Anatole Litvak. He directed his first movies (I'd Rather Have Cod Liver Oil (1931), The Company's in Love (1932)) in that time too. Around 1933 he emigrated to France and also worked in the Netherlands and Italy for a period of eight years. In 1941 he emigrated again, this time to the USA where he worked for a period of 10 years before he went back to France in 1950. Beginning in 1954 he also worked in Germany again, mainly for German radio in Baden-Baden. Max Ophüls died in March 1957 in Hamburg, Germany and is buried on the famous cemetery Père-Lachaise in Paris, France.

Brigitte Horney was born on 29 March 1911 in Dahlem, Germany. She was an actress, known for Jakob und Adele (1982), Liebe, Tod und Teufel (1934) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1943). She was married to Hanns Swarzenski and Konstantin Irmen-Tschet. She died on 27 July 1988 in Hamburg, West Germany.

The multi-talented comedian, pianist, singer and home-spun poet Heinz Erhardt was born in Riga, the son of a successful bandmaster. After his parents split up, he had a somewhat unsettled upbringing, spent, alternately, with his mother in St. Petersburg, with his grandparents in Riga and with his father in Hannover. Forced to change school some fifteen times, he eventually completed his education -- though failing to matriculate -- and commenced musical studies at the Leipzig Conservatory under the distinguished concert pianist and educator Professor Robert Teichmüller. He then had a stint as a piano salesman, but soon put his talents to better use 'tickling the ivories' and performing as a cabaret artist and stand-up comic in cafés and on radio in Danzig. He made his proper stage debut at the Riga Schauspielhaus in 1932 in a play, for which he had also composed the music. Then followed several years of financial hardship supporting his new family, a wife and four children. However, in 1938 he was invited by the actor and emcee Willi Schaeffers to join the popular satirical revue Kabarett der Komiker in Berlin. Erhardt quickly established a singular reputation as humorist, as well as persisting with his musical vocation. Though a non-swimmer, he was conscripted to serve as a pianist with the orchestra of the German Navy during the Second World War.

After the war, he resumed work on the stage in Hamburg and had a huge national hit as presenter of a weekly radio series ("So was Dummes") which spotlighted his forte for spontaneous wit, pun poetry and double entendre. Eventually, the screen beckoned, initially finding him cast in minor supporting parts or as a singing pianist. As his radio fame grew, the bespectacled, cherubic, corpulent Erhardt became an instant cinematic favorite. His starring debut in Der müde Theodor (1957) was a box-office blockbuster, followed with a back-to-back hit in Widower with 5 Daughters (1957). A kind of querulous equivalent to Hollywood's S.Z. Sakall, Erhardt often lampooned bourgeois values and philistine preoccupations. Thus, even his more irritating characters, like Paul Perlacher in Der Haustyrann (1959), were never dislikeable.

In order to escape his typecasting as a comedian, Erhardt founded his own television production company in 1961, though the venture lasted a mere two years.The public seemed more than reluctant to accept Erhardt in any genre other than comedy. Following this disappointment, he returned to the small screen, inevitably in his familiar comic guises, including a recurring role as good-hearted but hapless taxation officer Willi Winzig. He also proceeded to publish several best-selling compilations of his comic poetry and profited from numerous record sales of his live performances. Sadly, in December 1971, Erhardt suffered a paralysing stroke and lost the facility of speech, which effectively put an end to his career. He died eight years later in Hamburg at the age of seventy, six months after receiving Germany's highest award, the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit).

Werner Hinz was born on 18 January 1903 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Longest Day (1962), No Greater Love (1952) and The Plot to Assassinate Hitler (1955). He was married to Ehmi Bessel. He died on 10 February 1985 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Kurt Raab was born on 20 July 1941 in Bergreichenstein, Sudetenland [now Kasperské Hory, Czech Republic]. He was an actor and production designer, known for Tenderness of the Wolves (1973), Satan's Brew (1976) and Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970). He died on 28 June 1988 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Harry Meyen was born on 31 August 1924 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for Endspurt (1970), Bunbury (1964) and Die Galerie der großen Detektive (1954). He was married to Romy Schneider and Anneliese Römer. He died on 15 April 1979 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Wolfgang Kieling was born on 16 March 1924 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Torn Curtain (1966), Polizeirevier Davidswache (1964) and Our Man in Jamaica (1965). He was married to Monika Gabriel, Gisela Uhlen, Jola Jobst and Johanna Kieling. He died on 7 October 1985 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Peter Chatel was born on 7 December 1943 in Bad Segeberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He was an actor, known for Fox and His Friends (1975), Martha (1974) and Birgitt Haas Must Be Killed (1981). He died on 25 August 1986 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Werner Bruhns was born on 10 October 1928 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor and writer, known for 1900 (1976), The Odessa File (1974) and 11 Uhr 20 (1970). He was married to Wibke Bruhns and Christiane Kubrick. He died on 16 October 1977 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Hanns Lothar was born on 10 April 1929 in Hannover, Germany. He was an actor, known for One, Two, Three (1961), The Buddenbrooks (1959) and The Buddenbrooks (1959). He was married to Wiemer, Gabriele, Ingrid Andree and Kari Noller. He died on 11 March 1967 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Wolfgang Stumpf was born on 25 February 1909 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Thomas Müntzer (1956), The Bridge (1959) and Das Jahrhundert der Chirurgen (1972). He was married to Christine Mylius. He died on 19 January 1983 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Paul Edwin Roth was born on 22 October 1918 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Sherlock Holmes (1967), Draußen vor der Tür (1957) and Raskolnikow (1953). He died on 28 October 1985 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Herbert Mensching was born on 11 January 1928 in Hannover, Germany. He was an actor, known for Mord im Pfarrhaus (1970), Sonderdezernat K1 (1972) and Die Bilder laufen (1972). He was married to Renate. He died on 28 September 1981 in Hamburg, West Germany.

His father worked as a craftsman and his mother worked in retail. After leaving high school early and aborting his apprenticeship, the teenager worked as a hotel boy in luxury hotels in Berlin. He also kept his head above water as a salesman and decorator. In the artistic field, Frankenfeld tried his hand as a tap dancer and as a painter, whereby he was able to sell some of his pictures in 1938 and, thanks to the fame he had achieved, also found the opportunity to demonstrate his acting talent. On the occasion of a cabaret performance he performed, Frankenfeld was discovered by Willy Schaeffers, who hired him for his "Cabaret of Comedians". During the Second World War, Frankenfeld was taken prisoner by the Americans. It was then used to entertain the American occupation troops.

In 1948, the versatile entertainer hosted the first American-style quiz shows on German radio. In the following years, Frankenfeld designed his own entertainment programs for numerous broadcasters, which made him known to an increasing audience. Hans Joachim Kulenkampff was one of his first partners in those years. However, Frankenfeld's real breakthrough came on television, where he made his debut in 1952 with the show "Schöne Bescherung". This was followed by the quiz show "1:1 for you", which made him known throughout Germany. In 1956 Frankenfeld married the actress and singer Lonny Kellner, who brought a son into the family from her previous marriage. In the 1960s and 1970s, Frankenfeld became one of the most popular entertainers in German television culture through several other show series.

From 1964 to 1970, his show "Forget-Me-Not" brought in double-digit millions for "Aktion Sorgenkind". From 1975 he hosted the legendary series "Music is Trumpf". In addition to his TV appearances, Frankenfeld also proved himself on the theater stage: in 1968, for example, he shone in Max Frisch's "Biography" in Zurich. He collected his jokes in the book "Confessions of a Grandly Checkered Gentleman" (1969). You could already see him in the film "Wunschkonzert" in 1955. Frankenfeld has been honored several times for his achievements. In 1959 he was awarded the "Golden Screen" and in 1966 the "Golden Camera". In 1970 he received the Federal Cross of Merit for his commitment to "Aktion Sorgekind".

Peter Frankenfeld died on January 4, 1979 in Hamburg.

Alois Hitler was born on 13 January 1882 in Vienna, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary. He was married to Hedwig Heidemann and Bridget Dowling. He died on 20 May 1956 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Sigrid von Richthofen was born on 2 June 1898 in Dresden, Germany. She was an actress, known for Cabaret (1972), Secret of the Red Orchid (1962) and Das Ferienschiff (1968). She was married to Samuel Ulrich Wilhelm Manfred Graf von Richthofen-Seichau. She died on 23 September 1977 in Hamburg, West Germany.

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.

Hermann Lenschau was born on 20 November 1911 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Amphitryon 38 (1963), Columbus - Bericht und Bildnis (1964) and Die selige Edwina Black (1965). He was married to Kitty Stengl and ???. He died on 14 August 1977 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Herbert A.E. Böhme was born on 7 September 1897 in Breslau, Silesia, Germany [now Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for ...reitet für Deutschland (1941), Ein Robinson (1940) and Knight of 100 Faces (1960). He died on 29 June 1984 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Wolfgang Jansen was born on 3 April 1938 in Free City of Danzig [now Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Unser Herr Diener (1967), Der Floh im Ohr (1966) and Bratkartoffeln inbegriffen (1967). He died on 9 January 1988 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Konrad Georg was born on 25 December 1914 in Mainz, Germany. He was an actor, known for Und Jimmy ging zum Regenbogen (1971), Tim Frazer (1963) and Die mexikanische Revolution (1968). He was married to ???. He died on 8 September 1987 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Hubert Suschka was born on 4 June 1925 in Breslau, Silesia, Germany [now Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Melissa (1966), Nemo taucht auf (1965) and Die chinesische Mauer (1965). He was married to Hannelore Droege. He died on 5 July 1986 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Otto Lüthje was born on 17 May 1902 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Kein Auskommen mit dem Einkommen (1966), Die Königin von Honolulu (1966) and Wir fahren mit der U-Bahn nach St. Pauli (1970). He was married to Anita Meyer. He died on 23 January 1977 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Heinz Piper was born on 4 March 1908. He was an actor, known for Cliff Dexter (1966), Die Bräute meiner Söhne (1965) and Martin Luther (1953). He died on 1 February 1972 in Hamburg, West Germany.

Tatjana Iwanow was born on 14 May 1925 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress, known for Eine Frau ohne Bedeutung (1969), So ist es - ist es so? (1960) and Intercontinental Express (1964). She was married to Walter Koppel, Gert Fröbe and Wilfried Seyferth. She died on 6 October 1979 in Hamburg, West Germany.