Kurt Raab (20 July 1941 – 28 June 1988) was a West

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 **Ge ...

stage and film actor, as well as a screenwriter and playwright. Raab is best remembered for his work with 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 ...

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 ...

, with whom he collaborated on 31 film projects.

Biography

Raab was born in Bergreichenstein, which is now

Kašperské Hory Kašperské Hory (; german: Bergreichenstein) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It is known as a ski resort. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ur ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. He completed the

abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

at Musische Gymnasium Straubing, and studied in Munich. He made his cinema debut in Fassbinder's ''Liebe ist kälter als der Tod'' ('' Love Is Colder than Death'') in 1969. Over the next few years, he made numerous films with Fassbinder, including ''Warum läuft Herr R. Amok?'' ('' Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?'') and ''Der Amerikanische Soldat'' (''

The American Soldier ''The American Soldier'' (german: Der amerikanische Soldat) is a 1970 West German film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film stars Karl Scheydt as Ricky, a German-American Vietnam veteran, who takes a job as a hired assassin ...

'') in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

, ''Warnung vor einer heiligen Nutte'' (''

Beware of a Holy Whore ''Beware of a Holy Whore'' (german: Warnung vor einer heiligen Nutte) is a 1971 West German drama film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder that features Lou Castel, Eddie Constantine, Hanna Schygulla and Fassbinder himself. Fassbinder ...

'') in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, and ''Der Händler der vier Jahreszeiten'' (''

The Merchant of Four Seasons ''The Merchant of Four Seasons'' (german: Händler der vier Jahreszeiten) is a 1971 West German film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring and Irm Hermann. The plot follows the life of a fruit-peddler, living in 1950s Munich, ...

'') in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

. He also worked as a

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

, producer, and a

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. ...

. Raab was friends with

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, and appears as a ballerina in the band's music video for

It's a Hard Life "It's a Hard Life" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by lead singer Freddie Mercury. It was featured on their 1984 album '' The Works'', and it was the third single from that album. In 1991 it was included in the band’s second ...

. He is also seen in Mercury's

Living on My Own "Living on My Own" is a song by British singer Freddie Mercury, originally included on his first solo album, ''Mr. Bad Guy'' (1985). It was released as a single (backed with "My Love Is Dangerous") in September 1985 in the United Kingdom, wher ...

video, dressed in drag as

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

. On 28 June 1988, at age 46, Raab died of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related complications. Before Raab died, he worked to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Germany. In 1987, he discussed his illness in Herbert Achternbusch's '' Wohin?'', a film about AIDS hysteria. In 1988, he made ''Mitten im Leben'', a documentary about AIDS, for

Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

. However, the illness remained poorly understood and Raab was placed in quarantine-like conditions in the Hamburg Tropical Institute. While confined to a hospital bed, Raab and his friend Hans Hirschmüller compiled the documentary ''Sehnsucht Nach Sodom'', in which they explored "subjects as taboo as AIDS, death and the Catholicism of a gay person." ''Sehnsucht'' was released posthumously in 1989. Prejudice about AIDS was also evident when Raab's body was refused burial in Steinbeißen, the

Lower Bavaria Lower Bavaria (german: Niederbayern, Bavarian: ''Niedabayern'') is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state. Geography Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions () – Landshut and Donau-W ...

n town in which his family had settled in 1945. He is buried in

Ohlsdorf Cemetery Ohlsdorf Cemetery (german: Ohlsdorfer Friedhof or (former) ) in the Ohlsdorf quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany, is the biggest rural cemetery in the world and the fourth-largest cemetery in the world. Most of the people buried at the cemete ...

in Hamburg.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Kurt Raab
at

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raab, Kurt 1941 births 1988 deaths People from Kašperské Hory People from Sudetenland Sudeten German people AIDS-related deaths in Germany German male stage actors German male film actors German male television actors German autobiographers 20th-century German male actors German male non-fiction writers