Rolf Oskar Ewald Günter Herricht (October 5, 1927 – August 23, 1981) was an East German comedian.

Biography

Early life Herricht graduated from school in 1943 after passing a 'War Abitur', a form of an Abitur designated to free school pupils to be mobilized. In 1945, he was drafted to the Volkssturm and assigned as an anti-aircraft battery assistant.Rolf Herricht (English-Language Biography). defa.de.

After the end of World War II in Europe, he began working as a property master and a stage manager in a theater in his native Magdeburg, while studying acting in a local studio. After completion, he went to appear on the stages of theaters in Salzwedel, Stendal, Staßfurt, Güstrow and also in the Kleist Theater in Frankfurt am Oder.Elke Schneider. The Magdeburg Biographical Lexicon: Rolf Herrich t. uni-magdeburg.de.

Breakthrough Herricht first met fellow actor Hans-Joachim Preil in 1951, while they both worked in Bernburg. The two formed the 'Herricht and Preil' comedy duo, staging their first sketch, 'The Chess Match', in 1953. In the sketch, Preil vainly attempts to play chess with Herricht, who is completely oblivious to the rules of the game. In their act, Herricht played the 'funny man', while Preil served as the 'straight man'. The pair were active until Herricht's death.Ralf Schenk. The Man who Made Everyone Laugh . Superillu, 6 June 2007.

In 1957, Herricht returned to the Magdeburg Theater, where he remained until 1961. He mainly played comical characters, like the scribe in The Beaver Coat and the drunkard from Auerbach's Cellar in Faust I.Ines Walk. "Rolf Herricht" . film-zeit.de.

During his time in Magdeburg, he also worked in the radio. He and Preil first performed on television when one of their sketches was broadcast by Deutscher Fernsehfunk in 1959. The show was well received by the audience and the two began making regular appearances on TV. Herricht and Preil became the German Democratic Republic's most celebrated comedians.Rolf Herricht. filmmuseum-potsdam.de.Das Geheimnis eines großes Erfolges. MDR.de."Gestorben: Hans-Joachim Preil" Der Spiegel, 8 November 1999.

Height of career

Herricht made his film debut in DEFA's 1959 comedy Before the Lightning Strikes, playing a minor part of a locomotive constructor. Herricht later appeared in some twenty cinema productions, while also playing in many television films. In 1964, he joined the regular cast of the Metropol Theater in East Berlin. He also had a career as a singer.Rolf Herricht. defa-sternstunden.

Herricht appeared on screen in relatively minor roles until writer Maurycy Janowski and director Gottfried Kolditz decided to create a film, the plot of which would be based on his comical skill, the 1964 Geliebte weiße Maus. Herricht portrayed a traffic policeman who falls in love with a woman and only dares speak to her when she makes an accident on the road. The picture was met with considerable success. Herricht starred in several other popular DEFA comedies during the 1960s and the 1970s: among others, he played the erratic National People's Army reserve soldier Ralf Horricht in the 1965 Der Reserveheld and the last-minute-travel-guide Hurtig in the 1967 Meine Freundin Sybille. His 1965 Hände hoch oder ich schieße, in which he again appeared as an eccentric policeman, was banned at the 11th plenary session of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and only released in 2009, 28 years after his death.Rolf Herricht. filmportal.de.Rolf Herricht im Porträt: der Komiker, der ernst genommen werden wollte . MDR.de.

Herricht was twice awarded the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic: on 17 May 1973 and on 13 May 1977.Erika Tschernig, Monika Kollega, Gudrun Müller. Unsere Kultur: DDR-Zeittafel, 1945-1987. Dietz Verlag (1989). . Pages 218, 259.

He died of a heart attack at the age of 53, while performing the role of one of the gangsters in Kiss Me, Kate on the stage of the Metropol. He is buried in Berlin's I Französischer Friedhof.

Filmography

Cinema 1959: Bevor der Blitz einschlägt 1959: Musterknaben 1960: Seilergasse 8 1961: For Eyes Only 1962: Auf der Sonnenseite 1964: Geliebte weiße Maus 1965: Der Reserveheld 1965: Nichts als Sünde 1966/2009: Hände hoch oder ich schieße 1967: Meine Freundin Sybille 1968: Hauptmann Florian von der Mühle 1968: 12 Uhr mittags kommt der Boß 1969: Mit mir nicht, Madam! 1969: Der Weihnachtsmann heißt Willi 1969: Seine Hoheit – Genosse Prinz 1970: Husaren in Berlin 1971: Chyornye sukhari 1972: Der Mann, der nach der Oma kam 1972: Nicht schummeln, Liebling! 1977: DEFA Disko 77 1979: Der Baulöwe

Television 1959: Wie die Wilden 1960: Zweimal Madeleine 1961: Gastspiele im Dschungel 1961: Kater Lampe 1961: Bodo Baddy's bunte Bühne 1962: Was halten Sie von Musik? 1963: Komm mit mir nach Montevideo 1965: Muss das sein? 1966: Drei leichte Fälle 1969: Tolle Tage 1970: Der Schein trügt 1972: Der Mann seiner Frau 1973: Ein gewisser Katulla 1974: Schultze mit "tz" 1974: So eine Frau... 1974: Alle Haare wieder 1975: Mein lieber Kokoschinsky 1976: Keine Hochzeit ohne Ernst (Bunbury) 1976: Fürs ganze Leben 1976: Heute Ruhetag 1976: Frauen sind Männersache 1976: Maxe Baumann - Ferien ohne Ende 1977: Umwege ins Glück 1977: Der rasende Roland 1977: Ehe man Ehefrau bleibt 1977: Urlaub nach Prospekt 1977: Du und icke und Berlin 1977: Maxe Baumann - Keine Ferien für Max 1978: Ein Hahn im Korb 1978: Maxe Baumann - Max auf Reisen 1979: Maxe Baumann - Überraschung für Max 1980: Maxe Baumann - Max in Moritzhagen

Singles Ausgerechnet Blechmusik Die Eiszeit Kommt Wieder Die Vielweiberei Gelber Mond Ich bin auf den Hund gekommen Ich bin ein Star des Fußballplatzgesangsvereins Ich soll stets die Leute nur zum Lachen bringen Immer dieser Ärger mit den Kleinen ) Klamotten-Rag Laubenpiepergartenhundefest Mein grüner Papagei Oh, dieser Jazz Wenn Sie mich so anseh'n

References

External links

A collection of 'Herricht & Preil' sketches on MDR.de.