Peter Fitz
Birth date8 August 1931
Birth placeKaiserslautern, Germany
Death date10 January 2013 (aged 81)
Death placeBerlin, Germany
OccupationActor
Years active1954–2012

Peter Fitz (8 August 1931 – 10 January 2013)[1] was a German stage and film actor.[2][3]

Biography

Fitz completed an apprenticeship at the drama school of the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg in the 1950s. In the 1960s, engagements at the Schauspiel Frankfurt theatre followed. Director Peter Stein brought him into the ensemble of the Berlin Schaubühne theatre, where he worked under the direction of Stein as well as Klaus Michael Grüber.

During the course of his career, Fitz performed at all major German-language venues, such as the Vienna Burgtheater, the Munich Kammerspiele, Berlin's Schiller Theater, as well as the Salzburg Festival. In 1980 and 1983, he was voted Actor of the Year by the editors of Theater heute magazine.

Fitz' theater work took precedence throughout his career, but he also appeared in a number of films and television productions. Some of these include the 1987 film Au revoir les enfants and The Wannsee Conference in 1984. In 1996, Fitz was nominated for the German Film Award for his portrayal of Reinhold Schünzel in Hans-Christoph Blumenberg's One More Kiss and He's Dead!. He was also known to a broad television audience through crime films and series, as well as for his voice acting work.

Peter Fitz died in his Berlin apartment on 10 January 2013, at the age of 81.[4] He is the father of actress Hendrikje Fitz (1961–2016) and actor Florian Fitz (born 1967).[5] He is buried in the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf Berlin forest cemetery. His daughter was buried next to him upon her death in 2016.

Selected filmography

Film

List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown
YearTitleRoleNotes
1981The Man in PyjamasHarry Lachmann
1987Au revoir les enfantsDr. Müller
1990Dr. MVeidt
1993Just a Matter of DutyAnwalt
1996One More Kiss and He's Dead!Reinhold Schünzel
Conversation with the BeastDr. Segebrecht
199714 Days to LifeDirector
199823Brückner
1999MolochAdolf HitlerVoice
2000Werckmeister HarmoniesGyörgy Eszter
2003SeptemberIsidor Krantz
2004SoundlessMartin Hinrich
Laura's StarMondVoice, animated film

Television

List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown
YearTitleRoleNotes
1982–1985Schwarz Rot Gold2 episodes
1984The Wannsee ConferenceDr. Wilhelm StuckartTV movie
1988–1997TatortProfessor Luiz Santos / Jahnke / Branch manager Steinhoff3 episodes
1998Polizeiruf 110Herbert Krolikowski1 episode
1999TatortNorbert's father1 episode
2001RosmersholmRektor KrollTV movie
2004WilsbergKurt Vosswinkel1 episode
2004Die KonferenzDr. Roman BranzgerTV movie
2006Bella BlockPastor Justus Bauernfeind1 episode

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ^ Stefan Grund: Nachruf: Peter Fitz – stiller König mit großer Stimme ist verstummt Berliner Morgenpost (2013)
  2. ^ "Der "Präzisionsartist" - Schauspieler Peter Fitz ist tot" [Actor Peter Fitz Is Dead] (in German). Der Spiegel. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Peter Fitz". Munzinger-Archiv. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Peter Fitz – stiller Koenig mit grosser Stimme ist verstummt" [Peter Fitz – Silent King with a Great Voice Has Fallen Silent] (in German). morgenpost.de. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  5. ^ Sascha Stiehler: Interview mit „Trude“ Ute Fitz Archived 26 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Löwenzahn Fanclub (2013)
  6. ^ "Peter Fitz". whoswho.de. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  7. ^ "NESTROY-Preisträger 2000-2010". nestroypreis.at. Retrieved 7 December 2017.

Literature

  • Hermann J. Huber: Langen Müller’s Schauspielerlexikon der Gegenwart. Deutschland. Österreich. Schweiz. Albert Langen • Georg Müller Verlag GmbH, München • Wien 1986, ISBN 3-7844-2058-3, S. 249.
  • C. Bernd Sucher (Hrsg.): Theaterlexikon. Autoren, Regisseure, Schauspieler, Dramaturgen, Bühnenbildner, Kritiker. Von Christine Dössel und Marietta Piekenbrock unter Mitwirkung von Jean-Claude Kuner und C. Bernd Sucher. 2. Auflage. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, München 1999, ISBN 3-423-03322-3, S. 185.
  • Kay Weniger: Das große Personenlexikon des Films. Die Schauspieler, Regisseure, Kameraleute, Produzenten, Komponisten, Drehbuchautoren, Filmarchitekten, Ausstatter, Kostümbildner, Cutter, Tontechniker, Maskenbildner und Special Effects Designer des 20. Jahrhunderts. Band 2: C – F. John Paddy Carstairs – Peter Fitz. Schwarzkopf und Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3, S. 698 f.