Hellmut Lange (19 January 1923 - 13 January 2011) was an actor and journalist who became famous as an action hero on TV and eventually succeeded as presenter on popular TV show ''Kennen Sie Kino?'' or ''Do You Know Film?''

Acting career

Hellmut Lange started his acting career on radio drama shows for the West German Radio Station

Sender Freies Berlin Sender Freies Berlin (; abbreviated SFB ; ) was the ARD public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin as a whole from German reunification until 30 April 2003. On 1 May 2003 it merged with Ostde ...

also known as Radio Free Berlin. After finishing his schooling he studied acting for two years in Hanover and then he worked as a stage actor in Munich. In the early fifties he played

Old Shatterhand Old Shatterhand is a fictional character in Western novels by German writer Karl May (1842–1912). He is the German friend and blood brother of Winnetou, the fictional chief of the Mescalero tribe of the Apache. He is the main character i ...

on an open air stage. After starring in several made for television films, in he was the principal actor in ''

The Forger of London ''The Forger of London'' (german: Der Fälscher von London) is a 1961 West German crime film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Karin Dor, Hellmut Lange and Siegfried Lowitz.Bergfelder p. 254 It is an adaptation of Edgar Wallace's 1927 novel ' ...

'' a German

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 ...

adaption for cinema. The next year he had one of the main roles in a TV mini series based on a story by

Francis Durbridge Francis Henry Durbridge (; 25 November 1912 – 11 April 1998) was an English dramatist and author, best known for the creation of the character Paul Temple, the gentlemanly detective who appeared in 16 BBC multi-part radio serials from 1 ...

. He also acted as the secret agent protagonist the TV series '' John Kling''. He played

Natty Bumppo Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo is a fictional character and the protagonist of James Fenimore Cooper's pentalogy of novels known as the '' Leatherstocking Tales''. Fictional biography Natty Bumppo, the child of white parents, grew up among Delaware ...

in a European miniseries based on

James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonist and Indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...

Leatherstocking Tales The ''Leatherstocking Tales'' is a series of five novels by American writer James Fenimore Cooper, set in the eighteenth-century era of development in the primarily former Iroquois areas in central New York. Each novel features Natty Bumppo, ...

. Later he appeared in ''

Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a General (United States), general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, Mediterranean Theater ...

'' (1969). He was the German voice for

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in ''This Sporting ...

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

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and other American stars for the German dubbed versions of their feature films. ''Lederstrumpf'' and ''John Kling's Abenteuer'' had just been digitally remastered and released on DVD.

Career as a journalist

Due to his accomplished expertise in regards to all aspects in acting and filming Lange, was also much in demand as an author for articles about the cinema. German television took advantage of this well known fact by employing him as presenter on a quiz programme ''Kennen Sie Kino?'' which ran from 1971 till 1981.

Retirement

Lange worked successfully as an actor on TV until he was over seventy years old. In 2009 it was published that serious health issues would hinder him continuing.

Selected filmography

Film

*''Lebensborn'' (1961), as Oberscharführer Nietermann *''

'' (1961), as Peter Clifton *' (1962), as Harald Birk *' (1963), as Leutnant Junkermann *''

Murder in Rio ''Murder in Rio'' (German: ''Mord in Rio'') is a 1963 West German-Brazilian crime film directed by Horst Hächler and starring Erika Remberg, Hellmut Lange and Gustavo Rojo.Finger, Kathöfer & Larkosh p.183 The film's sets were designed by the ...

'' (1963), as Peter Jordan *''

A Man in His Prime ''A Man in His Prime'' (German: ''Ein Mann im schönsten Alter'') is a 1964 West German drama film directed by Franz Peter Wirth and starring Karl Michael Vogler, Pascale Audret and Françoise Prévost. The film's sets were designed by the art d ...

'' (1964), as Ferrow *''

Serenade for Two Spies ''Serenade for Two Spies'' (German: ''Serenade für zwei Spione'', Italian: ''Sinfonia per due spie'') is a 1965 West German-Italian spy film directed by Michael Pfleghar. Cast *Hellmut Lange as John Krim * Tony Kendall as Pepino *Barbara Lass a ...

'' (1965), as John Krim *''

4 Schlüssel ''4 Schlüssel'' is a German crime film directed by Jürgen Roland. It was released in 1966. Cast * as Alexander Ford *Walter Rilla as Bankdirektor Eduard Rose * as Silvia Rose *Hanns Lothar as Richard Hiss *Hellmut Lange as Thilo *Joseph Offe ...

'' (1966), as Thilo *' (1966), as Harry Miller *' (1966), as Claus van Dongen *'' Diamond Safari'' (1966), as Robert Alphène *' (1967), as Ernst *''

The Blonde from Peking ''The Blonde from Peking'' (french: La blonde de Pékin, it, La bionda di Pechino, german: Die Blonde von Peking, also known as ''Peking Blonde'') is a 1967 French-Italian-German adventure film written and directed by Nicolas Gessner. It is loo ...

'' (1967), as Malik *''

Love Nights in the Taiga ''Love Nights in the Taiga'' (German: ''Liebesnächte in der Taiga'') is a 1967 West German thriller film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Thomas Hunter, Marie Versini and Stanislav Ledinek.Cowie & Elley p.148 It is also known by the alte ...

'' (1967), as Captain Jimmy Braddock *''

'' (1970), as Major Dorian von Haarenwege (uncredited) *' (1975), as Untersuchungsrichter *' (1977), as Gordon Hamilton *'' Hitler: A Film from Germany'' (1977), as Hitlers Kammerdiener / Goebbels-Puppenspieler / SS-Mann *''Miko: From the Gutter to the Stars'' (1986), as Television presenter

Television

*''Der Tod des Sokrates'' (1957), as Kriton *''

Stahlnetz ''Stahlnetz'' was a German police procedural television series with many similarities to '' Dragnet'' running from 1958 to 1968, and from 1999 to 2003. See also * Episodes ''Stahlnetz'' 1958-1968 *List of German television series The follo ...

: '' (1958, TV series episode), as Kriminalkommissar Mattern *''Johnny Belinda'' (1961, based on '' Johnny Belinda''), as Dr. Jack Roberts *' (1962, TV miniseries), as Edward Collins *''Laura'' (1962, based on ''

Laura Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay on ...

''), as Mark McPherson *''Der Belagerungszustand'' (1963, based on ''

The State of Siege ''The State of Siege'' (french: L'État de siège) is the fourth play by Albert Camus. Written in 1948, ''The State of Siege''—the original sense is closer to state of emergency—is a play in three acts presenting the arrival of pl ...

''), as Diego *'': Das gelbe Paket'' (1963, TV series episode), as Ted Richter *''

: '' (1964, TV series episode), as Gustav Streuner *'' John Kling'' (1965–1970, TV series), as John Kling *''Die Ermittlung'' (1966, based on ''

The Investigation ''The Investigation'' (original title ''Śledztwo'') is a science fiction/ detective/ thriller novel by the Polish writer Stanisław Lem. The novel incorporates a philosophical discourse on explanation of unknown phenomena. It was first publis ...

''), as Stark *''

: '' (1966, TV series episode), as Kriminalhauptkommissar Helmut Meyer *''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' (1966, TV miniseries), as Narrator (voice) *''Heydrich in Prag'' (1967), as Jindra *''Sieben Wochen auf dem Eis'' (1967), as Baldizzone *''König Richard II'' (1968, based on ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

''), as

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

*''Von Mäusen und Menschen'' (1968, based on ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

''), as Slim *' (1968–1984, TV game show) *''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinde ...

'' (1969, TV miniseries), as

*'' Salto Mortale'' (1969–1972, TV series, 14 episodes), as Mischa *'' Der Kommissar: Blinde Spiele'' (1972, TV series episode), as Dr. Gerd Kerrut *'' Eurogang'' (1975–1976, TV series, 6 episodes), as Hauptkommissar Karl Hager *''

The Old Fox ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

: Nachtmusik'' (1978, TV series episode), as Gregor Kerner *''

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 Schläfer'' (1983, TV series episode), as Wellmann *'' Mandara'' (1983, TV miniseries), as Pastor Petersen *''

Rivalen der Rennbahn ''Rivalen Der Rennbahn'' is a German television series that aired in 1989, with a total of eleven episodes. It was directed by Stefan Bartmann. Plot Successful jockey Christian Adler mysteriously falls off his horse and is injured so badly that ...

'' (1989, TV series, 11 episodes), as Wolf Kremer *' (1996, TV film), as Herwegh

German-language Dubbing

(Zachary Bass), in ''

Man in the Wilderness ''Man in the Wilderness'' is a 1971 American revisionist Western film about a scout for a group of mountain men who are traversing the Northwestern United States during the 1820s. The scout is mauled by a bear and left to die by his companions ...

'' (1971) *

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

(Jim McCabe), in ''

Sky Riders ''Sky Riders'' (also known as ''Assault on the Forbidden Fortress'') is a 1976 American action film directed by Douglas Hickox and starring James Coburn, Susannah York and Robert Culp. The rescue sequences were filmed in Meteora in Greece wher ...

'' (1976) *

(Captain Matthew Garth), in '' Midway'' (1976) *

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...

(Frank Lansing), in '' Bear Island'' (1979) *

Roy Scheider Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...

(Officer Frank Murphy), in ''

Blue Thunder ''Blue Thunder'' is a 1983 American action thriller film from Columbia Pictures, produced by Gordon Carroll, Phil Feldman, and Andrew Fogelson and directed by John Badham. The Blue Thunder helicopter itself did exist as two copies of modifie ...

'' (1983) *

(Walter Bridge), in ''

Mr. and Mrs. Bridge ''Mr. & Mrs. Bridge'' is a 1990 American drama (film and television), drama film based on the novels by Evan S. Connell of the same name. It is directed by James Ivory, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and produced by Ismail Merchant. ...

'' (1990)

References

Filmography

Biography and Interview

Obituary in Süddeutsche Zeitung

External links

* 1923 births 2011 deaths German male film actors German male television actors 20th-century German male actors {{Improve categories, date=July 2021