Trivia

Member of the famous Berliner Ensemble from 1951 until the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. He was engaged by Bertolt Brecht personally.

His character "Alfred Tetzlaff", a narrow-minded, politically incorrect square, on the hit show Ein Herz und eine Seele (1973) became the role of his life.

As he was a talented photographer, some of his pictures were exhibited at the "documenta" in Kassel.

Is buried in the Wenningstedt cemetery on the island of Sylt.

Played both Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler on Hitler: A Film from Germany (1977).

Specialised in eccentric or misanthropic roles.

The son of a master tailor.

Ensemble member of the Munich Kammerspiel, 1962-68. Ensemble member of the Hamburg Schauspielhaus, 1968-76.

Conscripted to the Volkssturm ('people's militia') during World War II and became a British prisoner-of-war.

His most popular role was that of Hadschi Halef Omar, comic sidekick to Karl Michael Vogler's Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi (1973), on German television.