Jürgen Roland, born Jürgen Schellack (25 December 1925 – 21 September 2007) was a German

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. Roland was described as the "father of German TV crime shows". He directed about 80 TV productions and 30 movies.

Life and career

Roland was born on 25 December 1925 in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

as Jürgen Schellack. He started his career as a radio host for the North western German Radio Station (NWDR) in 1945, and was one of the first presenters for the TV station of the NWDR in 1951.

Norddeutscher Rundfunk (; "North German Broadcasting"), commonly shortened to NDR (), is a public broadcasting, public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR broadcasts for the German states of Lower Saxony, ...

Station Manager said, that Jürgen Roland " ..belonged to the ranks of young radio reporter, who contributed after the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

to the legendary reputation of the then NWDR." Roland's first TV series ''Der Polizeibericht meldet ...'' (lit. ''the police reports ...'') was a detailed description of real crimes, filmed accurate and faithful. The TV series '' Stahlnetz'' (lit. steel net, '' Dragnet'') caused Roland's fame. For the 1958s crime series, Roland worked with

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

Wolfgang Menge Wolfgang Menge (10 April 1924 – 17 October 2012) was a German Screenwriter, television writer and journalist. Personal life He was married and had three sons.Der grüne Bogenschütze'' (The Green Archer)—starring

Gert Fröbe Karl Gerhart "Gert" Fröbe (; 25 February 1913 – 5 September 1988) was a German actor. He was known in English-speaking countries for his work as the title character in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'', as Peachum in ''The Threepenny Opera ...

—was based on an

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer of crime and adventure fiction. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was ...

's novel of 1923. Roland directed several ''

Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...

'' (''crime scene'') episodes, and as of 2007, Roland's TV series '' Großstadtrevier'' (''metropolitan precinct'') was shown for 21 years in German TV.

Filmography

* 1950: '' Only One Night'' (Director:

Fritz Kirchhoff Fritz Kirchhoff (1901–1953) was a German screenwriter, film producer and film director, director. He was a noted director during the Nazi era, directing film such as the anti-British propaganda thriller ''Attack on Baku'' (1942). His 1942 film ...

) * 1955: '' Netz über Bord – Heringsfang auf der Nordsee'' (documentary) * 1959: '' For Love and Others'' (anthology film) * 1960: '' The Crimson Circle'' — based on '' The Crimson Circle'' by

* 1961: '' The Green Archer'' — based on '' The Green Archer'' by

* 1961: ' — based on a novel by * 1961: ''

The Strange Countess ''The Strange Countess'' () is a 1961 West German crime film directed by Josef von Báky and starring Lil Dagover, Joachim Fuchsberger and Marianne Hoppe. It is based on Edgar Wallace's 1925 novel of the same title, and is part of a long-runni ...

'' (Director:

Josef von Báky Josef von Báky (23 March 1902, Sombor, Zombor, Austria-Hungary – 28 July 1966, Munich, West Germany) was a Hungarian filmmaker. He was also known as ''Josef v. Baky'' and ''József Báky''. He was born in the village of Zobor in the Kingdo ...

) — based on ''

'' by

* 1962: '' The Hot Port of Hong Kong'' * 1963: ''

The Black Panther of Ratana ''The Black Panther of Ratana'' () is a 1963 West German-Italian adventure film directed by Jürgen Roland and starring Marianne Koch, Heinz Drache, and Horst Frank. The film's sets were designed by the art director Hans Berthel. It was shot loc ...

'' * 1963: '' The Pirates of the Mississippi'' — based on a novel by

Friedrich Gerstäcker Friedrich Gerstäcker (May 10, 1816 in Hamburg – May 31, 1872 in Braunschweig) was a German traveler, novelist, and adventurer. Biography He was the son of Friedrich Gerstäcker (1790–1825), a celebrated opera singer. After being apprenti ...

* 1964: ' * 1965: ' (TV film) — based on ''Lay Her Among the Lilies'' by

James Hadley Chase James Hadley Chase (24 December 1906 – 6 February 1985) was an English writer. While his birth name was René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, he was well known by his various pseudonyms, including James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Raymond ...

* 1966: ''

4 Schlüssel ''4 Schlüssel'' (English: ''The Four Keys'') is a German crime film directed by Jürgen Roland. It was released in 1966. Cast * as Alexander Ford * Walter Rilla as Bankdirektor Eduard Rose * as Silvia Rose * Hanns Lothar as Richard Hiss * He ...

'' — based on a novel by * 1967: '' Lotus Flowers for Miss Quon'' — based on '' A Lotus for Miss Quon'' by

* 1968: ' (TV film) — based on a novel by * 1969: '' Angels of the Street'' * 1971: ' * 1973: ''

The Girl from Hong Kong ''The Girl from Hong Kong'' (German: ''Das Mädchen von Hongkong'', UK theatrical title: ''Circle of Fear'') is a 1973 West German action film directed by Jürgen Roland and starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Li Paelz and Véronique Vendell.Bock & Bergf ...

'' — based on a novel by

Herbert Reinecker Herbert Reinecker (24 December 1914 – 27 January 2007) was a German novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Career Born in Hagen, Westphalia, Reinecker began to write short stories already as a high school student. In 1936, he moved to Berlin, w ...

* 1973: ' (''Battle of the Godfathers'') * 1984: ''House Guest'' (TV film) — based on a play by

Francis Durbridge Francis Henry Durbridge (; 25 November 1912 – 10 April 1998) was an English dramatist and author, best known for the creation of the character Paul Temple, the gentlemanly detective who appeared in 16 BBC multi-part radio serials from 1 ...

* 1995: ''

Peter Strohm ''Peter Strohm'' was a German crime television series, produced between 1989 and 1996. 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 B ...

'' (TV series episode: ''Die Gräfin'')

''Stahlnetz''

German TV series for the

, based on real crimes. Roland directed 22 episodes and was screenwriter for 2 episodes. The series is filmed in black and white, the first episode of season 1 was aired 1958. German actors

Hellmut Lange Hellmut Lange (19 January 1923 – 13 January 2011) was an actor and journalist who became famous as an action hero on TV and eventually succeeded as presenter on popular TV show ''Kennen Sie Kino?'' or ''Do You Know Film?'' Acting career Hellmu ...

and

Helmut Peine Helmut Peine (1902–1970) was a German film, radio and television actor. In 1961 he played the title role in the four-part television crime series '' Inspector Hornleigh Intervenes''.Compart p.182 Selected filmography * '' Only One Night'' (1950 ...

were in the cast. * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1958: ' * 1959: ' * 1959: ' * 1959: ' * 1960: ' * 1960: ' * 1960: ' * 1961: ' * 1961: ' * 1962: ' * 1962: ' * 1963: ' * 1964: ' * 1964: ' * 1965: ' * 1966: ' * 1968: '

''Dem Täter auf der Spur''

* 1967: ''Am Rande der Manege'' * 1967: ''10 Kisten Whisky'' * 1968: ''Schrott'' * 1969: ''Das Fenster zum Garten'' * 1969: ''Familienärger'' * 1970: ''Frau gesucht…'' * 1970: ''Puppen reden nicht'' * 1970: ''Froschmänner'' * 1970: ''Schlagzeile: Mord'' * 1971: ''Tod am Steuer'' * 1971: ''Flugstunde'' * 1972: ''In Schönheit sterben'' * 1972: ''Ohne Kranz und Blumen'' * 1972: ''Der Tod in der Maske'' * 1972: ''Kein Hafer für Nicolo'' * 1973: ''Blinder Haß'' * 1973: ''Stellwerk 3''

''Tatort''

* 1976: ' (with Uwe Dallmeier as Polizeiobermeister Hesse) * 1977: ' (with Horst Bollmann as MAD-Officer Delius) * 1979: ' (with Horst Bollmann as MAD-Officer Delius) * 1982: ' (with

Klaus Löwitsch Klaus Löwitsch (8 April 1936 – 3 December 2002) was a German actor, best known in Germany for his starring role in the television detective series '' Peter Strohm''. He appeared in several films directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, begin ...

as Policeman Rolfs) * 1983: ' (with Horst Bollmann as MAD-Officer Delius) * 1985: ' (with

as Policeman Dietze) * 1985: ' (with Horst Bollmann as MAD-Officer Delius) * 1989: ' (with

Heinz Drache Heinz Drache (; 9 February 1923 – 3 April 2002) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1953 and 2002. He was born in Essen, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany of lung cancer. Selected filmography * '' Once ...

as Police Inspector Bülow) * 1991: ''Tod eines Mädchens'' (with

Manfred Krug Manfred Krug (; 8 February 1937 – 21 October 2016) was a German actor, singer and author. Life and work Born in Duisburg, Krug moved to East Germany at the age of 13, and worked at a steel plant before beginning his acting career on the stage ...

as Police Inspector Stoever) * 1992: ''Stoevers Fall'' (with

as Police Inspector Stoever) * 1995: ''Tod eines Polizisten'' (with

as Police Inspector Stoever) * 1997: ''Ausgespielt'' (with

as Police Inspector Stoever)

As actor

* 1988: ''Pleitegeier'', as Anton Marek * 2001: ''Tod vor Scharhörn'', as Polizeipräsident von Hamburg (Head of the Hamburg Police Department)

''Großstadtrevier''

Roland directed 46 episodes of the German TV series '' Großstadtrevier'' (''metropolitan precinct''), produced by the

. * 1986: ''Kein Tag wie jeder andere'' * 1986: ''Wühlmäuse'' * 1986: ''Mensch, der Bulle ist 'ne Frau'' * 1986: ''Speedy'' * 1986: ''Prosit Neujahr'' * 1987: ''Amamos und Konsorten'' * 1987: ''Der Champ'' * 1987: ''Fahrerflucht'' * 1987: ''Rote Karte für Thomas?'' * 1989: ''Dame in Not (Kommentator)'' * 1991: ''Das schwarze Schaf'' * 1991: ''Treffpunkt Kino'' * 1992: ''Der Neue'' (including Roland's voice) * 1992: ''Auf Gift gebaut'' (appearances as officer-in-charge) * 1992: ''Revanche'' (appearance as hall speaker) * 1997: ''Der Praktikant'' * 1997: ''Das Stuntgirl'' * 1997: ''Die Aufsteiger'' * 1999: ''Zeugen''

References

External links

* *
Jürgen Roland with three pictures at filmportal.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roland, Jurgen 1925 births 2007 deaths Mass media people from Hamburg Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Norddeutscher Rundfunk people