Jürgen Roland, born Jürgen Schellack (25 December 1925 – 21 September 2007) was a German

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. Roland was described as the "father of German TV crime shows". He directed about 80 TV productions and 30 movies.

Life and career

Roland was born on 25 December 1925 in

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

as Jürgen Schellack. He started his career as a radio host for the North western German Radio Station (NWDR) in 1945, and was one of the first presenters for the TV station of the NWDR in 1951.

Norddeutscher Rundfunk Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR; ''Northern German Broadcasting'') is a public broadcasting, public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR broadcasts for the German states of Lower Saxony, M ...

Station Manager said, that Jürgen Roland " ..belonged to the ranks of young radio reporter, who contributed after the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

to the legendary reputation of the then NWDR." Roland's first TV series ''Der Polizeibericht meldet ...'' (lit. ''the police reports ...'') was a detailed description of real crimes, filmed accurate and faithful. The TV series '' Stahlnetz'' (lit. steel net, '' Dragnet'') caused Roland's fame. For the 1958s crime series, Roland worked with

screenwriter 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. ...

Wolfgang Menge Wolfgang Menge (10 April 1924 – 17 October 2012) was a German television writer and journalist. Life Menge worked as television writer and journalist in Germany. He was married and had three sons.Der grüne Bogenschütze'' (The Green Archer)—starring

Gert Fröbe Karl Gerhart "Gert" Fröbe (; 25 February 1913 – 5 September 1988) was a German actor. He was best known in English-speaking countries for his work as Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'', as Peachum in ''The Threepenny Oper ...

—was based on an

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 ...

's novel of 1923. Roland directed several ''

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 ...

'' (''crime scene'') episodes, and as of 2007, Roland's TV series ''

Großstadtrevier ''Großstadtrevier'' (roughly ''(Big) City Police Station'') is a German television series, broadcast on Germany's Das Erste of the ARD. First aired on 16 December 1986, the show is one of the most popular television series in the country. It fo ...

'' (''metropolitan precinct'') was shown for 21 years in German TV.

Filmography

* 1950: ''

Only One Night ''Only One Night'' (german: Nur eine Nacht) is a 1950 West German drama film directed by Fritz Kirchhoff and starring Marianne Hoppe, Hans Söhnker and Willy Maertens.Bock & Bergfelder p. 52 It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in West Berlin. Th ...

'' (Director:

Fritz Kirchhoff Fritz Kirchhoff (1901–1953) was a German screenwriter, film producer and director. He was a noted director during the Nazi era, directing film such as the anti-British propaganda thriller ''Attack on Baku'' (1942). His 1942 film '' 5 June'' ...

) * 1955: '' Netz über Bord – Heringsfang auf der Nordsee'' (documentary) * 1959: ''

For Love and Others ''For Love and Others'' (original German title: ''Unser Wunderland bei Nacht'') is a 1959 German anthology film, directed by Jürgen Roland, Hans Heinrich (director), Hans Heinrich and Reinhard Elsner. The film stars Monika Peitsch, Angelika Meissn ...

'' (anthology film) * 1960: '' The Crimson Circle'' — based on '' The Crimson Circle'' by

* 1961: '' The Green Archer'' — based on '' The Green Archer'' by

* 1961: ' — based on a novel by * 1961: ''

The Strange Countess ''The Strange Countess'' (german: Die seltsame Gräfin) is a 1961 West German crime film directed by Josef von Báky and starring Lil Dagover, Joachim Fuchsberger and Marianne Hoppe. It is based on Edgar Wallace's 1925 novel of the same titl ...

'' (Director:

Josef von Báky Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) Josef is the surname of the following people: * Jens Josef (born 1967), German composer of classical music, a flutist and academic teacher * Michelle Josef (born 1954), Canadian musician and tr ...

) — based on ''

'' by

* 1962: ''

The Hot Port of Hong Kong ''The Hot Port of Hong Kong'' or ''Hong Kong Hot Harbor'' (German: ''Heißer Hafen Hongkong'') is a 1962 Italian-West German crime film directed by Jürgen Roland and starring Marianne Koch, Klausjürgen Wussow and Dominique Boschero.Bergfelder p. ...

'' * 1963: ''

The Black Panther of Ratana ''The Black Panther of Ratana'' (german: Der schwarze Panther von Ratana) is a 1963 West German-Italian adventure film directed by Jürgen Roland and starring Marianne Koch, Heinz Drache, and Horst Frank. The film's sets were designed by the a ...

'' * 1964: ''

The Pirates of the Mississippi ''The Pirates of the Mississippi'' (German: ''Die Flußpiraten vom Mississippi'') is a Western film directed by Jürgen Roland and starring Hansjörg Felmy, Brad Harris and Sabine Sinjen. A Eurowestern, it was a co-production between West Germa ...

'' — based on a novel by

Friedrich Gerstäcker Friedrich Gerstäcker (May 10, 1816 in Hamburg – May 31, 1872 in Braunschweig) was a German traveler and novelist. Biography He was the son of Friedrich Gerstäcker (1790–1825), a celebrated opera singer. After being apprenticed to a comm ...

* 1964: ' * 1965: ' (TV film) — based on ''Lay Her Among the Lilies'' by

James Hadley Chase James Hadley Chase (24 December 1906 – 6 February 1985) was an English writer. While his birth name was René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, he was well known by his various pseudonyms, including James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Raymond ...

* 1966: ''

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 ...

'' — based on a novel by * 1967: ''

Lotus Flowers for Miss Quon ''Lotus Flowers for Miss Quon'' (German: ''Lotosblüten für Miss Quon'') is a 1967 thriller film directed by Jürgen Roland and starring Lang Jeffries, Francesca Tu and Werner Peters.Cowie p.73 Based on the 1961 novel '' A Lotus for Miss Quon'' ...

'' — based on '' A Lotus for Miss Quon'' by

* 1968: ' (TV film) — based on a novel by * 1969: '' Angels of the Street'' * 1971: ' * 1973: ''

The Girl from Hong Kong ''The Girl from Hong Kong'' (German: ''Das Mädchen von Hongkong'', UK theatrical title: ''Circle of Fear'') is a 1973 West German action film directed by Jürgen Roland and starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Li Paelz and Véronique Vendell.Bock & Berg ...

'' — based on a novel by

Herbert Reinecker Herbert Reinecker (24 December 1914 – 27 January 2007) was a very prolific German novelist, dramatist, screenwriter and former Nazi SS officer. Career Born in Hagen, Westphalia, Reinecker began to write short story, short stories already as a h ...

* 1973: ' (''Battle of the Godfathers'') * 1984: ''Der Besuch'' (TV film) — based on a play 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 ...

* 1995: ''

Peter Strohm ''Peter Strohm'' was a German crime television series, produced between 1989 and 1996. See also *List of German television series The following is a list of television series produced in Germany: Current Drama * ''4 Blocks'' (TNT Serie, 2 ...

'' (TV series episode: ''Die Gräfin'')

''Stahlnetz''

German TV series for the

, based on real crimes. Roland directed 22 episodes and was screenwriter for 2 episodes. The series is filmed in black and white, the first episode of season 1 was aired 1958. German actors

Hellmut Lange 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 ...

and

Helmut Peine Helmut Peine (1902–1970) was a German film, radio and television actor. In 1961 he played the title role in the four-part television crime series ''Inspector Hornleigh Intervenes''.Compart p.182 Selected filmography * ''Only One Night'' (1950) ...

were in the cast. * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1959: ' * 1959: ' * 1959: ' * 1960: ' * 1960: ' * 1960: ' * 1961: ' * 1961: ' * 1962: ' * 1962: ' * 1963: ' * 1964: ' * 1964: ' * 1965: ' * 1966: ' * 1968: '

''Dem Täter auf der Spur''

* 1967: ''Am Rande der Manege'' * 1967: ''10 Kisten Whisky'' * 1968: ''Schrott'' * 1969: ''Das Fenster zum Garten'' * 1969: ''Familienärger'' * 1970: ''Frau gesucht…'' * 1970: ''Puppen reden nicht'' * 1970: ''Froschmänner'' * 1970: ''Schlagzeile: Mord'' * 1971: ''Tod am Steuer'' * 1971: ''Flugstunde'' * 1972: ''In Schönheit sterben'' * 1972: ''Ohne Kranz und Blumen'' * 1972: ''Der Tod in der Maske'' * 1972: ''Kein Hafer für Nicolo'' * 1973: ''Blinder Haß'' * 1973: ''Stellwerk 3''

''Tatort''

* 1976: ' (with

Uwe Dallmeier Uwe or UWE may refer to * Uwe (given name) * University of the West of England, Bristol * UML-based web engineering * University Würzburg's Experimental miniaturized satellites for space research UWE-1 and UWE-2 * Uwe - Wreck in Blankenese Blank ...

as Polizeiobermeister Hesse) * 1977: ' (with

Horst Bollmann Horst Bollmann (11 February 1925 – 7 July 2014) was a German film and television 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 theatr ...

as MAD-Officer Delius) * 1979: ' (with

as MAD-Officer Delius) * 1982: ' (with

Klaus Löwitsch Klaus Löwitsch (8 April 1936 – 3 December 2002) was a German actor, best known in Germany for his starring role in the television detective series ''Peter Strohm''. He appeared in several films directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, beginn ...

as Policeman Rolfs) * 1983: ' (with

as MAD-Officer Delius) * 1985: ' (with

as Policeman Dietze) * 1985: ' (with

as MAD-Officer Delius) * 1989: ' (with

Heinz Drache Heinz Drache (; 9 February 1923 – 3 April 2002) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1953 and 2002. He was born in Essen, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany of lung cancer. Selected filmography * '' Once I ...

as Police Inspector Bülow) * 1991: ''Tod eines Mädchens'' (with

Manfred Krug Manfred Krug (; 8 February 1937 – 21 October 2016) was a German actor, singer and author. Life and work Born in Duisburg, Krug moved to East Germany at the age of 13, and worked at a steel plant before beginning his acting career on the stage a ...

as Police Inspector Stoever) * 1992: ''Stoevers Fall'' (with

as Police Inspector Stoever) * 1995: ''Tod eines Polizisten'' (with

as Police Inspector Stoever) * 1997: ''Ausgespielt'' (with

as Police Inspector Stoever)

As actor

* 1988: ''Pleitegeier'', as Anton Marek * 2001: ''Tod vor Scharhörn'', as Polizeipräsident von Hamburg (Head of the Hamburg Police Department)

''Großstadtrevier''

Roland directed 46 episodes of the German TV series ''

'' (''metropolitan precinct''), produced by the

. * 1986: ''Kein Tag wie jeder andere'' * 1986: ''Wühlmäuse'' * 1986: ''Mensch, der Bulle ist 'ne Frau'' * 1986: ''Speedy'' * 1986: ''Prosit Neujahr'' * 1987: ''Amamos und Konsorten'' * 1987: ''Der Champ'' * 1987: ''Fahrerflucht'' * 1987: ''Rote Karte für Thomas?'' * 1989: ''Dame in Not (Kommentator)'' * 1991: ''Das schwarze Schaf'' * 1991: ''Treffpunkt Kino'' * 1992: ''Der Neue'' (including Roland's voice) * 1992: ''Auf Gift gebaut'' (appearances as officer-in-charge) * 1992: ''Revanche'' (appearance as hall speaker) * 1997: ''Der Praktikant'' * 1997: ''Das Stuntgirl'' * 1997: ''Die Aufsteiger'' * 1999: ''Zeugen''

References

External links

* *
Jürgen Roland with three pictures at filmportal.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roland, Jurgen 1925 births 2007 deaths Mass media people from Hamburg Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Norddeutscher Rundfunk people