Werner Peters (7 July 1918 – 30 March 1971) was a German film actor. He appeared in 102 films between 1947 and 1971.
Biography
Peters was born in
Werlitzsch, Kreis Delitzsch,
Prussian Saxony
The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg.
It was formed by the merge ...
, and died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
on a promotion tour for his latest film in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
, Germany.
His film career started with the lead in
Wolfgang Staudte's ''Der Untertan'', produced in the young
German Democratic Republic
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 ...
. Peters then worked in
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, appearing mostly in supporting roles in popular movies. He also established himself in the European and international film industry by frequently playing sinister German or Nazi characters.
Peters appeared in two episodes of the 1966 American television espionage drama ''
Blue Light
Blue Light or Blue light may refer to:
Science and technology
* Portion of the visible spectrum related to the blue color
** Blue laser
** Blue LED
* Cherenkov radiation, the physical phenomenon responsible for the characteristic blue glow in nucl ...
''. These were edited together with two other episodes to create the theatrical film ''
I Deal in Danger
''I Deal in Danger'' is a 1966 American DeLuxe Color spy film compiled from the first four episodes of a television series, ''Blue Light (TV series), Blue Light'', which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC-TV in early 1966. Directed by ...
'', released in December 1966, which included his role.
Selected filmography
* ''
The Beaver Coat
''The Beaver Coat'' (german: Der Biberpelz) is a satirical play by Gerhart Hauptmann premiered in Berlin in 1893.
The work is an example of a German naturalistic ''Diebskomödie'', or 'thief's comedy'. The drama takes place "somewhere in Berlin ...
'' (1949), as Eberhard Schulz
* ''
Der Kahn der fröhlichen Leute
''Der Kahn der fröhlichen Leute'' is an East German film directed by Hans Heinrich. It was released in 1950, and sold more than 4,100,000 tickets.
Cast
* Petra Peters as Marianne Butenschön
* Fritz Wagner as Michael Staude
* Joachim Brenneck ...
'' (1950), as Hugo
* ''
Der Untertan
''Der Untertan'' (; literally "the underling", translated into English under the titles ''Man of Straw'', ''The Patrioteer'', and ''The Loyal Subject'') is one of the best known novels of German author Heinrich Mann. The title character, Diederic ...
'' (1951), as
Diederich Hessling
* ''
Anna Susanna
''Anna Susanna'' is an East Germany, East German drama film directed by Richard Nicolas. It was released in 1953.
Plot
During the Great Depression, a rich businessman named Brinkmann decides sink his ship, ''Anna Susanna'', so he would be compen ...
'' (1953), as Kuddel
* ''
Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Johannes Fritz Thälmann (; 16 April 1886 – 18 August 1944) was a German communist politician, and leader of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) from 1925 to 1933.
A committed Marxist-Leninist and Stalinist, Thälmann played a major r ...
'' (1954), as Gottlieb Quadde
* ''
Before God and Man
''Before God and Man'' (German: ''Vor Gott und den Menschen'') is a 1955 West German drama film directed by Erich Engel and starring Viktor de Kowa, Antje Weisgerber and Hans Söhnker. Elsaesser & Wedel p.81 It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios i ...
'' (1955), as Anton Mechala
* ''
The Devil Strikes at Night
''The Devil Strikes at Night'' (german: Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam) is a 1957 West German film directed by Robert Siodmak. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and is based on the true story of Bruno Lüdke.
It ...
'' (1957), as Willi Keun
* ''
The Heart of St. Pauli'' (1957), as Tanne
* ''
Escape from Sahara'' (1958), as Brouillard
* ' (1958, TV film), as Kleinschmidt
* ''
The Copper'' (1958), as Mücke
* ''
Rosemary
''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...
'' (1958), as Franz Josef Nagonski
* ' (1958), as Eugen Machon
* ''
Restless Night'' (1958), as Maj. Kartuschke
* ''
Thirteen Old Donkeys
''Thirteen Old Donkeys'' (german: 13 kleine Esel und der Sonnenhof) is a 1958 West German comedy film directed by Hans Deppe and starring Hans Albers, Marianne Hoppe and Karin Dor.Bock & Bergfelder p. It was one of the final performances of the ...
'' (1958), as Oberlehrer Kasten
* ''
Court Martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
'' (1959), as Kriegsgerichtsrat Brenner
* ''
The Black Chapel
''The Black Chapel'' (German: ''Geheimaktion schwarze Kapelle'') is a 1959 political thriller film directed by Ralph Habib and starring Dawn Addams, Peter van Eyck and Ernst Schröder. It is based on the novel ''Die schwarze Kapelle'' by Olav ...
'' (1959), as
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
* ' (1959), as Alfred Kopetzsky
* ' (1960), as Hauptfeldwebel Krüll
* ''
The Cat Shows Her Claws
''The Cat Shows Her Claws'' (French: ''La chatte sort ses griffes'') is a 1960 French war drama film directed by Henri Decoin and starring Françoise Arnoul, Horst Frank and François Guérin.Bessy & Chirat p.287 It was shot at the Billancourt S ...
'' (1960), as German General
* ''
Roses for the Prosecutor
''Roses for the Prosecutor'' (german: Rosen für den Staatsanwalt) is a 1959 West German comedy film with tragical and critical elements, directed by Wolfgang Staudte and starring Martin Held, Walter Giller and Ingrid van Bergen. It was one of the ...
'' (1960), as Otto Kugler
* ''
The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse
''The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse'' (German language, German ''Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse'') is a 1960 black-and-white crime film, crime thriller (genre), thriller film directed by Fritz Lang in his final film. A West German/French/Italian co-p ...
'' (1960), as Hieronymus B. Mistelzweig
* ''
Auf Wiedersehen'' (1961), as Paul Blümel
* ''
The Return of Doctor Mabuse
''The Return of Doctor Mabuse'' (german: Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse) is a 1961 black-and-white crime film/thriller made in West Berlin. It was a West German/French/Italian international co-production directed by Harald Reinl that was the second ...
'' (1961), as Böhmler
* ''
Blind Justice'' (1961), as François Lacroix
* ' (1961), as Zumbusch
* ' (1962), as Martin Droste / Bobo the Clown
* ''
The Counterfeit Traitor
''The Counterfeit Traitor'' is a 1962 espionage thriller film starring William Holden, Hugh Griffith, and Lilli Palmer. Holden plays an American-born Swedish citizen who agrees to spy on the Nazis in World War II. It was based on a nonfiction boo ...
'' (1962), as Bruno Ulrich
* ''
The Door with Seven Locks'' (1962), as Bertram Cody
* ''
Jeder stirbt für sich allein'' (1962, TV film), as Kriminalkommissar Escherich
* ' (1963), as Herbert
* ''
The Black Abbot'' (1963), as Fabian Gilder
* ''
Scotland Yard Hunts Dr. Mabuse
''Scotland Yard Hunts Dr. Mabuse'' or ''Scotland Yard vs. Dr Mabuse'' (german: Scotland Yard jagt Dr. Mabuse) is a 1963 German crime film directed by Paul May and starring Peter van Eyck. ''Scotland Yard vs. Dr. Mabuse'' was distributed in West ...
'' (1963), as Inspektor Vulpius
* ''
The Lightship
''The Lightship'' is a 1985 American drama film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. The film stars Klaus Maria Brandauer and Robert Duvall, with early appearances by Arliss Howard and William Forsythe.
The film is based on the novella "Das Feuerschif ...
'' (1963), as Trittel
* ''
The White Spider
''The White Spider'' (1959; with chapters added in 1964; original title: ''Die Weisse Spinne'') is a non-fiction book by Heinrich Harrer that describes the first successful ascent of the infamous north face (''Nordwand'') of the Eiger, a mounta ...
'' (1963), as Sergeant Meals
* ''
The Secret of the Black Widow
''The Secret of the Black Widow'' (german: Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Witwe) is a 1963 West German crime film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring O. W. Fischer, Karin Dor and Klaus Kinski.Goble p. 494 It is part of a boom of Krimi f ...
'' (1963), as Mr. Shor
*''
The Curse of the Yellow Snake'' (1963), as Stephan Narth
* ''
The Curse of the Hidden Vault'' (1964), as Spedding
* ''
The Seventh Victim
''The Seventh Victim'' is a 1943 American horror film noir directed by Mark Robson and starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter, and Hugh Beaumont. Written by DeWitt Bodeen and Charles O'Neal, and produced by Val Lewton f ...
'' (1964), as Mysterious man
* ''
Dog Eat Dog'' (1964), as Jannis, the butler
* ''
The Phantom of Soho
''The Phantom of Soho'' (German: ''Das Phantom von Soho'') is a 1964 West German thriller film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Dieter Borsche, Barbara Rütting and Hans Söhnker.Bergfelder p.258 It was based on a novel by Bryan Edgar ...
'' (1964), as Dr. Dalmer
* ''
36 Hours'' (1965), as SS-Standartenführer Otto Schack
* ''
Black Eagle of Santa Fe'' (1965), as Morton
* ''
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
'' (1965), as Gen. Kohler
* ' (1966), as von Walden
* ''
A Fine Madness
''A Fine Madness'' is a 1966 American Technicolor comedy film based on the 1964 novel by Elliott Baker that tells the story of Samson Shillitoe, a frustrated poet unable to finish a grand tome. It stars Sean Connery (in the midst of his James Bo ...
'' (1966), as Dr. Vorbeck
* ''
I Deal in Danger
''I Deal in Danger'' is a 1966 American DeLuxe Color spy film compiled from the first four episodes of a television series, ''Blue Light (TV series), Blue Light'', which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC-TV in early 1966. Directed by ...
'' (1966), as Gestapo Captain Elm
* ''
The Peking Medallion
''The Peking Medallion'', also called ''The Corrupt Ones'', is a 1967 crime film directed by James Hill, starring Elke Sommer, Robert Stack, Nancy Kwan and Werner Peters. The film was a co-production between France, Italy and West Germany althoug ...
'' (1967), as Inspector Pinto
* ''
Dead Run
A point of sail is a sailing craft's direction of travel under sail in relation to the true wind direction over the surface.
The principal points of sail roughly correspond to 45° segments of a circle, starting with 0° directly into the wind. ...
'' (1967), as Bardieff
* ''
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'' ...
'' (1967), as Charlie Lee
* ''
Assignment K
''Assignment K'' is a 1968 British neo noir thriller film directed by Val Guest in Techniscope and starring Stephen Boyd, Camilla Sparv, Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Robert Hoffmann and Jeremy Kemp. The film was based on the 1964 novel '' Dep ...
'' (1968), as Kramer
* ''
The Secret War of Harry Frigg
''The Secret War of Harry Frigg'' is a 1968 American comedy war film set in World War II. It was directed by Jack Smight and stars Paul Newman.
Plot
Several brigadier generals (American, British, and French) are unexpectedly taken prisoner by the ...
'' (1968), as Maj. von Steignitz
* ' (1968), as Dr. Lenz
* ''
The Killer Likes Candy
''The Killer Likes Candy'' ( it, Un killer per sua maestà, french: Le tueur aime les bonbons, german: Zucker für den Mörder) is a 1968 Italian-French-German Eurospy film directed by Maurice Cloche and Federico Chentrens and starring Kerwin Ma ...
'' (1968), as Guardino
* ''
Death Knocks Twice
''Death Knocks Twice'' ( it, La morte bussa due volte), german: Blonde Köder für den Mörder), is a 1969 Italian-German detective film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Dean Reed, Fabio Testi and Adolfo Celi. It also starred Anita Ekberg ...
'' (1969), as Charly Hollmann
* ''
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
''The Bird with the Crystal Plumage'' () is a 1970 giallo film directed by Dario Argento, in his directorial debut. The film has been credited with popularizing giallo, an Italian genre of thriller developed in the 1960s. It is the first in what ...
'' (1970), as Antique Dealer
* ''
Under the Roofs of St. Pauli'' (1970), as Hausach, "King of St. Pauli"
* ' (1970), as Heinz-Fritz Bottke
* ''
The Body in the Thames
''The Body in the Thames'' (German: ''Die Tote aus der Themse'') is a 1971 West German thriller film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Uschi Glas, Hansjörg Felmy and Werner Peters.Bergfelder p.257 It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace a ...
'' (1971), as William Baxter
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Werner
1918 births
1971 deaths
People from Nordsachsen
People from the Province of Saxony
German male film actors
German male television actors
20th-century German male actors
Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany