Herbert Lichtenfeld (16 June 1927 in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
– 11 December 2001 in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
) was one of the most successful television
screenplay writer
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
s in
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 ...
. He wrote over 300
film scripts. Many of his scripts were successful in Germany.
Life
After graduating in Leipzig, Lichtenfeld moved into the Federal Republic, and there worked as a reporter on several newspapers. In the 1960s he became the television correspondent for
Hörzu
''Hörzu'' () is a German language, German weekly television listings magazine published in Hamburg.
History and profile
''Hörzu'' first appeared in 1946 and was published by Axel Springer AG, Axel Springer as the first radio program magazine t ...
magazine. At this time he started to write
radio play
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
s and books. From 1968 he worked full-time as a
screenplay writer
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
. His first
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
''Deutschlandreise'' (German Journey) (1970, co-production between NDR and
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...
) was awarded with the
Grimme-Preis
The Grimme-Preis ("Grimme Award"; prior to 2011: Adolf-Grimme-Preis) is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme.[Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...]
. Together they developed a series about police detective Finke (
Klaus Schwarzkopf
Klaus Schwarzkopf (18 December 1922, in Neuruppin – 21 June 1991, in Bochum) was a German actor. From 1971 until 1978 he starred in the Norddeutscher Rundfunk version of the popular television crime series ''Tatort''. He was also known as a res ...
) for the TV series ''
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 b ...
''. These achieved ratings of over seventy per cent. The high point of this series was ''
Reifezeugnis
''Reifezeugnis'' is a 1977 German television film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and part of the '' Tatort'' television series. The film starred Nastassja Kinski in her first major role in a feature-length film, it was her breakthrough role that m ...
'' (1974) with
Nastassja Kinski
Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (; , ; born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. Her worldwide breakthrough was with ''Stay as You Are'' (1978). She then came to gl ...
and
Christian Quadflieg, about a relationship between a teacher and a pupil.
While Wolfgang Petersen moved to the cinema and today works successfully in
Hollywood, Lichtenfeld remained a writer for television. Besides writing further ''Tatort'' scripts he wrote for other crime film series such as ''
The Old Fox''.
Also outside of the crime film genre he wrote numerous books, radio plays, television films and television series. Lichtenfeld's film scripts were always complex, with very precise dialogue, often not without a shot of irony.
''The Black Forest Clinic''
Lichtenfeld's greatest success was ''
The Black Forest Clinic
''The Black Forest Clinic'' (german: Die Schwarzwaldklinik, ) is a German medical drama television series that was produced by and filmed in West Germany. The series was produced between 1984 and 1988 with the original airing being from October 2 ...
'' (''Die Schwarzwaldklinik''). Lichtenfeld is often called the inventor of ''The Black Forest Clinic''. But the idea to create a series in a hospital in the Black Forest was conceived by producer Wolfgang Rademann, who gave the screenplay writing job to Lichtenfeld. The series, featuring the white-coated Professor Brinkmann, attracted audiences of 25 million.
Lichtenfeld wrote all the scripts for ''The Black Forest Clinic'', as well as his own series ''
Der Landarzt
''Der Landarzt'' is a German television series that aired for 22 seasons from 1987 to 2013.
During early seasons, the show revolves around country doctor Dr. Karsten Matthiesen who runs a practice in his Northern German hometown of Deekelsen wi ...
'', centring on physician Dr. Matthiesen in the fictitious small town of Deekelsen in
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
. Lichtenfeld wrote all the episodes until 1997.
In the early 1990s Lichtfeld was one of the most sought after screenwriters on German television. Among other series he wrote ''
Das Traumschiff
' ("The Dream Ship") is a German television drama series by ZDF. The series, about a cruise ship that travels to places around the world, debuted in 1981 and became one of the most-watched television shows in Germany. A total of 83 episodes hav ...
'', and ''
Hotel Paradies
Hotel Paradies was a sitcom that aired on ZDF with a total of 27 episodes. It aired twice a week from January 16, 1990, to April 12, 1990, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:50 PM. The show was written by Herbert Lichtenfeld. From episodes 1 to 12, ...
'' (1990), ''Unsere Hagenbecks'' (1991), ''
Immer wieder Sonntag'' (1993-1995), ''
Vater wider Willen
is a German family drama television series broadcast on Das Erste from 1995 to 2002. It consists of three pilot films and two seasons of 13 episodes each.
Synopsis
Successful conductor Max takes over the South German Symphony, whose chief con ...
'' (1995), and several successful television films. Lichtenfeld's final film, ''Jugendsünde'' (Youth Sin) appeared in 2000.
Selected filmography
*' ( ''Die Deutschlandreise'', dir. Sølve Kern, 1970, TV film)
*''
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 b ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...
, 1971, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...
, 1972, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...
, 1973, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...
, 1974, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: Eine todsichere Sache'' (dir.
Thomas Fantl, 1974, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: '' (dir.
Fritz Umgelter
Fritz Umgelter (18 August 1922 – 9 May 1981) was a German television director, television writer, and film director.
Umgelter worked mainly in television as both a writer and director. He received directing credit for 68 TV films or series, a ...
, 1975, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: Tod eines Einbrechers'' (dir.
Rolf von Sydow
Rolf von Sydow (18 June 1924 – 16 June 2019) was a German film director and author.
Life
Von Sydow worked as a film director in Germany. He married on three occasions. As an author, Sydow wrote several books and audible books.
Works by Syd ...
, 1975, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...
, 1975, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: '' (dir.
Fritz Umgelter
Fritz Umgelter (18 August 1922 – 9 May 1981) was a German television director, television writer, and film director.
Umgelter worked mainly in television as both a writer and director. He received directing credit for 68 TV films or series, a ...
, 1976, TV series episode)
* (dir.
Wolfgang Becker, 1976, TV series episode)
* (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...
, 1977, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: Spätlese'' (dir.
Wolfgang Staudte, 1977, TV series episode)
*''
The Old Fox: Lohngeld'' (dir.
Dietrich Haugk, 1977, TV series episode)
*''
The Old Fox: Nachtmusik'' (dir.
Helmut Ashley
Helmut Ashley or Helmuth Ashley (17 September 1919 – 2 July 2021) was an Austrian cinematographer, television and film director.
Ashley turned 100 in September 2019 and died in Munich in July 2021, at the age of 101.
Selected filmography
Fi ...
, 1978, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: Lockruf'' (dir.
Wolfgang Becker, 1978, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: '' (dir. , 1978, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: Schweigegeld'' (dir. , 1979, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: Streifschuß'' (dir. , 1980, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: Beweisaufnahme'' (dir.
Peter Keglevic
Peter Keglevic (born 1950) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He has directed 30 films since 1976. His film ''Bella Donna (1983 film), Bella Donna'' was screened at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.
Selected filmography
* ''Tatort: Be ...
, 1981, TV series episode)
*''Die Stunde des Löwen'' (dir. , 1982, TV film)
*''
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 b ...
: Kindergeld'' (dir. , 1982, TV series episode)
*''
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 b ...
: Geburtstagsgrüße'' (dir.
Georg Tressler
Georg Tressler (January 25, 1917 – January 6, 2007) was a Vienna-born German film actor and film director. Also known as George Tressler, Hans Tressler, Hans Dressler, Hans Georg Keil and Hans Sternbeck (per IMDb).
The son of actor Otto T ...
, 1984, TV series episode)
*''
The Black Forest Clinic
''The Black Forest Clinic'' (german: Die Schwarzwaldklinik, ) is a German medical drama television series that was produced by and filmed in West Germany. The series was produced between 1984 and 1988 with the original airing being from October 2 ...
'' (1985–1989, TV series, 70 episodes)
*''Mord im Spiel'' (dir. , 1985, TV film)
*''
Der Landarzt
''Der Landarzt'' is a German television series that aired for 22 seasons from 1987 to 2013.
During early seasons, the show revolves around country doctor Dr. Karsten Matthiesen who runs a practice in his Northern German hometown of Deekelsen wi ...
'' (1987–1996, TV series, 91 episodes)
*''In guten Händen'' (dir.
Rolf von Sydow
Rolf von Sydow (18 June 1924 – 16 June 2019) was a German film director and author.
Life
Von Sydow worked as a film director in Germany. He married on three occasions. As an author, Sydow wrote several books and audible books.
Works by Syd ...
, 1988, TV film)
*''
Hotel Paradies
Hotel Paradies was a sitcom that aired on ZDF with a total of 27 episodes. It aired twice a week from January 16, 1990, to April 12, 1990, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:50 PM. The show was written by Herbert Lichtenfeld. From episodes 1 to 12, ...
'' (1990, TV series, 27 episodes)
*''Marx & Coca-Cola'' (dir. , 1991, TV film)
*''Die Bank ist nicht geschädigt'' (dir. , 1991, TV film)
*''Im Teufelskreis'' (dir. , 1993, TV film)
*''Jugendsünde'' (dir. , 2000, TV film)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lichtenfeld, Herbert
1927 births
2001 deaths
German television writers
Male television writers
German male writers
German male screenwriters
20th-century German screenwriters