Herbert Köfer (17 February 1921 – 24 July 2021) was a German actor, voice artist, and television presenter. He was the first German TV news presenter for the East German

Deutscher Fernsehfunk Deutscher Fernsehfunk (DFF; German for "German Television Broadcasting") was the state television broadcaster in the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) from 1952 to 1991. DFF produced free-to-air terrestrial television programmin ...

, and also presented the station's last news before the

reunification of Germany German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...

. His first theatre engagement was in 1940, and he kept acting until the age of 100. Köfer played an SS-Hauptsturmführer in the 1963 film '' Nackt unter Wölfen'' (''Naked Among Wolves''). He was known for detective series such as ''

Polizeiruf 110 ''Polizeiruf 110'' ("Police call 110") is a long-running German-language detective television series. The name refers to the emergency telephone number of the ''Volkspolizei''. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic ...

'' and comic roles. He founded his own troupe, ''Köfers Komödiantenbühne'', in 2003, and published memoirs.

Life

Herbert Köfer was born in

Prenzlauer Berg Prenzlauer Berg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin, forming the southerly and most urban district of the borough of Pankow. From its founding in 1920 until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a district of Berlin in its own right ...

, Berlin. He went to acting school and started his career in 1940 with his first engagements at the theatre in Brieg,

Lower Silesia Lower Silesia ( ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a historical and geographical region mostly located in Poland with small portions in the Czech Republic and Germany. It is the western part of the region of Silesia. Its largest city is Wrocław. The first ...

. From 1941 to 1945 Köfer served in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

. He was a prisoner of war; when he returned, he worked in different theatres in Berlin, including the

Volksbühne The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") is a theater in Berlin. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Square) in what was the GDR's capital. It has been called Berlin's most iconic theatre. About The V ...

, Deutsches Theater and Kabarett Kleine Bühne. From 1952, he worked for the East German TV channel

and was on 21 December 1952 the first German TV presenter, moderating '' Aktuelle Kamera''. Köfer was both the presenter of the first moments of East German television and the host of the final show nearly 40 years later on 31 December 1991. Beginning in the late 1950s, he had roles as an actor in films and TV series. He also became part of the cabaret '. In '' Nackt unter Wölfen'' (''Naked Among Wolves''), he played the role of SS-Hauptsturmführer Kluttig. He was known for detective series such as ''

'' and for comic roles. He was popular as Opa Paul Schmidt in the TV series ''Rentner haben niemals Zeit'' (Senior citizens never have time). After the

, he continued his career. In 2003 he founded his stage show ''Köfers Komödiantenbühne''. In March 2008 he published his biography ''Nie war es so verrückt wie immer …'' (It is never as crazy as always). Köfer lived in the

Potsdam-Mittelmark Potsdam-Mittelmark is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the western part of Brandenburg, Germany. Its neighbouring administrative units are (clockwise from the north) the district of Havelland (district), Havelland, the free cities of Brandenburg (town), ...

district near the Seddiner See. From 2000 until his death, he was in his third marriage with actress

Heike Köfer Heike may refer to: * Heike (name), a (not exclusively) feminine given name and a surname * Taira clan, sometimes referred to as "Heike" * Heike crab, a species of crab named after the Taira (Heike) clan * Heike Ondo, a Japanese folk song * Heike ...

. His daughters

Mirjam Köfer Mirjam is a Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Swedish, and German feminine given name cognate to Miriam. Notable people with the name include: * Mirjam Bikker (born 1982), Dutch politician * Mirjam Björklund (born 1998), Swedish tennis player * Mirja ...

and Geertje Boeden from his second marriage to actress

Ute Boeden Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute people, a Native American people of the Great Basin * Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah * Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah * Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ut ...

are also actresses. His son Andreas Köfer from his first marriage is a cinematographer. He also had a foster daughter. Köfer

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

in February 2021, and died in Berlin five months later.

Films

Films with Köfer include: * 1951: ''

Die Sonnenbrucks ''Die Sonnenbrucks'' is an East German film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through th ...

'' * 1953: ''

Anna Susanna ''Anna Susanna'' is an East German drama film directed by Richard Nicolas. It was released in 1953. Plot During the Great Depression, a rich businessman named Brinkmann decides to sink his ship, ''Anna Susanna'', in order to collect on the insu ...

'' * 1956: ''

Der Teufelskreis ''Der Teufelskreis'' is an East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 Octo ...

'' * 1957: ''

Mazurka der Liebe ''Mazurka der Liebe'' is an East German film. It was released in 1957. It is an adaptation of the 1882 operetta ''Der Bettelstudent ''Der Bettelstudent'' (''The Beggar Student'') is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker with a German ...

'' * 1959: '' Maibowle'' (''The Punch Bowl'') * 1959: '' Reportage 57'' * 1960: ''

Die schöne Lurette ''Die schöne Lurette'' is an East German film. It is an adaptation of the opéra comique ''Belle Lurette]'' by Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He i ...

'' * 1963: '' Reserved for the Death, Reserviert für den Tod'' (''Reserved for the Death'') * 1963: '' Nackt unter Wölfen'' (''Naked Among Wolves'') * 1964: '' Schwarzer Samt'' * 1964: ' * 1965: '' Der Reserveheld'' * 1965: '' Denk bloß nicht, ich heule'' * 1965: '' Hände hoch oder ich schieße'' (''Hands Up or I'll Shoot'') * 1967: '' Hochzeitsnacht im Regen'' * 1967: '' Ein Lord am Alexanderplatz'' * 1967: ''

Frau Venus und ihr Teufel ''Frau Venus und ihr Teufel'' is an East German film. It was released in 1967. Cast * Manfred Krug: Hans Müller / Tannhäuser * Ursula Werner: Maria / Moritz * Inge Keller: Venus * Wolfgang Greese: Landgraf * Helga Labudda: Josephine * Pet ...

'' * 1968: ''

Hauptmann Florian von der Mühle ''Hauptmann Florian von der Mühle'' is an East German film. It was released in 1968. Cast * Manfred Krug: Florian * Regina Beyer: Duchess Guastalla * Rolf Herricht: Amadeus * Gisela Bestehorn: Baroness Colloredo * Jutta Klöppel: Fanny Schau ...

'' * 1969: ''

Jungfer, Sie gefällt mir ''Jungfer, Sie gefällt mir'' is an East German film, based upon the play ''The Broken Jug'' by Heinrich von Kleist. It was released in 1969. Plot A Saxon village in 1792: While the Prussians go against France, the haymaking takes place in the vi ...

'' * 1970: '' Jeder stirbt für sich allein'' (three mini series) * 1971: '' KLK an PTX – Die Rote Kapelle'' (''KLK Calling PTZ – The Red Orchestra'') * 1972: ''

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

'' * 1972: ''

Walter Defends Sarajevo ''Walter Defends Sarajevo'' (; ) is a 1972 Yugoslav partisan film, directed by Hajrudin Krvavac and starring Bata Živojinović, Ljubiša Samardžić and Rade Marković. The film centres around a mysterious figure named 'Walter', who is activ ...

'' (''Валтер брани Сарајево'') * 1973: ''

'': ''Nachttresor'' (TV series, thenfrequently) * 1974: ' * 1978: '' Rentner haben niemals Zeit'', as Opa Paul Schmidt (TV series) * 1982: '' Geschichten übern Gartenzaun'' (TV series) * 1984–1986: '' Familie Neumann'' / ''Neumanns Geschichten'' (TV series) * 1993: '' Auto Fritze'': ''Weiberwirtschaft'' * 1993: ''

Immer wieder Sonntag ''Immer wieder Sonntags'' (''Again on Sundays'') is a German television entertainment show which is broadcast live every Sunday in the summer months from Europa Park in Rust, Southwest Germany. The series was first aired in 1995 and is produced b ...

'': ''Das neue Haus'' * 1994: '' Elbflorenz'' (TV series) * 1997: ''

Dr. Sommerfeld – Neues vom Bülowbogen is a German television series. See also *List of German television series The following is a list of television series produced in Germany: Current Drama * ''4 Blocks (TV series), 4 Blocks'' (TNT Serie, 2017–2019) * ''Alarm für Cobra 1 ...

'': ''Der neue Doktor'' (TV series) * 2000: ''

Wolffs Revier is a German crime drama television series broadcast from 1992 to 2006, about chief inspector of police Andreas Wolff, who works in Berlin's homicide department. The series, which won a Grimme-Preis award, consists of 173 episodes in 13 season ...

'': ''Wolffs Falle'' (TV series) * 2001–2021: ''

In aller Freundschaft (''In all friendship'') is a German television soap opera that began airing in 1998 every Tuesday. The series follows the staff of the fictional Sachsenklinik hospital in the city of Leipzig. The series is produced by Degeto (a subsidiary of ...

'' (TV series, four episodes) * 2002: ''

Unser Charly ''Unser Charly'' (in English Our Charly) is a German television series produced by Phoenix Film and broadcast on ZDF. It ran from 27 December 1995 to 9 June 2012. See also *List of German television series The following is a list of televisi ...

'': ''Rufmord'' (TV series) * 2005: ''

SOKO Wismar ''SOKO Wismar'' is a German police procedural television series that premiered on 6 October 2004 on ZDF. It is the fifth offshoot of '' SOKO München'', launched in 1978 under the name ''SOKO 5113''. "SOKO" is an abbreviation of the German word ...

'': ''Schöne Aussicht'' (TV series) * 2006: ''

Leipzig Homicide ''Leipzig Homicide (SOKO Leipzig)'' is a German crime drama television series first broadcast on 31 January 2001 on ZDF. More than 400 episodes have been screened since. On 12 November 2008, the first of a two-part crossover between ''SOKO Leipz ...

'': ''Katzenfutter'' (TV series) * 2007: ''

Allein unter Bauern ''Allein unter Bauern (Alone Among Farmers)'' was a German comedy television series, commissioned by Sat.1 and produced by Phoenix. It aired for ten episodes between 2006 and 2007 and was cancelled on 4 May 2007. See also *List of German telev ...

'': ''Der alte Mann und das Gewehr'' * 2007: ''

Ein starkes Team (German for: "a strong team") is a German crime film, crime television series developed by the Germany, German television channel ZDF since March 1994. Up to four new 90-minute episodes are broadcast annually, resulting in a current total of 89 ...

'': ''Blutige Ernte'' (TV series) * 2008: ''

KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst ''KDD – Berlin Crime Squad'', German title ''KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst'' is a German television series that was broadcast from 2007 to 2010. The series differs from typical police procedurals by focusing on the daily work life and the private ...

'': ''Im Zwielicht'' (TV series) * 2010: ''

Notruf Hafenkante is a German television series broadcast on ZDF. It is set in Hamburg and is about the members of the police department PK 21 and the doctors of the fictional hospital Elbkrankenhaus. The show's premise is modelled on the Davidwache police st ...

'': ''Alte Freunde'' (TV series) * 2012: ' * 2012: ''

Heiter bis tödlich ''Heiter bis tödlich'' is a crime series first broadcast on 25 October 2011 by German television network Das Erste. It is made up of several different shows, which all share a common brand and theme. The lineup of these different shows was insp ...

'': ''Akte Ex: Endlich Prinzessin'' (TV series) * 2014: ''

'': ''Letzte Wahrheit'' (TV series) * 2021: ''Krauses Zukunft'' (TV film)

Theatre

* 1946: Schiller's '' Die Braut von Messina'', as ''Don Cesar'', Neues Berliner Künstlertheater Kleinmachnow * 1951: Shakespeare's '' Was ihr wollt'',

Deutsches Theater Berlin The Deutsches Theater is a theater in Berlin, Germany. It was built in 1850 as Friedrich-Wilhelm-Städtisches Theater, after Frederick William IV of Prussia. Located on Schumann Street (Schumannstraße), the Deutsches Theater consists of two adj ...

* 1952: Shakespeare's '' Die Komödie der Irrungen'', Brandenburgisches Landestheater Potsdam * 1997: '' Die Feuerzangenbowle'', as Schnauz, Comödie Dresden * 1997: '' Im weißen Rössl'', as Wilhelm Gieseke, Comödie Dresden * 2010: ''Ritter Ludwig'', title role, Comödie Dresden

Publications

* ''Das war's noch lange nicht. Erinnerungen.'' Ullstein, Berlin 1995, . * ''Nie war es so verrückt wie immer…'' Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 2008, . * ''99 und kein bisschen leise'', 2019, .

Awards

* 1964:

Heinrich Greif Prize The Heinrich Greif Prize (German: ''Heinrich-Greif-Preis'') was an East German state award bestowed on individuals for contribution to the state's cinema and television industry. History The prize was awarded by the East German Ministry of Cultu ...

* 1969:

Nationalpreis der DDR The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) () was an award of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, and other meritorious achievement. With scien ...

, I. Klasse for ''Krupp und Krause / Krause und Krupp'' * 1977:

Vaterländischer Verdienstorden The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...

in bronze * 1979: Vaterländischer Verdienstorden in gold * (shared) * 2002: , for lifetime achievementsHerbert Köfer: Mit 99 zweite "Goldene Henne" fürs Lebenswerk
(in German) ''

Die Welt (, ) is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group and it is considered a newspaper of record in Germany. Its leading competitors are the ...

'' 27 October 2020

References

External links

* *
Herbert Köfer
at film-zeit.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Kofer, Herbert 1921 births 2021 deaths East German actors East German television personalities German men centenarians German male actors German male voice actors German television presenters German radio presenters Male actors from Berlin Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany German Army personnel of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II