Götz George
German actor (1938–2016)
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Key Takeaways
- Götz George ( German pronunciation: [ɡœts geˈɔɐ̯ gə] ; 23 July 1938 – 19 June 2016) was a German actor, the son of actor couple Berta Drews and Heinrich George.
- Early life George was born in Berlin-Wannsee into a well known acting family: his father, Heinrich George, was a famous film and theater actor, and his mother, Berta Drews, a character actress.
- His father was imprisoned by the Soviets and died after an appendectomy in the Soviet NKVD special internment camp Nr.
- George grew up in Berlin with his elder brother Jan and his mother.
- Career Stage George made his stage debut in 1950, performing a role in William Saroyan's My Heart's in the Highlands .
Götz George (German pronunciation: [ɡœts geˈɔɐ̯ gə] ; 23 July 1938 – 19 June 2016) was a German actor, the son of actor couple Berta Drews and Heinrich George. His arguably best-known role is that of Duisburg detective Horst Schimanski in the TV crime series Tatort.
Early life
George was born in Berlin-Wannsee into a well known acting family: his father, Heinrich George, was a famous film and theater actor, and his mother, Berta Drews, a character actress. George is named after his father's favorite, Imperial Knight Götz von Berlichingen. His father was imprisoned by the Soviets and died after an appendectomy in the Soviet NKVD special internment camp Nr. 7, with his death likely hastened by starvation. George grew up in Berlin with his elder brother Jan and his mother. He attended school in Berlin-Lichterfelde and later attended the Lyzeum Alpinum in Zuoz, Switzerland.
Career
Stage
George made his stage debut in 1950, performing a role in William Saroyan's My Heart's in the Highlands. From 1955 to 1958 he also studied at the Berlin UFA-Nachwuchsstudio, though he received the crucial part of his acting education between 1958 and 1963. Following his mother's advice he occasionally played at the Deutsches Theater in Göttingen under the direction of Heinz Hilpert. After Hilpert's death, George would never join a fixed theater company again, although he did regularly perform on tours and as a guest performer.
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