Hannes Messemer (17 May 1924 – 2 November 1991) was a German actor from Dillingen an der Donau, Bavaria.
Biography
World War II Messemer served on the Eastern Front of World War II and was eventually captured by Soviet soldiers and was held as a POW in Soviet Russia. He managed to escape and made it back to Germany on foot, walking hundreds of miles to the German border. He was wounded by Soviet gunfire, but was not recaptured by the Soviets. He surrendered to British forces and then, spent two years in a POW facility in London, known as the "London Cage".
Acting career 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 The Devil Strikes at Night 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).
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 , 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.
Personal life He was married four times and had two daughters.
Illness and death A lifelong heavy smoker and drinker, Messemer suffered throat cancer during the 1980s, and surgery left his voice at only a whisper. Forced to retire from acting, he appeared on West German television for the last time in 1989, in a production with Agnes Fink. He died of a heart attack in Aachen on 2 November 1991, aged 67.
Filmography Film Year Title Role DirectorNotes1957Rose Bernd August Keil Wolfgang Staudte The Devil Strikes at Night SS-Gruppenführer Rossdorf Robert Siodmak The Glass Tower Dr. Krell Harald Braun 1958Escape from Sahara Robert Altmann Wolfgang Staudte The Doctor of Stalingrad Oberleutnant Pjotr Markow Géza von Radványi Taiga Roeder Wolfgang Liebeneiner 1959 Twelve Hours By the Clock Serge Géza von Radványi People in the Net Braun Franz Peter Wirth Babette Goes to War General Franz von Arenberg Christian-Jaque General Della Rovere SS-Standartenführer Müller Roberto Rossellini Bill Robson Franz Peter Wirth 1960The High Life Ernst Moos Julien Duvivier Escape by Night Oberst von Kleist Roberto Rossellini Klaus Urban Michael Kehlmann The Red Hand Manora Khan Kurt Meisel You Don't Shoot at Angels Suarez Rolf Thiele 1961The Transport Leutnant Bleck Jürgen Roland 1963The Great Escape Oberst von Luger, Lagerkommandant John Sturges 1964Mission to Venice Carl Natzka André Versini 1966Congress of Love Metternich Géza von Radványi Once a Greek Fahrcks Rolf Thiele The Defector Dr. Saltzer Raoul Lévy Is Paris Burning? Generaloberst Jodl René Clément 1974 Jean-Pierre Pinaud Alfred Vohrer The Odessa File General Glücks Ronald Neame
Television Year TV Show Role Notes1960 János Kádár based on Shadow of Heroes1962Liebe im September Graham Colby 1963Die Legende vom heiligen Trinker Andreas Kartak based on The Legend of the Holy Drinker 1964Der trojanische Krieg findet nicht statt Odysseus based on The Trojan War Will Not Take Place Die Verschwörung des Fiesco zu Genua Fiesco based on Fiesco 1968König Richard II King Richard II based on Richard II 1969Die Verschwörung Julius Caesar written by Walter Jens1974-1975Sergeant Berry Commissioner Deeds 23 episodes 1975Der tödliche Schlag Odysseus written by Walter Jens1976Fünf Prüfungen des Oberbürgermeisters Konrad Adenauer written by Peter von Zahn Mademoiselle de Scuderi Cardillac based on Mademoiselle de Scuderi Carnival Confession Panezza based on Die Fastnachtsbeichte 1977 Joseph Gallieni written by Sebastian Haffner Die Befragung des Machiavelli Machiavelli Uncle Silas Onkel Silas based on Uncle Silas Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky based on Demons 1978-1983Derrick 3 episodes 1979Union der festen Hand von Zander based on a novel by 1980The Cause of the Crime Mager, Teacher based on a novella and a play by Leonhard Frank1981 Havelka based on a novel by Stefan Heym 1982Fleeting Acquaintances Paul based on a novel by Frau Jenny Treibel Leutnant a.D. Vogelsang based on Frau Jenny Treibel 1983 Gutwetter based on The Oppermanns 1983-1984Diese Drombuschs Herr Diehl, Oberstudienrat i.P. 4 episodes 1989Langusten Ernst (final film role)
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