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Klaus Havenstein (7 April 1922 in
Wittenberge
Wittenberge () is a town of eighteen thousand people on the middle Elbe in the district of Prignitz, Brandenburg, Germany.
Geography
Wittenberge is situated at the right (north-eastern) bank of the middle Elbe at its confluence with the Stepen ...
,
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 ...
– 19 March 1998 in
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 ...
), was a German
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 television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
,
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 ...
artist,
dubbing
Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production sou ...
artist and
television presenter
A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...
.
Biography
Klaus Havenstein grew up in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, where he started an apprenticeship as a
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...
salesman in 1937. At the same time, against his father's wishes, he took acting lessons from a private teacher.
In 1939 Havenstein served in the
1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH, (german: 1. SS-Panzerdivision "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler") began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guardin ...
where he joined the
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
. He took part in the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
, in the occupation of
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and in the war against
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
In 1945 he was captured and was held by the U.S. Army as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
. The Americans recognised his talent and brought him to a special camp in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
to entertain imprisoned officers. There, he was discovered as a theatre actor, and it was in the Garmisch theatre that he first appeared on stage, promoted by the famous German actor
Hans Söhnker
Hans Söhnker (11 October 1903 – 20 April 1981) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1933 and 1980. He was born in Kiel, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany.
Selected filmography
* '' The Tsarevich'' (1933) – ...
among others.
In the 1950s and 1960s Havenstein was known all over Germany. Along with
Ursula Herking
Ursula Herking (28 January 1912 – 17 November 1974) was a German film actress. She appeared in more than 130 films between 1933 and 1972. She was born in Dessau, Germany and died in Munich, West Germany.
Selected filmography
* '' Susann ...
,
Dieter Hildebrandt
Dieter Hildebrandt (23 May 1927 – 20 November 2013) was a German Kabarett artist.
Biography
Hildebrandt was born in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Weimar Germany (now Boleslawiec, Poland) where he attended school. In World War II he became a Fla ...
and
Oliver Hassencamp, the cabaret artist created a form of sharp-tongued, provocative entertainment of a kind never seen before. In 1956 he was among the founders of the ensemble ''
Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft
The Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft (; Munich laughing and shooting company) is a German political ''kabarett'' (satirical revue) that runs at its own theatre in Schwabing, Munich. It was founded in 1956 by journalist Sammy Drechsel and ...
'', literally "Munich laughter and shooting club" - a mixed-up version of ''Wach- und Schließgesellschaft'' ("security company"). In 1972 Havenstein left the group but remained active on television and radio.
Havenstein married in 1958; his wife's name was Marina.
In 1968 Havenstein played the voice of
King Louie
King Louie is a fictional character introduced in Walt Disney's 1967 animated musical film ''The Jungle Book''. He is an Orangutan who leads other jungle primates and wants to become more human-like by gaining knowledge of fire from Mowgli. Lou ...
in the
dubbed German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
version of the
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
film ''
The Jungle Book
''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...
'', and Fagin in the dub of ''
Oliver and Company
''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Charl ...
''. He dubbed all the spoken and sung parts. Other voices he dubbed included those of
Michel Galabru
Michel Louis Edmond Galabru (27 October 19224 January 2016) was a French actor.
Career
Galabru appeared in more than 250 films and worked with directors such as Bertrand Blier, Costa-Gavras, Luc Besson (for '' Subway''), and Jean-Luc Godard. ...
(''Le Gendarme de St. Tropez''),
Gene Wilder
Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Won ...
(''Frankenstein Junior'', the German version of ''
Young Frankenstein
''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor F ...
''),
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadin ...
(''
Mister Roberts''),
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter.
Early life
Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...
(''Vitelloni'') and
Peter Ustinov
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...
.
Havenstein also presented popular children's television programmes such as "Sport-Spiel-Spannung" ("sports, games, fun") and "Zwei aus einer Klasse" ("two from one school class"). He acted in films and began to work with the
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
n broadcasting company
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcas ...
. This work lasted a long time: he made around 3,000 programmes over 46 years. One of the highlights of this work was his co-production of the children's series "Jeremias Schrumpelhut", in which he spoke all 50 roles himself. In 1996 he stopped working as a radio presenter to make way for younger blood.
From 1990 to 1992 Havenstein directed the festival in
Bad Vilbel
Bad Vilbel () is a spa town in Hesse (Hessen), Germany, famous for its many mineral water Spring (hydrology), springs. Bad Vilbel is the largest town in the Wetteraukreis district and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Authority, Frankfurt R ...
.
Later, he took on guest roles in various television programmes such as ''Rudis Tagesshow'' with
Rudi Carrell
Rudi Carrell (born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar; 19 December 1934 – 7 July 2006) was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters and Linda de Mol, he was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in ...
, where he entertained the crowd along with
Diether Krebs
Diether Krebs (11 August 1947 in Essen, Germany – 4 January 2000 in Hamburg) was a German actor, cabaret artist and comedian.
Life and career
Youth and initial success
Diether Krebs was born on 11 August 1947 in Essen, the son of a station ...
and
Beatrice Richter.
Klaus Havenstein died in the spring of 1998 of a heart condition and was buried in the
Nordfriedhof cemetery in Munich.
Selected filmography
* ''
Storm in a Water Glass'' (1960), as Dressel
* ''
Snow White and the Seven Jugglers
''Snow White and the Seven Jugglers'' (German: ''Schneewittchen und die sieben Gaukler'') is a 1962 Swiss-West German musical comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Caterina Valente, Walter Giller and Georg Thomalla.Bock & Bergfelder ...
'' (1962)
* ' (1966)
* ''
Something for Everyone
''Something for Everyone'' is a 1970 American black comedy film starring Angela Lansbury, Michael York, Anthony Higgins, and Jane Carr.
The film was based on the novel ''The Cook'' by Harry Kressing, with a screenplay by Hugh Wheeler. The pl ...
'' (1970), as Rudolph
* ''
Der Kommissar: Die Kusine'' (1975, TV), as Hanns Deichsel
* ' (1982), as Wilhelm Buerli
See also
*
German television comedy
Germany has a long tradition of television comedy stretching as far back as the 1950s, and with its origins in cabaret and radio.
1960s
*1963: ''Der 90. Geburtstag'' (''Dinner for One'') is a comedy sketch recorded on 8 July 1963 at ''Theater am B ...
Sources
:''Much of this article was translated from the
German version of February 2007.''
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Havenstein, Klaus
1922 births
1998 deaths
People from Wittenberge
German television presenters
Burials at the Nordfriedhof (Munich)
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States
People from the Province of Brandenburg
German male stage actors
German male comedians
German male television actors
20th-century German male actors
20th-century comedians
German male voice actors
Waffen-SS personnel