Fritz Wepper (born 17 August 1941,

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) is a German film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Inspector Harry Klein in the long-running crime series ''

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 a ...

'' (1974–1998). Wepper is also remembered for his roles in the films ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

'' (1972) and '' The Bridge'' (1959) and as Mayor Wöller in the TV series ''

Um Himmels Willen ''Um Himmels Willen'' (English: ''For Heaven's Sake'') is a German television sitcom created by Jana Brandt and Sven Döbler, which originally aired on Das Erste since 8 January 2002. The 13th season was aired from 4 March 2014 to 3 June 2014 ...

'' (2002–2021).

Life and career

Fritz Wepper was born as the son of a lawyer who was missing in action as a soldier in Poland in 1945. He started his acting career in a production of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

'' at the age of eleven. He got his first important film role in ''Tischlein deck dich'', a film adaption of the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

fairytale '' The Wishing Table''. His breakthrough role was as a young soldier in

Bernhard Wicki Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 – 5 January 2000) was an Austrian actor and film director. Life and career Wicki studied in the city of Breslau such topics as art history, history and German literature. In 1938, he transferred to the d ...

's anti-war film ''

Die Brücke The Brücke (Bridge), also Künstlergruppe Brücke or KG Brücke was a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905. Founding members were Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Later memb ...

'' (1959) which won the

Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film coul ...

. Wepper kept his popularity with German audiences into adulthood and appeared in several notable German films of the 1960s. In 1972 he played Fritz Wendel, a Jew passing as a Christian, in the Oscar-winning film version of ''

'', opposite

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

and

Marisa Berenson Vittoria Marisa Schiaparelli Berenson (born February 15, 1947) is an American actress and model. She appeared on the front covers of ''Vogue'' and ''Time'', and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as ...

. His character Harry Klein, the assistant in the long-running crime series ''

'', became a cult figure all over the world. He played this role between 1974 and 1998 in 281 episodes of ''Derrick''. Before playing Klein in ''Derrick'' he portrayed the same character on the popular television drama '' Der Kommissar'' (1969–1976) from the series' start until 1974 when he was transferred to Derrick. Harry Klein was replaced by his brother Erwin (played by Fritz Wepper's real-life brother

Elmar Wepper Elmar Wepper (born 16 April 1944 in Augsburg) is a German actor. His television credits include '' Der Kommissar'', '' Unsere schönsten Jahre'' and . His film credits include ''Cherry Blossoms'', '' Café Europa'', '' Lammbock'' and '' Dreivier ...

). Fritz and Elmar Wepper appeared together in the television series ''

Zwei Brüder ''Zwei Brüder'' (''Two Brothers'') is a German detective television series based on an idea by Felix Huby, who also wrote several screenplays. Eleven directors produced 17 episodes of 85-90 minute length for ZDF between 1994 and 2000. The musi ...

'' (1994–2000), playing a pair of different brothers hunting criminals and solve difficult cases. From 2002 until the show's cancellation in 2021, Wepper played the sneaky and sly, but ultimately good-hearted Mayor Wolfgang Wöller in the TV series ''

'', which was for many years one of the most-watched German television series (with some 7,2 million views per episode).

Personal life

Wepper married Angela von Morgen in 1979. His daughter, Sophie is also an actress, they appeared together in the crime series '' Mord in bester Gesellschaft'' between 2007 and 2017. Wepper made headlines in the yellow press when he left his wife Angela for the younger Susanne Kellermann (born 1974) in 2009. He has a daughter (born 2012) from the relationship with Kellermann, but later returned to his wife. Angela von Morgen died in January 2019, aged 76, following a cerebral haemorrhage. In 2020, Wepper married Susanne Kellermann. Since they met during the filming of ''Cabaret'' in 1971, Wepper and

are close friends.

Selected filmography

* '' The Dark Star'' (1955) * ''Tischlein deck dich'' (''Table, Donkey and Stick'') (1956) .... Michel mit der grünen Kappe * ''

Rübezahl Rübezahl ( pl, Liczyrzepa, Duch Gór, Karkonosz, Rzepiór, or Rzepolicz; cs, Krakonoš) is a folkloric mountain spirit ( woodwose) of the Giant Mountains (''Krkonoše'', ''Riesengebirge'', ''Karkonosze''), a mountain range along the border bet ...

'' (1957) .... (uncredited) * '' Eine verrückte Familie'' (1957) .... Hermann Bunzel * ''Zwei Matrosen auf der Alm'' (1958) .... Friseurlehrling * ''

The Crammer ''The Crammer'' (german: Der Pauker) is a 1958 West German comedy film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring Heinz Rühmann, Wera Frydtberg and Gert Fröbe.''The A to Z of German Cinema''. p. 304 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich ...

'' (1958) .... (uncredited) * ''

The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp ''The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp'' is a 1954 British fantasy comedy film directed by Alan Bromly and starring Felix Aylmer, Diane Cilento and Jerry Desmonde. The film was based on a novel by Charles Terrot and is a remake of his television p ...

'' (1959) .... Christian * ''

'' (''The Bridge'') (1959) .... Albert Mutz * ''

My Schoolfriend ''My Schoolfriend'' (german: Mein Schulfreund) is a 1960 German comedy drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Heinz Rühmann, Loni von Friedl, and Hertha Feiler. It is based on the play ''Der Schulfreund'' by Johannes Mario Simmel. ...

'' (1960) .... Paul (uncredited) * ''

Question 7 ''Question 7'' is a 1961 American-West German film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Michael Gwynn, Margaret Jahnen and Christian de Bresson. It won the National Board of Review Award for Best Film. It was also entered into the 11th Berl ...

'' (1961) .... Heinz Dehmert – Jugendführer * ''

Miracle of the White Stallions ''Miracle of the White Stallions'' is a 1963 American adventure war film released by Walt Disney starring Robert Taylor (playing Alois Podhajsky), Lilli Palmer, and Eddie Albert. It is the story of the evacuation of the Lipizzaner horses from ...

'' (1963) .... Rider Hans * ''

The River Line ''The River Line'' (german: Kennwort... Reiher) is a 1964 West German war drama film directed by Rudolf Jugert and starring Peter van Eyck, Marie Versini and Walter Rilla Walter Rilla (22 August 1894 – 21 November 1980) was a German f ...

'' (1964) .... Philip * ''

Three Rooms in Manhattan ''Three Rooms in Manhattan'' (french: Trois chambres à Manhattan) is a black-and-white 1965 French drama film filmed in New York City. It is based on the 1946 novel "Trois Chambres à Manhattan" (which has been translated into English as "Three ...

'' (1965) .... Fabien (uncredited) * '' When Night Falls on the Reeperbahn'' (1967) .... Till Voss * ''

The Doctor of St. Pauli ''The Doctor of St. Pauli'' (german: Der Arzt von St. Pauli) is a 1968 West German crime film directed by Rolf Olsen and starring Curd Jürgens, Horst Naumann, and Christiane Rücker. Plot In St Pauli, the red light district of Hamburg ...

'' (1968) .... Hein Jungermann * ' (1968) .... Peter Mertens * '' Der Kommissar'' (1968–1974, TV Series) .... Harry Klein * ''

The Man with the Glass Eye ''The Man with the Glass Eye'' (German: ''Der Mann mit dem Glasauge'') is a 1969 West German crime film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Horst Tappert, Karin Hübner and Hubert von Meyerinck. It is part of Rialto Film's long-running serie ...

'' (1969) .... Lord Bruce Sheringham * '' On the Reeperbahn at Half Past Midnight'' (1969) .... Till Schippmann * '' Slap in the Face'' (1970) .... Peter Terbanks (voice, uncredited) * ''

We'll Take Care of the Teachers ''We'll Take Care of the Teachers'' (german: Wir haun die Pauker in die Pfanne) is a 1970 West German comedy film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Uschi Glas, Hansi Kraus and Fritz Wepper. It was the fifth in a series of school-set films. ...

'' (1970) .... Hubert Böhm * '' The Games'' (1970) .... Gregorye Kovanda * ' (1970) .... Hans Engelmann * ' (1970) .... Jürgen * ''

'' (1972) .... Fritz Wendel * ' (1972) .... Momme Linnau * ''Der Ehefeind'' (1972) * ''

'' (1974–1998, TV Series) .... Harry Klein * ''

Le Dernier Combat ''Le Dernier Combat'' (; en, italic=yes, The Last Battle) is a 1983 post-apocalyptic French film. It was the first feature-film to be directed by Luc Besson, and also features Jean Reno's first prominent role. Music for the film was composed by ...

'' (''The Last Battle'') (1983) .... Captain * ''

'' (''Two Brothers'') (1994–2001, TV Series) .... Christoph Thaler * '' Drei in fremden Betten'' (1996, TV Movie) .... Otto König * ''

Die blaue Kanone Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...

'' (1999, TV Movie) .... Harry Groß * ''

Murder on the Orient Express ''Murder on the Orient Express'' is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934. In the U ...

'' (2001, TV Movie) .... Wolfgang Bouc * ''

Vera Brühne Vera Brühne (February 6, 1910 in Essen – April 17, 2001 in Munich) became famous throughout Germany as a victim of miscarriage of justice. In 1961/62, she was convicted, together with Johann Ferbach, of having murdered the physician Otto Praun ...

'' (''The Trials of Vera B.'') (2001, TV Movie) .... Lawyer Dr. Wallner * '' Hochwürden wird Papa'' (2002, TV Movie) .... Oskar Lindner * ''

'' (2002–2020, TV Series) .... Wolfgang Wöller * '' Männer im gefährlichen Alter'' (2004, TV Movie) .... Henry Malek * ''Derrick – Die Pflicht ruft!'' (2004) .... Harry Klein (voice) * '' Ein Engel namens Hans-Dieter'' (2004, TV Movie) .... Hans-Dieter Anhäuser * '' Rikets Røst'' (2007, TV Series) .... Harry Klein * '' Ein unverbesserlicher Dickkopf'' (2007, TV Movie) .... Balthasar Pelkofer * '' Mord in bester Gesellschaft'' (2007–2017, TV Series) .... Dr. Wendelin Winter * '' Unser Mann im Süden'' (2008, TV Series) .... Konsul Heinrich Hammerstein * '' Baby frei Haus'' (2009, TV Movie) .... Kurt Schollwer * '' Lindburgs Fall'' (2011, TV Movie) .... Peter Lindburg

References

External links

*
Fritz Wepper Filmography in: The New York Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wepper, Fritz 1941 births Living people German male television actors German male film actors Male actors from Munich 20th-century German male actors 21st-century German male actors