Gottfried John (; 29 August 1942 – 1 September 2014) was a German stage, screen, and voice actor. A long-time collaborator of

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

, John appeared in nine of the filmmaker's projects between 1975 and 1981, the year before Fassbinder's death, including '' Eight Hours Don't Make a Day'', ''

Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...

'', '' Despair (film), Despair'', ''

The Marriage of Maria Braun ''The Marriage of Maria Braun'' (german: Die Ehe der Maria Braun) is a 1978 West German drama film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film stars Hanna Schygulla as Maria, whose marriage to the soldier Hermann remains unfulfilled due to Wo ...

'', and ''

Berlin Alexanderplatz ''Berlin Alexanderplatz'' () is a 1929 novel by Alfred Döblin. It is considered one of the most important and innovative works of the Weimar Republic. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers the book was named among the top 100 books of all time. ...

''. His distinctive, gaunt appearance saw him frequently cast as villains, and he is best known to audiences for his role as the corrupt General Arkady Ourumov in the 1995

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film ''

GoldenEye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the ser ...

'', and for his comedic turn as

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

in '' Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar'', the latter for which he won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life

John was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constit ...

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 betwee ...

, on 29 August 1942. 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 and his mother were evacuated to

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1 ...

; his father, whom he never met, was married to another woman. He grew up with his single-parent mother and in several protectories; John fled from such a protectory when he was 15 years old and returned to his mother, who was living in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In Paris, he earned a living as a pavement artist and construction worker, and he returned to Berlin in 1960.

Career

During the 1970s and early 1980s, John was cast by director

in several of his projects, in particular as Reinhold in the ''

'' (1980) mini-series. He was internationally known for his portrayal of General Arkady Ourumov in the

film ''

'' and

in '' Asterix and Obelix take on Caesar''.

Personal life

Many years he lived in Kelmis,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the ...

, near the Border to

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...

until 2008. John lived with his wife, Brigitte, in Utting am Ammersee from 2008 until his death in 2014. On 1 September 2014, it was announced that John had died in Utting am Ammersee near

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 H ...

, of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

at the age of 72.

Works

Filmography

* '' Café Oriental'' (1962) (uncredited) * '' Das Mädchen und der Staatsanwalt'' (1962), as Train passenger (uncredited) * '' Jaider, der einsame Jäger'' (1971), as Jaider * ''

Carlos Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhe ...

'' (1971, TV Movie), as Carlos * '' Eight Hours Don't Make a Day'' (1972–1973, TV Series), as Jochen * ''

World on a Wire ''World on a Wire'' (german: Welt am Draht) is a 1973 German science fiction television serial, starring Klaus Löwitsch and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Shot in 16 mm, it was made for German television and originally aired in 1973 in AR ...

'' (1973, TV Movie), as Einstein * '' Mother Küsters' Trip to Heaven'' (1975), as Niemeyer * '' Der Kommissar: Der Held des Tages'' (1976, TV series episode), as Werner Stimmel * ''

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 ...

: Das Superding'' (1976, TV series episode), as Krummbach * ''Und Rosa und Marilyn und ...'' (1977, TV Movie) * ' (1977, TV Movie), as Divorce lawyer * ''Edwards Film'' (1977, TV Movie) * '' Despair (film), Despair'' (1978), as Perebrodov * ''

Fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both side ...

'' (1978), as Kritos * ''Marija'' (1978, TV Movie), as Filipp * '' 1982: Gutenbach'' (1978, TV Movie), as Peter Kessel * '' In a Year of 13 Moons'' (1978), as Anton Saitz * ''

Die Ratten ' (''The Rats'') is a 1955 West German drama film directed by Robert Siodmak. It is an adaptation of the 1911 play '' The Rats'' by Gerhart Hauptmann, but transferred the story to the early 1950s, shortly after the Second World War. It tells the ...

'' (1979, TV Movie), as Bruno Mechelke * '' Wo die Liebe hinfällt'' (1979, anthology film, TV Movie) * ''

'' (1979), as Willi Klenze * ' (1979, TV miniseries), as Clemens Koch * ' (1979, TV miniseries), as Mr. Adam * '' Reiseabrechnung'' (1980, TV Movie) * ''

'' (1980, TV miniseries), as Reinhold * ''

Lili Marleen "Lili Marleen" (also spelled "Lili Marlen'", "Lilli Marlene", "Lily Marlene", "Lili Marlène" among others; ) is a German love song that became popular during World War II throughout Europe and the Mediterranean among both Axis and Allied tro ...

'' (1981), as Aaron * '' Ente oder Trente'' (1982) * ' (1982, TV miniseries), as Loskutow * ''Die Matrosen von Kronstadt'' (1983, TV Movie), as Petritschenko * ''

Super Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butt ...

'' (1984), as Police Officer Hilpert * '' Chinese Boxes'' (1984), as Zwemmer * '' Bartolome oder Die Rückkehr der weißen Götter'' (1985, TV Movie), as

Bartolomé de las Casas Bartolomé de las Casas, OP ( ; ; 11 November 1484 – 18 July 1566) was a 16th-century Spanish landowner, friar, priest, and bishop, famed as a historian and social reformer. He arrived in Hispaniola as a layman then became a Dominican fria ...

* ''

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

'' (1985), as Wolff * '' Verworrene Bilanzen'' (1985, TV Movie), as Karl M. Kronen * '' Ein Fall für zwei: Fluchtgeld'' (1985, TV series episode), as Hans Beckers * ''Die Mitläufer'' (1985) * '' Otto – Der Film'' (1985), as Sonnemann * ''Die Schwärmer'' (1985, TV Movie), as Stader * ''Das Gehirn zu Pferde'' (1986, TV Movie), as The Playwright * '' Of Pure Blood'' (1986, TV Movie), as Paul Bergmann * '' Franza'' (1987, TV Movie), as Captain * ''The Winner Takes All'' (1987, TV Movie), as Ulrich Vogtmann * '' Game, Set and Match'' (1988, TV series), as Eric Stinnes * ''Schön war die Zeit'' (1988), as Franz Bauer * '' Ein Fall für zwei: Seitensprung'' (1989, TV series episode), as Markus Meyer * '': Tödliches Wochenende'' (1990, TV series episode), as Mr. Mannheim * '' Wings of Fame'' (1990), as Zlatogorski * ''Drehort Pfarrhaus'' (1990, TV miniseries), as Pfarrer Achim Hollweg * ''

La piovra ''La Piovra'' (; en, The Octopus, referring to the Mafia) is an Italian television drama series about the Mafia. The series was directed by various directors who each worked on different seasons, including Damiano Damiani (first season), Flor ...

'', (1990, TV miniseries), as Friar Gillo * ''

Frederick Forsyth Presents ''Frederick Forsyth Presents'' is a series of British made-for-television films made by FremantleMedia for London Weekend Television on ITV, first broadcast between 2 December 1989 to 8 December 1990. Based on stories which were later publi ...

: Death Has a Bad Reputation'' (1990, TV Movie), as Rodimstev * ''

Night of the Fox ''Night of the Fox'' is a 1990 made-for-TV film by Charles Jarrott, based on the 1986 novel of the same name written by Jack Higgins. It was broadcast in France on TF1. Plot Professor Alan Stacy visits Jersey to complete his biography of h ...

'' (1990, TV Movie), as Hofer * ''Elfenbein'' (1991, TV Movie), as Nicholas Messier * '' Ich schenk dir die Sterne'' (1991), as Robert Dallburg * '' The Mistake'' (1992), as Jacob Alain * ''Die Zeit danach'' (1992) * '' Space Rangers'' (1993, TV Series, 6 episodes), as Colonel Erich Weiss * ''Colpo di coda'' (1993, TV miniseries), as Pierre * ' (1993), as Sophie's Father * ' (1993, TV miniseries), as Collani * ''

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

'' (1993, TV miniseries), as Eliezer * ''

Polizeiruf 110 ''Polizeiruf 110'' ("Police call 110") is a long-running German-language detective television series likened to Poirot. The name links to the emergency telephone number of the ''Volkspolizei''. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the ...

: Arme Schweine'' (1994, TV Series episode), as Hannes Hellwig * ''Beckmann und Markowski'' (1994–1999, TV Series, 3 episodes), as Beckmann * ' (1995, TV Movie), as Alexander * ''Die Falle'' (1995, TV Movie), as Hasso * '' Wolffs Revier: Taekwon-Do'' (1995, TV Series episode), as Johnny Reschke * ''Ein letzter Wille'' (1995, TV Movie), as Paul Elling * ''

Institute Benjamenta ''Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life'', is a 1995 internationally co-produced drama film by the Brothers Quay in their directorial debut. Based on Robert Walser's novel '' Jakob von Gunten'', the film stars Mark Rylance, ...

'' (1995), as Johannes Benjamenta * ''

Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by ...

: Der König kehrt zurück'' (1995, TV Series episode), as Harry Mucher * ''

'' (1995), as General Arkady Ourumov * ''Brüder auf Leben und Tod'' (1996, TV Movie), as Renato Calvi * '' The Ogre'' (1996), as Chief Forester * ''La casa dove abitava Corinne'' (1996, TV Movie), as Michele Wolf * ''

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (in ...

: The Hand of St. Sebastian'' (1997, TV Series episode), as Josef Heim * '' Tales of the South Seas: Paradise Regained'' (1998, TV Series episode), as Gunter * '' Am I Beautiful?'' (1998), as Herbert * ''Die Fremde in meiner Brust'' (1998, TV Movie), as Richard Keller * ''Black Ice'' (1998, TV Movie), as Kurt Wallmann * '' Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar'' (1999), as

* ' (1999, TV Movie), as Count Hanski * ''Teuflischer Engel'' (2000, TV Movie), as Henry Martens * ' (2000, TV Movie), as

Herod Antipas Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both ...

* '' Proof of Life'' (2000), as Eric Kessler * ''

Die Cleveren ''Die Cleveren'' ( en, The Smart Ones) is a German television series that was produced from 1998 to 2003 on RTL. It is about a nationwide special unit of the German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), dealing with serial offenders. The main characters are ...

: Arzt und Dämon'' (2002, TV Series episode), as Dr. Brendel * ''Der Solist: In eigener Sache'' (2002, TV Series episode), as Martin Krohn * '' The Gathering Storm'' (2002, TV Movie), as Friedrich von Schroder * ''Nancy & Frank – A Manhattan Love Story'' (2002), as Paul von Bernwarth * '' Entrusted'' (2003, TV Movie), as Thomas von Gall * '' Imperium: Augustus'' (2003, TV Movie), as

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

* ' (2003), as Schulrat Aschenbrenner * ' (2004, TV miniseries), as Count Sagrato * ' (2004, TV Movie), as Aldo Caldini * ' (2004, TV Movie), as Duc d'Armagnac * ''

Donna Leon Donna Leon (; born in Montclair, New Jersey) is the American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice, Italy, featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti. In 2003, she received the Corine Literature Prize. Leon lived in Veni ...

: Acqua Alta'' (2004, TV series episode), as Carmello La Capra * ''Cowgirl'' (2004), as Hans Krahl * '' The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes'' (2005), as Dr. Emmanuel Droz * ' (2006, TV Movie), as Konrad von Wallenrod * ''

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

'' (2007), as Arthur Moyes * ' (2007, TV Movie), as Robert Kreutzer * ' (2008, TV Movie), as Paolo Naldini * '' John Rabe'' (2009), as Oskar Trautmann * ''Flores negras'' (2009), as Curtis * ' (2009, TV Movie), as King Gustav * '' Aghet – Ein Völkermord'' (2010,

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas ty ...

, TV Movie), as General Kress von Kressenstein * ' (2010), as Georg Maria Stahl * ''Die Löwin'' (2012, TV Movie), as Jo * ' (2013, TV Movie), as Dr. Jan Kersebohm * '' Ruby Red'' (2013), as Dr. White (final film role)

Audiobooks

* Gottfried John reads: '' Die toten Seelen'' by

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

. 2006, . * Gottfried John reads: ''Die Stunden'' by

Michael Cunningham Michael Cunningham (born November 6, 1952) is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for his 1998 novel '' The Hours'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999. Cunningham is a senior lectur ...

. 2007, .

Written works

* ''Bekenntnisse eines Unerzogenen'',

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English pe ...

, publisher: Econ, Berlin 2000, . * ''Das fünfte Wort'',

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

, publisher: Ullstein, Berlin 2003, .

Nominations and awards

* 1982: Großer

Hersfeld-Preis The Hersfeld-Preis is an award for an 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 tel ...

for his role as Jago in ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cy ...

'' * 1999: Bavarian Film Awards, Best Acto

* 2000: Bavarian Film Awards for ''Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar'' (''Bester Nebendarsteller'') * 2004: Euregio Filmball – ''Best Euregio-Actor'' * 2006: DIVA-Award – ''European Award (Hall of Fame)'' * 2017: RF Hall of Fame

References

External links

*
Gottfried John
at the German Dubbing Card Index {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Gottfried 1942 births 2014 deaths Deaths from cancer in Germany Male actors from Berlin German male film actors German male television actors 20th-century German male actors 21st-century German male actors