# Horst Schimanski > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Horst_Schimanski > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Horst_Schimanski.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Schimanski > Source revision: 1303450817 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Character in the German television series Tatort This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Horst Schimanski" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Fictional character Horst Schimanski Tatort Schimanski character Götz George as Horst Schimanski, 2007 First appearance "Duisburg-Ruhrort" Tatort 1981 Last appearance "Loverboy" Schimanski 2013 Created by Bernd Schwamm Martin Gies Hajo Gies Götz George Portrayed by Götz George In-universe information Full name Horst Karl Georg Schimanski Occupation Homicide detective Affiliation Duisburg police department Significant other Marie-Claire Origin Szczecin, Poland Nationality German **Horst Schimanski** is a fictional homicide detective with a leading role in the German crime television series *[Tatort](/source/Tatort)*, as well as the spin-off *Schimanski*.[1] Portrayed by [Götz George](/source/G%C3%B6tz_George), the character made his debut in the 1981 episode ["Duisburg-Ruhrort"](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duisburg-Ruhrort_(Tatort)&action=edit&redlink=1) [[de](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatort:_Duisburg-Ruhrort)] and appeared in 29 episodes until 1991.[2] Two episodes, *[On the Killer's Track](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=On_the_Killer%27s_Track&action=edit&redlink=1) [[de](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahn_um_Zahn_(1985))]* (1985) and *[The Crack Connection](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Crack_Connection&action=edit&redlink=1) [[de](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabou_(Film))]* (1987), were released in cinemas before they were aired on television. Also notable is the episode ["*Unter Brüdern*"](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Unter_Br%C3%BCdern_(1990_film)&action=edit&redlink=1) [[de](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unter_Br%C3%BCdern_(1990))] from 1990, which was produced as a [crossover](/source/Crossover_(fiction)) with the East German *[Polizeiruf 110](/source/Polizeiruf_110)* crime series, in which Schimanski collaborated with two colleagues from the East German [Volkspolizei](/source/Volkspolizei). In 1997, the character got his own show, the loose spin-off *Schimanski*. In this series, Schimanski is a retired police officer living in Belgium with his longtime girlfriend Marie Claire. ## Background Schimanski is consistently presented as the prototypical [proletarian](/source/Proletarian), living very close to the criminals he pursues. Consequently, many of his cases deal with underprivileged victims and upper-class criminals, or at least suspects, which was a rather uncommon concept in West German television shows of that era. Born and raised in the industrial city of [Duisburg](/source/Duisburg) in the [Ruhr](/source/Ruhr) area, Schimanski is a rugged, often unkempt simple man (unsophisticated, yet not unintelligent), who often swears but never backs out of a fight, and doesn't disrespect minorities. In the majority of episodes, he wears a well-worn grey or beige [M-65 field jacket](/source/M-1965_field_jacket) with cropped [epaulettes](/source/Epaulette) that became famous in Germany as the "Schimanski Jacket". In the original *[Tatort](/source/Tatort)* episodes, he is perennially accompanied by Christian Thanner, a reticent, soft, well-dressed and well-educated detective who often serves as a foil to the gruff Schimanski. In the first episode of the follow-up series *Schimanski*, Thanner is killed by a rogue police officer. This was necessary as [Eberhard Feik](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eberhard_Feik&action=edit&redlink=1), who played Thanner, had died in the hiatus of the series. Schimanski's other long-term colleague and companion in both series, Dutchman Hans Scherpenzeel van Maaskant-Schoutens (abbreviated as *Hänschen*, i.e. *Little Hans*), was played by [Chiem van Houweninge](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chiem_van_Houweninge&action=edit&redlink=1), a Dutch actor and playwright who also wrote several episodes. After leaving the police force in 1991, Schimanski emigrates to Belgium. There he meets his partner Marie-Claire ([Denise Virieux](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Denise_Virieux&action=edit&redlink=1)), and they live together on a houseboat. He works as a boxing trainer. After Thanner is murdered in 1997, Schimanski is called back to Duisburg for the first time by the Düsseldorf public prosecutor's office. As a freelance investigator, he is in charge of solving Thanner's murder. ## Reception From the beginning, Schimanski's character polarized the public: [WDR](/source/Westdeutscher_Rundfunk) stated that his critics saw him as a disgrace to the police and to German television, while his admirers perceived him as a new breed of more realistic, streetwise characters: *"for some, he was the fighter for justice and became a cult character; for others, he was more of a lawbreaker with a grubby aura"*.[3] In time, he became a cult figure in German culture and the most popular *Tatort* character.[3] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Rundfunk, Bayerischer (28 June 2021). ["28. Juni 1981: Der erste "Tatort" mit Schimanski"](https://www.br.de/radio/bayern2/sendungen/kalenderblatt/der-erste-tatort-mit-schimanski-100.html) (in German). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Online, TV Spielfilm. ["Schimanski-Tatorte zurück im TV – So scharf wie nie"](https://www.tvspielfilm.de/news/tv/schimanski-tatorte-zurueck-im-tv-so-scharf-wie-nie,10508495,ApplicationArticle.html). *TV Spielfilm Online* (in German). Retrieved 29 January 2023. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-wdr_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-wdr_3-1) [Schimanski – Der markante Ermittler vom WDR-Fernsehfilm](http://www.wdr.de/tv/fernsehfilm/0500_schimanski.phtml) (in German) ## External links - [Horst Schimanski fanpage](http://horstschimanski.info/) (in German) - [*Tatort*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806910/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [*Schimanski*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847709/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) Authority control databases International VIAF GND Artists FID People DDB --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Horst Schimanski](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Schimanski) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Schimanski?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.