Hannes Messemer
| Hannes Messemer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Hans Edwin Messemer 19 May 1924 Dillingen an der Donau, Bavaria |
| Died |
2 November 1991 (aged 67) Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1956-1989 |
| Known for | The Great Escape |
| Spouse(s) |
Monika Keusch (1985 -1991) (his death) Susanne Korda (1980-1981) (divorced) Rosel Schäfer (1952-1977) (divorced) (1 child) |
Hannes Messemer (19 May 1924 – 2 November 1991) was a German actor. Born in Dillingen an der Donau, Bavaria, Messemer served on the Eastern Front of World War II and was eventually captured by Soviet soldiers. He managed to escape and make it back to Germany on foot. After the war, Messemer tried his hand at several jobs, before falling into acting in 1946. With only his natural talent and no training, he successfully secured roles with several major theatre companies in Tübingen, Hamburg, Munich and Berlin in the following ten years.
His big break in films came with a role in Rose Bernd in 1956. He was then cast in the major role of Colonel Rossdorf in the production of Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam the following year - a role which saw him awarded a Best Actor accolade. A series of successful roles followed, including The Doctor of Stalingrad, Der Transport (Destination Death), Die Brücke des Schicksals and the comedy Babette Goes to War with Brigitte Bardot. He achieved critical international acclaim for his role as Colonel Muller in the Roberto Rossellini production of General della Rovere (1959), with the film winning the Golden Lion at Venice that year.
Messemer is probably best known for his role as Oberst von Luger, the Kommandant in The Great Escape (1963). The film had a star-studded cast, but it was Messemer, relatively unknown outside Europe, who uttered the film's most famous line (to Steve McQueen/Capt. Hilts): "It looks, after all, as if you will see Berlin before I do."
He continued to star in TV and theatre productions, becoming a familiar face to German television audiences for over 20 years. Some of his roles included major TV productions such as Union der festen Hand and Die Dämonen, as well as two years as Commissioner Deeds in the TV drama series "Sergeant Berry". He also lent his distinctive voice to radio and recorded works, including the writings of Mao, and a reading of the four books of the Gospels.
A heavy lifelong smoker, Messemer suffered throat cancer during the 1980s, and surgery left his voice at only a whisper. Forced to retire from acting, he appeared on German television for the last time in 1989, in a production with Agnes Fink.
Hannes Messemer died of a heart attack in Aachen. He was married four times, and was survived by two daughters.
Filmography
- 1957 : Rose Bernd - August Keil
- 1957 : Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam - SS-Gruppenfuehrer Rossdorf
- 1957 : The Glass Tower - Dr. Krell
- 1957 : Madeleine und der Legionär - Robert Altmann
- 1958 : The Doctor of Stalingrad - Oberleutnant Pjotr Markow
- 1958 : Taiga - Roeder
- 1959 : Twelve Hours by the Clock - Serge
- 1959 : Menschen im Netz - Braun
- 1959 : Babette Goes to War - General von Arenberg
- 1959 : General della Rovere - S.S. Colonel Mueller
- 1959 : Ein Tag, der nie zu Ende geht
- 1960 : Das kunstseidene Mädchen - Ernst Moos
- 1960 : Escape by Night - Colonel/Baron von Kleist
- 1960 : Die Rote Hand - Mahora Khan
- 1960 : Die Brücke des Schicksals - Klaus Urban
- 1960 : Auf Engel schießt man nicht - Suarez
- 1961 : Der Transport - Leutnant Bleck
- 1962 : Liebe im September (TV movie) - Graham Colby
- 1963 : Die Legende vom heiligen Trinker (TV movie) - Andreas Kartak
- 1963 : The Great Escape - Oberst Von Luger "The Kommandant"
- 1963 : Voir Venise et...Crever - Carl Natzka
- 1966 : Congress of Love - Prince Metternich
- 1966 : Grieche sucht Griechin - Fahrcks
- 1966 : The Defector - Dr. Saltzer
- 1966 : Is Paris Burning? - General Jodl
- 1968 : König Richard II (TV movie) - König Richard II.
- 1974 : Wer stirbt schon gerne unter Palmen - Jean-Pierre Pineaud
- 1974 : The ODESSA File - General Glücks
- 1977 : Onkel Silas (TV miniseries) - Onkel Silas
- 1977 : Die Dämonen (TV miniseries) - Stepan Trofimowitsch Werchowenski
- 1978 : Union der festen Hand (TV miniseries) - von Zander
- 1978-1983 : Derrick(TV series) - Herr Obermann / Ulrich Hauff / Egon Peiss
- 1982 : Flüchtige Bekanntschaften - Paul
- 1982 : Frau Jenny Treibel (TV movie) - Leutnant a.D. Vogelsang
- 1983 : Die Geschwister Oppermann (TV miniseries) - Gutwetter
- 1983-1984 : Diese Drombuschs (TV series) - Herr Diehl, Oberstudienrat i.P. / Kunde
- 1989 : Langusten (TV movie) - Ernst (Last appearance)