Rolf Schimpf (born 14 November 1924 in Berlin) is a German television actor. He is most famous for his portrayal of the lead character Leo Kress in the ZDF crime series The Old Fox (German: Der Alte) from 1986 to 2007.
Rolf Schimpf | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 November 1924 Berlin, Germany |
| Occupation | Actor |
Biography
editRolf Schimpf is the son of the marine officer Hans Schimpf, the grandchild of Rosa Helene Schimpf and Ernst Schimpf, the great-grandchild of the composer Christian Fink and the great-great-grandchild of the entrepreneur Jakob Ferdinand Schreiber.[1] He served in the Sturmartillerie troops in World War II, where he suffered a severe injury to the head.
After the war Schimpf studied for a career in trade at the Hengstenberg company in Esslingen am Neckar, after which he started studying acting at the Gensichen drama school in Stuttgart. After his studies he played in various theatres, such as the Luzern city theatre (1959-1960) and the Bern city theatre (1960-1962). He also played at the Württembergischen Staatstheater in Stuttgart, at the theatre of Lübeck, at the theater 53 theatre in Hamburg, at the artist theatre in Hamburg and at the Hamburger Kammerspielen under the supervision of Ida Ehre.[2]
Television viewers know Schimpf best for his portrayal of Leo Kress in the ZDF crime series The Old Fox (German: Der Alte) from February 1986 to December 2007, as the first successor to the show's first lead actor Siegfried Lowitz. In December 2006 Schimpf stepped out of the show after having playing the lead character for over 20 years.[3] His 222nd and last episode was filmed in December 2006.[3] Episodes starring him were shown until December 2007.[4] However he still appeared in a guest role as retired chief inspector Leo Kress in the 340th episode Taximörder in May 2009.[5]
Schimpf also appeared on television in supporting roles in the late 1950s. In the late 1960s he appeared in the series Hafenkrankenhaus together with Anneli Granget and as the son of Inge Meysel in the series Ida Rogalski (1970). In the 1970s he appeared in the series Meine Tochter - Unser Fräulein Doktor (1970), Mein Bruder - Der Herr Doktor Berger (1972) and Die Protokolle des Herrn M. (1979).[6][7] He also appeared in the crime series SOKO 5113 (1978-1968), in the series Büro, Büro (1982), in the medicine series The Black Forest Clinic (1986) and in the series Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst (for example episode 150 in 1982).[8][9] His first television appearance as a lead character was in the satirical television film Der Sheriff von Linsenbach (1983). In 1984 he had a lead role in the series Mensch Bachmann where he gained greater popularity. The series was produced by Helmut Ringelmann, who got him the role of Leo Kress in The Old Fox a few years later. One Schimpf's last roles was as Dr. Korbinian Niederbühl in the ARD telenovela Storm of Love.[5]
Schimpf also worked in dubbing roles, among them the German-speaking voice of actor Bela Lugosi.[10]
Schimpf was married to actress Ilse Zielstorff from 1968 until Zielstorff's death in May 2015. The couple have a son named Daniel, who is an architect.
In June 2010 the couple moved to the Augustinum old people's home in Neufriedenheim in Munich, where Schimpf stayed until November 2023.[11][12][13] Schimpf's wife Zielstorff had to move to a caretaking home because of dementia.[14] In late 2023, Schimpf, at that time suffering from dementia himself, had to move to a different old people's home because of financial difficulties.[13]
Filmography
edit- Smuglere (1968)
- Mensch Bachmann (1984, TV series)
- The Old Fox (1986–2007, TV series)
References
edit- ^ Siegele, Margarete: Rosa Helene Schimpf geb. Fink (1870–1949). Ein großbürgerliches Leben. City of Esslingen am Neckar (editors): Frauen. Schicksale. Karrieren. Berufungen. 1850–1950. Esslingen 2005, ISBN 3-9809328-8-5, pp. 22–33.
- ^ Rolf Schimpf. Accessed on 19 June 2024.
- ^ a b Mantel, Uwe: Schauspieler Rolf Schimpf: "Der Alte" geht in Rente. Der Spiegel 3 December 2006. Accessed on 14 December 2023.
- ^ Heise, Katrin: "Es war eigentlich eine sehr harmonische Zeit". Deutschlandfunk Kultur 21 December 2007. Accessed on 14 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Der Alte" im Ruhestand. tz.de 11 November 2009. Accessed on 14 December 2023.
- ^ OFDb - Rolf Schimpf (Darsteller). Accessed on 19 June 2024.
- ^ Rolf Schimpf - Serien, Sendungen auf TV Wunschliste. Accessed on 19 June 2024.
- ^ imfernsehen GmbH & Co KG: Filmografie Rolf Schimpf. 24 March 2023. Accessed on 19 June 2024.
- ^ Rolf Schimpf | filmportal.de. Accessed on 19 June 2024.
- ^ Deutsche Synchronkartei | Sprecher | Rolf Schimpf. Accessed on 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Der Alte" zieht ins Altenheim, Bild am Sonntag 20 June 2010. Accessed on 22 June 2010.
- ^ Richter, Nicole: "Der Alte" wird 95 - Rolf Schimpf: Im Hirn bin ich noch fit, bild.de 13 November 2019. Accessed on 18 November 2019.
- ^ a b Wittmann, Natascha: "Der Alte"-Star Rolf Schimpf: Erspannisse aufgebraucht: Kein Geld mehr fürs Altersheim. bunte.de 12 December 2023. Accessed on 13 December 2023.
- ^ Holetz, Lotte: Rolf Schimpf wird 90: Sein trauriger Geburtstag. tz.de 14 November 2014. Accessed on 14 December 2023.
External links
edit- Rolf Schimpf at IMDb
- Agency Palz Munich (in German)