Benno Sterzenbach (born 3 March 1916

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

- died 13 September 1985 Feldafing) was a German cinema and theatre

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Biography

His first major role on stage was ''

Götz von Berlichingen Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen (1480 – 23 July 1562), also known as Götz of the Iron Hand, was a German (Franconian) Imperial Knight (''Reichsritter''), mercenary, and poet. He was born around 1480 into the noble family of Berliching ...

'' at which he played next to Ellen Schwiers as Adelheid at the Jagsthausen festival. On television, he is mostly known for his roles in filmed theatrical adaptations: '' Der Richter und sein Henker'' (1957) by

Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt (; 5 January 1921 – 14 December 1990) was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-g ...

, ''Der Schlaf der Gerechten'' (1962) by Albrecht Goes and ''Mirandolina'' (1963) by

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) * Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...

. Suspected of

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

due to his editorial relations, he was arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

in 1941, and imprisoned for a month, during which time he protested his innocence. He was eventually freed after his case was expedited. This episode was repeated in a number of his

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

s. With ''

Paths in Twilight ''Paths in Twilight'' (german: Wege im Zwielicht) is a 1948 West German drama film directed by and starring Gustav Fröhlich.Bock & Bergfelder p. 139 It also features Sonja Ziemann and Benno Sterzenbach. It is part of the rubble film tradition ...

'' in 1948, he made his cinematic debut under the direction of Gustav Fröhlich. In 1960, he was in one of the first films by

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

after the war: '' Der Rächer''. In the same year, he was in ''Es ist soweit''. In 1966, he acted alongside

Heinz Reincke Karl-Heinz Reincke (28 May 1925 – 13 July 2011) was a German-born actor, long-based in Vienna. Selected filmography Films *'' A Heart Returns Home'' (1956) - Besselmann *'' Confessions of Felix Krull'' (1957) - Stanko *''Tolle Nacht'' (1957 ...

in one of the first German colour television series, '' Adrian der Tulpendieb''. After acting in 1962 in ''

Max the Pickpocket ''Max the Pickpocket'' (german: Max, der Taschendieb) is a 1962 West German comedy crime film directed by Imo Moszkowicz and starring Heinz Rühmann, Elfie Pertramer and Hans Clarin.Bock & Bergfelder p.55 It was made at the Bavaria Studios in M ...

'' with Heinz Rühmann, in 1964 he played the role of a doctor in ', a film which started a long series of films based on plane crashes. Benno Sterzenbach found most success in the role of General Winston Woodrov Wamsler in ''

Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion ''Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion'' (), also known as ''Raumpatrouille Orion'', and ''Space Patrol Orion'' in English, was the first German science fiction television series. Its seven episodes were broadcas ...

''. After this, he was invited to series such as ', ''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and ...

'' and '' The Old Fox''. In France, he is best known for his role as Major Achbach in ''

La Grande Vadrouille ''La Grande Vadrouille'' (; literally "The Great Stroll"; originally released in the United Kingdom as ''Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!'') is a 1966 French-British comedy film set in 1942 about French civilians who help the crew of a Royal ...

'' with

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fil ...

and

Bourvil André Robert Raimbourg (; 27 July 1917 – 23 September 1970), better known as André Bourvil (), and mononymously as Bourvil, was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy films, most notably in his collaboration with Louis ...

. Benno Sterzenbach also wrote a number of books.

Filmography

*1948: ''

'' - Stefan Kolb *1951: '' My Friend the Thief'' *1955: ''

Operation Sleeping Bag ''Operation Sleeping Bag'' (German: ''Unternehmen Schlafsack'') is a 1955 West German comedy war film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Eva Ingeborg Scholz, Paul Klinger and Karlheinz Böhm. It was shot at the Wandsbek Studios in H ...

'' - Offizier des SS *1955: '' The Cornet'' - Rittmeister Reningen *1959: ''Freddy unter fremden Sternen'' - Miller *1960: '' The Time Has Come'' (TV miniseries) - Lomax *1960: '' Der Rächer'' - Sir Gregory Penn *1962: ''

'' - Charly Gibbons *1964: ' (TV film) - Dr. Frank Baird *1965: ''Doktor Murkes gesammelte Nachrufe'' (TV film) - Grosshack *1966: ' (TV film) - Witness *1966: '' Adrian der Tulpendieb'' (TV miniseries) - Kapitän Josias *1966: ''

'' (TV miniseries) - General Wamsler *1966: ''

(Die große Sause)'' - Major Achbach *1970: '' Pippi on the Run'' - Policeman *1982: '' L'As des as'' - Major Aschbach - Gestapo officer *1982: '' Unterwegs nach Atlantis'' (TV series) - Doctor Graf *1983: ''

Hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...

'' - Mr. Maresch *2003: ''Raumpatrouille Orion – Rücksturz ins Kino'' - General Winston Woodrow Wamsler (archive footage)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sterzenbach, Benno 1916 births 1985 deaths People from Osnabrück German male film actors German male stage actors German male television actors 20th-century German male actors