Günther Kaufmann (16 June 1947 – 10 May 2012) was a German

film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

best known for his association with director

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema moveme ...

. Fassbinder directed Kaufmann in a total of 14 films, casting him in leading and minor roles. Kaufmann was also romantically involved with the director for a time. In 2002, Kaufmann was accused of murder in relation to the 2001 death of Hartmut Hagen, a 60-year-old accountant whom Kaufmann's wife had defrauded. The death was ruled accidental, but Kaufmann was sentenced to prison for lesser crimes relating to the incident. In 2005, a new police investigation discovered that Kaufmann was innocent, and had confessed to the crimes to cover up for his late wife, who may have been the perpetrator. He was subsequently released from prison and resumed his acting career.

Early life

Günther Kaufmann was born on 16 June 1947 in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

's Hasenbergl neighborhood. His mother was German and his father was an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

soldier stationed in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Career

Not an actor by training, Kaufmann was discovered by

. His first role was in 1970, a bit part in a made-for-television production of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's play ''

Baal Baal (), or Baʻal, was a title and honorific meaning 'owner' or 'lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The ...

'', directed by

Volker Schlöndorff Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He ha ...

. Fassbinder played the title role. The same year, Fassbinder cast Kaufmann in his film '' Gods of the Plague'' as a character named Günther.

Relationship with Fassbinder

Though Kaufmann was married when he met Fassbinder, the two men began a romantic relationship. Kaufmann is often described as Fassbinder's first major love interest. Like many of Fassbinder's relationships, it was troubled, and the director would often try to buy Kaufmann's affection with expensive presents, particularly cars. During their relationship, Fassbinder married

Ingrid Caven Ingrid Caven (born 3 August 1938) is a German film actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in several films directed by her husband, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, including '' Love Is Colder Than Death'' (1969), '' Why Does Herr R. Run Am ...

, an actress who, like Kaufmann, regularly appeared in the director's films and was a member of his tightly knit circle of friends. By 1971, Fassbinder and Kaufmann had split up, and the director began an even more troubled relationship with a Moroccan immigrant, El Hedi ben Salem. Kaufmann continued to appear in Fassbinder's films, sometimes also contributing songs to the soundtracks. He appeared in Fassbinder's last movie, '' Querelle'' (1982).

Later career

After Fassbinder died of a

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

in 1982, Kaufmann played bit roles in films. In 1986, he married for a third time to Alexandra von Herrendorf, to whom he remained married until her death from cancer in 2002. During the 1990s he began to act more frequently, appearing in recurring roles on many television shows, but acting jobs began to dry up for him around 2000. His wife's cancer was getting worse, and it was to pay for her treatment that the Kaufmanns defrauded their accountant, Hartmut Hagen, of almost $500,000. Wickie

Death of Hartmut Hagen, conviction and exoneration

In 2001, Hagen was found dead, apparently suffocated. Kaufmann and von Herrendorf had defrauded Hagen of $500,000, and Kaufmann was accused of murder. In 2002, the death was ruled accidental after Kaufmann, who weighed close to 260 pounds (118 kg) at the time of the incident, confessed that he had fallen on Hagen during a fight. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for blackmail and robbery in relation to the incident. In 2005, a police investigation revealed that Kaufmann had not committed the crimes, but had confessed in order to protect his dying wife. The investigation also revealed that Hagen was killed by three men likely hired by von Herrendorf, without his knowledge, who had broken into Hagen's home to retrieve incriminating evidence against von Herrendorf. Kaufmann was released from prison in 2005. He then resumed his acting career, which had been waning around the time of Hagen's death, appearing in supporting roles in films and on television.

Personal life

Kaufmann was married four times and had two children, Eva and Davy. His son Davy (born 1969) is a rock and soul singer, and reached the final of the 2009 version of Germany's '' Got Talent''.

Death

Kaufmann died on 10 May 2012, aged 64, having suffered a heart attack while out for a walk in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

's Grunewald area. A passer-by and paramedics tried to resuscitate him on site for two hours.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1970, TV movie) as Kutscher Orgauer * '' Gods of the Plague'' (1970) as Günther, 'Gorilla' * ' (1970, TV movie) as Leander * '' Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?'' (1970, uncredited) * ' (1970, TV movie) as Leader of the Farmers * '' Rio das Mortes'' (1971, TV movie) as Günther * ' (1971, TV movie) as Max * '' Whity'' (1971) as Whity * '' Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King'' (1972) as Graf Holnstein * '' Der Sieger von Tambo'' (1973, TV movie) as Zweiter Freund * '' 1 Berlin-Harlem'' (1974) * '' Depression'' (1975, TV movie) * '' Mulligans Rückkehr'' (1977, TV movie) * '' Es muss nicht immer Kaviar sein'' (1977, TV series) as Ali * '' In a Year of 13 Moons'' (1978) as J. Smolik, Chauffeur * '' The Marriage of Maria Braun'' (1979) as American on train * '' Die dritte Generation'' (''The Third Generation'', 1979) as Franz Walsch * '' Lola'' (1981) as GI * '' Heute spielen wir den Boß'' (1981) * '' Veronika Voss'' (1982) as G.I. / Dealer * '' Kamikaze 1989'' (1982) as MK1 Anton * '' Querelle'' (1982) as Nono * '' The Roaring Fifties'' (1983) * '' Otto – Der Film'' (1985) as US-Soldat * '' Whopper Punch 777'' (1986) as Billy Baxter * ' (1989) as Gastwirt * '' Römisches Intermezzo'' (1996, TV movie) as Bodyguard * '' Dr. med. Mord'' (1998, TV series) as Herr Kellway * '' Wie stark muß eine Liebe sein'' (1998, TV movie) as Samuel * '' The Tanker'' (2001, TV movie) as 1. Offizier * '' Silent Resident'' (2007) as Mark * '' Leroy'' (2007) as Leroys Vater * '' Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!'' (2009, TV series) as Himself * '' Für meine Kinder tu' ich alles'' (2009, TV movie) as Mammut * '' Mord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling'' (2009) as Salvatore Marino * '' Vicky the Viking'' (2009) as Der schreckliche Sven * '' Jerry Cotton'' (2010) as Agent Joe Brandenburg * ''Homies'' (2011) as DW Court * '' Vicky and the Treasure of the Gods'' (2011) as Der schreckliche Sven * ' (2012) as Tongo * ' (2012) as Josef Gossmann

References

External links

*
Günther Kaufmann obituary
(German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufmann, Gunther 1947 births 2012 deaths 20th-century German male actors 21st-century German male actors 20th-century German male singers 20th-century German LGBTQ people 21st-century German LGBTQ people German bisexual men German bisexual actors German bisexual musicians German LGBTQ singers Burials at the Nordfriedhof (Munich) German male film actors German male stage actors German male television actors German people convicted of murder LGBTQ people of African descent German people of African-American descent German prisoners and detainees Bisexual male actors Bisexual male singers Overturned convictions in Germany People convicted of blackmail People convicted of robbery Male actors from Munich People wrongfully convicted of murder