Fred Bertelmann (7 October 1925 – 22 January 2014) was a German singer and actor.

Life

Bertelmann was born in

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in No ...

in the Ruhr area, the son of a chemical industry employee. Aged nine, he became a chorister and later also studied cello, trumpet, guitar and singing at the Nuremberg Conservatory.Biografie
fred-bertelmann.de, 22 January 2014 He also attended acting lessons at the

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...

film studios. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he fought in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

on one of the Western Fronts and became a US prisoner of war in 1944. He was sent to a camp in Alabama, where he first heard swing music. After his release in May 1946, he returned to

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, where he founded his own band and performed in American GI clubs in

Füssen Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau ca ...

and in

Landsberg am Lech Landsberg am Lech (Landsberg at the Lech (river), Lech) is a Town#Germany, town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg (district), Lands ...

. From 1947 onward, he played together with conductor and composer

Ernst Mosch Ernst Mosch (7 November 1925 – 15 May 1999) was a German musician, composer and conductor. He was the conductor of his own ''Original Egerländer Musikanten''. Mosch died on 15 May 1999 at the age of 73. Compositions * Der Falkenauer (march) * ...

, both even appeared in ''

Bayerischer Rundfunk Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcas ...

'' radio broadcasts. In 1950 Bertelmann toured Sweden with Arne Hülphers's orchestra and

Zarah Leander Zarah Leander (; 15 March 1907 – 23 June 1981) was a Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA). Although no exact record ...

. His career was further promoted by the successful record producer Michael Jary and Bertelmann's performances in the first television broadcasts of ''

Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR; ''Northwest German Broadcasting'') was the organization responsible for public broadcasting in the German Länder of Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia from 22 September 1945 to ...

'' (NWDR) in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

from 1952. Here he met with Bibi Jones, both later recorded several duets. Bertelmann also worked as a solo singer of numerous Schlager songs.Was macht eigentlich Fred Bertelmann
stern.de, 11 November 2003 His most popular song up to today is ''Der lachende Vagabund'' ("The laughing tramp"), published by

Electrola Electrola is a German record label and subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Based in Munich, its roster has included Chumbawamba, Matthias Reim, Helene Fischer, Brings, Höhner and Santiano. History On 8 May 1925 the British Gramophone Compan ...

in 1957, a cover version of

Jim Lowe James Ellsworth Lowe (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1956 number-one hit song, " The Green Door". He also served as a disc jockey and radio host and personality, and was considered ...

's song ''Gambler’s Guitar''. The classic ''

Wirtschaftswunder The ''Wirtschaftswunder'' (, "economic miracle"), also known as the Miracle on the Rhine, was the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II (adopting an ordoliberalism-based social ma ...

'' tune sold over two million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. It was itself covered in 1986 by the

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

actor

Vesa-Matti Loiri Vesa-Matti "Vesku" Loiri (4 January 1945 – 10 August 2022) was a Finnish actor, musician and comedian, best known for his role as Uuno Turhapuro, whom he portrayed in a total of 20 movies between the years 1973 and 2004. According to Yle Ne ...

in his role as Jean-Pierre Kusela, whose song ''Naurava kulkuri'' likewise had a great success. Other hits included ''Wenn es Nacht wird in Montana'', ''In Hamburg sind die Nächte lang'', ''Zwei Gitarren am Meer'', ''Ein kleines Lied auf allen Wegen'', ''Arrivederci Roma'', ''Meine Heimat ist täglich woanders'', ''Ti amo Marina'', ''Schwalbenlied'', ''Es wird in 100 Jahren wieder so ein Frühling sein'', ''Gitarren klingen leise durch die Nacht'', ''Es ist ein Herzenswunsch von mir'', ''Ich wünsch' dir eine schöne Zeit'', ''Die Mühlen'', ''Mit dir möchte ich 100 Jahre werden'', and ''Amore mio''. During his long-lasting career up to the 1990s he published almost 100 singles, eight albums and numerous compact discs. He took part in the German national finals of the

Eurovision Song Contest 1958 The Eurovision Song Contest 1958 was the third edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (NTS), the contest, originally known as the (English: Grand Prix of the Eu ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

. Bertelmann also played as an actor in the 1950s and 1960s, in movies as well as in classical stage plays, like ''

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 ...

'' or ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

''. He enjoyed considerable success in the US, appearing in television shows of

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...

, Dean Martin and Perry Como, and performed in a 1961 musical theatre production of ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In Europe he performed together with stars like

Marika Rökk Marika Rökk (; born Marie Karoline Rökk, 3 November 1913 – 16 May 2004) was a German-Austrian dancer, singer and actress of Hungarian descent who gained prominence in German films in the Nazi era. She resumed her career in 1947 and was one of ...

Vico Torriani Vico Torriani (September 21, 1920 in Geneva as Ludovico Oxens Torriani – February 25, 1998 in Agno, Ticino) was a Swiss actor and '' Schlager'' singer. Life Born in Geneva to a family of Lombard origin, Torriani grew up in St. Moritz where ...

Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff, nickname Kuli (27 April 1921 in Bremen14 August 1998 in Seeham) was a German actor and TV host, remembered mainly as host of ''Einer wird gewinnen'', a quiz show that ran from 1964 to 1987. In 1967, he hosted Miss G ...

, and

Caterina Valente Caterina Valente (born 14 January 1931) is a French multilingual singer, guitarist, and dancer of Italian ethnicity. Valente is a polyglot; she speaks six languages, and sings in eleven. While she is best known as a performer in Europe, Valent ...

. In 1972 he founded a show business school in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

together with

Gitta Lind Gitta Lind (17 April 1925 – 9 November 1974) was a German singer and film actress. Lind was born in Trier as Rita Maria Gracher. During her first employment as a singer she changed her name to Gitta Lind, a tribute to Gitta Alpár and Jenny ...

. In 1966, he married television presenter and actress Ruth Kappelsberger. Bertelmann made his last appearances at the

Munich Opera Festival The Munich Opera Festival (german: Münchner Opernfestspiele) takes place yearly in the Bavarian capital from late June to late July. Preceding on the calendar the two nearby festivals of Bayreuth and Salzburg, which both start in late July, the ...

in 2005 and 2006. In late 2013 he suffered from severe

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

.Fred Bertelmann ist tot
Merkur Online, 22 January 2014 He died on 22 January 2014 in

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

in Bavaria.

Songs

* "Tina Marie", 1955, Electrola, 5. * "Meine kleine süße Susi", 1956, Electrola, 3. * "Marie mit dem frechen Blick", 1957, Electrola, 15. * "Bene bene tanto", 1957, Electrola, 13. * "Der lachende Vagabund", 1958, Electrola, 1. * "Ich bin ja nur ein Troubadur", 1958, Electrola, 6. * "Aber du heißt Pia", 1958, Electrola, 7. * "Ihr zartes Lächeln", 1959, Electrola, 6. * "Der Dumme im Leben ist immer der Mann" (duet with

Chris Howland Chris Howland (30 July 1928 – 29 November 2013)Press release
Mhowland.de, accessdate 3 December 2013 was a British rad ...

), 1959, Electrola * "Tiamo Marina", 1960, Electrola, 30. * "Einmal High High High", 1960, Electrola, 34. * "Mary-Rose", 1962, Polydor, 36. * "Ein Caballero", 1963, Polydor, 39. * "Es gibt immer einen Weg", 1967, Ariola

Filmography

* 1956: ''Pulverschnee nach Übersee'' * 1957: ''Wenn Frauen schwindeln'' * 1957: ''Europas neue Musikparade'' * 1958: ' * 1959: '' Guitars Sound Softly Through the Night'' * 1959: ''

Arena of Fear ''Arena of Fear'' (german: Geliebte Bestie) is a 1959 Austrian drama film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Gerhard Riedmann, Margit Nünke and Willy Birgel. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Alexander Sawczynski a ...

'' * 1959: ''Wenn das mein großer Bruder wüßte'' * 1959: ''

The Blue Sea and You ''The Blue Sea and You'' (german: Das blaue Meer und Du) is a 1959 West German romantic comedy film directed by Thomas Engel and starring Fred Bertelmann, Karin Dor and Renate Ewert.Bock & Bergfelder p.96 The film's art direction was by Wolf ...

'' * 1960: ''

My Niece Doesn't Do That ''My Niece Doesn't Do That'' (german: Meine Nichte tut das nicht) is a 1960 Austrian comedy film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Cornelia Froboess, Fred Bertelmann, and Margit Nünke.Von Dassanowsky p. 184 The film's art direction ...

'' * 1960: ' * 1961: ''So liebt und küßt man in Tirol'' * 1962: ''Lieder klingen am Lago Maggiore'' * 1966: ''Laß die Finger von der Puppe'' * 1975: ''Ein Walzer zu zweien'' (TV) * 1996: '' Zum Stanglwirt'' – episode: "Jetzt scha mer mal – Dann seh’ mer scho" (TV series)

Awards

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

References

External links

Website by Fred Bertelmann
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertelmann, Fred 1925 births 2014 deaths German male singers German male film actors German male television actors 20th-century German male actors German Army personnel of World War II People from Duisburg Schlager musicians 20th-century German musicians Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century German male musicians German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States