Rainer Basedow (20 May 1938 – 15 May 2022) was a German film, television, and voice

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 ...

. He is known for having provided the voice of Pumbaa in the German dub of the ''

Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

'' franchise, up until his replacement with Jürgen Kluckert in ''

The Lion Guard ''The Lion Guard'' is an American animated television series developed by Ford Riley and based on Disney's 1994 film ''The Lion King''. The series was first broadcast with a television film titled ''The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar'' on Disney C ...

''. He also dubbed

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his ca ...

as Jake Blues in ''

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...

'' and Ron Donachie as Sergeant Harley in ''

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, ...

''.

Biography

Born in

Mühlhausen Mühlhausen () is a city in the north-west of Thuringia, Germany, north of Niederdorla, the country's geographical centre, north-west of Erfurt, east of Kassel and south-east of Göttingen. Mühlhausen was first mentioned in 967 and bec ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

(now

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

), Basedow graduated from high school in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...

in 1956. As he was not allowed to study in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

due to " political unreliability", he fled to West Germany in 1956. He studied to be a teacher, German and sports at the . He went then for a half year to an acting school 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 ...

. In 1961, he found his first leading role in the Beckett play '' Waiting for Godot'' in a small theatre at the

Siegestor The Siegestor ( en, Victory Gate) in Munich is a three-arched memorial arch, crowned with a statue of Bavaria with a lion-quadriga. The monument was originally dedicated to the glory of the Bavarian army. Since its restoration following World Wa ...

. Followed by engagements in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

, at the , and again in Munich. From 1962, he played at the

Münchner Volkstheater Münchner Volkstheater, or Munich People’s Theater, is a company based in the Bavarian capital and operated by the cultural office of the city government. Its original performing home opened in 1903. This was rebuilt in 1955, in 1983 and finally ...

. In 1968, he played a police officer in the cult film ''

Go for It, Baby ''Go for It, Baby'' (german: Zur Sache, Schätzchen) is a 1968 West German comedy film directed by May Spils and starring Werner Enke, Uschi Glas and Henry van Lyck. The film won two German Film Awards. Location shooting took place in Munich. ...

''. Basedow played the Sergeant Dimpfelmoser in the 1974 children's film ''Der Räuber Hotzenplotz'', based on the fictional character

The Robber Hotzenplotz The Robber Hotzenplotz ( ) is a character created by German author Otfried Preußler for his children's book series of the same name. There are three tales about Hotzenplotz: * ''The Robber Hotzenplotz'' (1962) * ''News from the Robber Hotzenplot ...

, at the side of

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 ...

and

Josef Meinrad Josef Meinrad (21 April 1913 – 18 February 1996) was an Austrian actor. From 1959 until his death in 1996, Meinrad held the Republic of Austria's Iffland-Ring, which passes from actor to actor — each bequeathing the ring to the next holder, ju ...

. Basedow's Dimpfelmoser had a lasting impact on the portrayal of this character, for example on puppet stages. From 1976 to 1995, he was a permanent member of the

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 ...

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 ...

's television cabaret ''

Scheibenwischer (German for ''windshield wipers'') was the name of a long-running German Kabarett show. It was founded in 1980 by Dieter Hildebrandt and produced by BR / RBB to be broadcast on Das Erste. The show ended in 2008 after 28 years on the air. Con ...

'' hired him for several editions. Basedow was seen on television in ''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and a ...

'', ''

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 Alte'', ''

Der Bulle von Tölz ''Der Bulle von Tölz'' is a German television series which has been produced and broadcast by Sat.1 since 1996. As of January 2009, 69 self-contained feature-length episodes have been made. Genre Set in Bad Tölz, Bavaria, the series is about t ...

'' and ''

Küstenwache The German Federal Coast Guard (german: Küstenwache des Bundes) is a civilian law enforcement organisation whose primary missions are border protection, maritime environmental protection, shipping safety, fishery protection and customs enforcem ...

''. He was married to Mathilde, whom he met on a set, since 1971. The couple had four children.

Death

Basedow died on 15 May 2022 in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, at the age of 83.

Selected filmography

Source: * ' (1967) * ''

Trace of a Girl ''Trace of a Girl'' (german: Spur eines Mädchens) is a 1967 West German drama film directed by and starring Thekla Carola Wied, Gunther Lagarde and Rainer Basedow.Cowie & Elley p.155 The film won two German Film Awards. Cast * Thekla Carola W ...

'' (1967) * '' Hot Pavements of Cologne'' (1967) * ' (1968) * ' (1968) * ''

'' (1968) * '' Death and Diamonds'' (1968) * ' (1968) * ' (1969) * '' Angels of the Street'' (1969) * '' Why Did I Ever Say Yes Twice?'' (1969) * ' (1969) * ''Love, Vampire Style'' (1970) * ''

When the Mad Aunts Arrive ''When the Mad Aunts Arrive'' (german: Wenn die tollen Tanten kommen) is a 1970 West German musical comedy film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Rudi Carrell, Ilja Richter, and Chris Roberts.Bock & Bergfelder p. 269 In one of a grou ...

'' (1970) * ''

When You're With Me ''When You're With Me'' (german: Wenn du bei mir bist) is a 1970 West German film romance directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Roy Black, Lex Barker, and Zienia Merton.Bock & Bergfelder p. 269 Filming took place in international setti ...

'' (1970) * ''

Aunt Trude from Buxtehude ''Tante Trude aus Buxtehude'' ("Aunt Trude from Buxtehude") is a 1971 West German comedy film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Rudi Carrell, Ilja Richter and Theo Lingen.Bock & Bergfelder p.291 It was one of several German films in t ...

'' (1971) * ''

Tiger Gang The Tiger Gang (german: Kommissar X jagt die roten Tiger) is a 1971 Kommissar X Eurospy film directed by Harald Reinl that was an international co-production between West Germany and Italy. Cast * Tony Kendall as Jo Louis Walker *Brad Harris as ...

'' (1971) * ''Ore di terrore / Kreuzfahrt des Grauens'' (1971) * ''

Four Times That Night ''Four Times That Night'' ( it, Quante volte... quella notte, "How many times... that night") is a 1971 commedia sexy all'italiana film directed by Mario Bava. Plot Male model John Price encounters Tina Bryant while walking her poodle, "Cool Ru ...

'' (1971) *''

My Daughter, Your Daughter ''My Daughter, Your Daughter'' (German: ''Meine Tochter – Deine Tochter'') is a 1972 West German comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Chris Roberts, Georg Thomalla and Peter Weck. Bock & Bergfelder p.269 Location shooting took p ...

'' (1972) * ''

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of may refer to: * ''The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of'' (album), a collection of old-time music by various artists (2006) * ''The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of'' (film), a German movie directed by Alfred Vohrer (1972 ...

'' (1972) * '' Three Men in the Snow'' (1974) * ' (1974) * ''

Lina Braake ''Lina Braake'' ( Brechtian subtitle: ''Die Interessen der Bank können nicht die Interessen sein, die Lina Braake hat'') is a 1975 West German drama film directed by Bernhard Sinkel and starring Lina Carstens, Fritz Rasp and Herbert Bötticher.T ...

'' (1975) * '' The Clown'' (1976)

Citations

General and cited references

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Basedow, Rainer 1938 births 2022 deaths German male film actors German male television actors 20th-century German male actors 21st-century German male actors German male voice actors People from Mühlhausen