{{Short description|German actor (1926–1990)}} {{Infobox person | name = Walter Sedlmayr | image = Walter Sedlmayr.jpg | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1926|1|6}} | birth_place = [[Munich]], Germany | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1990|7|14|1926|1|6}} | death_place = Munich, West Germany | other_names = Walter Sedlmayer | occupation = Actor | years_active = }} '''Walter Sedlmayr''' (6 January 1926 – 14 July 1990) was a popular [[Germany|German]] stage, television, and film [[actor]] from [[Bavaria]]. His murder in 1990 was widely publicized.
==Career== After his 1945 wartime ''[[Abitur]],'' Sedlmayr served as a ''[[Flakhelfer]]'' towards the end of [[World War II]]. His acting career began with minor roles with the ''[[Munich Kammerspiele|Münchner Kammerspiele]],'' for which he played more than 25 years, and in numerous ''[[Heimatfilm]]e'' during the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1971, by now an associate of [[Rainer Werner Fassbinder]], Sedlmayr was briefly arrested because a stolen artwork, the ''Blutenburger Madonna'', was found in his house. He was later acquitted of all charges, and the media attention given to his trial helped him gain major roles. His breakthrough came with the leading role in [[Hans-Jürgen Syberberg]]'s film ''[[Theodor Hierneis oder Wie man ehem. Hofkoch wird]]'' (1972). Afterwards, Sedlmayr was cast in numerous popular German TV shows, including ''{{Interlanguage link|Münchner Geschichten|de}}'', ''Der Herr Kottnik'', ''[[Der Millionenbauer]]'', and ''[[Polizeiinspektion 1]]''; he also frequently appeared on stage and in other media.
==Murder== On 14 July 1990, Sedlmayr was found dead in the bedroom of his [[Munich]] apartment. He had been tied up, stabbed in the stomach with a knife and beaten about the head with a hammer.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/0,1518,499192,00.html|title=Sedlmayr-Mörder aus Haft entlassen|publisher=[[Der Spiegel]]|access-date=2009-11-15|language=de}}</ref> On 21 May 1993, two half-brothers,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13681897.html|title=Bescheißt du mich eigentlich?|publisher=[[Der Spiegel]]|access-date=2009-12-18|language=de}}</ref> [[Wolfgang Werlé and Manfred Lauber]], former business associates of Sedlmayr, were found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life in prison.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://home.arcor.de/eemcpt68/Focus%2003-2005.pdf |title=Mordfall Walter Sedlmayr (on page 22) Focus magazine article, 17 January 2005, in German |access-date=13 November 2009 |archive-date=7 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607203544/http://home.arcor.de/eemcpt68/Focus%2003-2005.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="morgenpost">{{cite news|title=Neue Spur im Mordfall Sedlmayr|author=Jörg Völkerling|publisher=[[Berliner Morgenpost]]|date=18 December 2004|language=de|url=http://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/panorama/article383706/Neue_Spur_im_Mordfall_Sedlmayr.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Sedlmayr-Mord: Gericht prüft Wiederaufnahme des Verfahrens|language=de|publisher=[[Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger]]|date=12 April 2005|url=http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1113229792888.shtml}}</ref> The killers were released from prison in 2007 and 2008.<ref name="ECHR" />
Sedlmayr's life and murder were the subject of the 2001 [[biopic]] ''{{Interlanguage link|Wambo|de}}'' by [[Jo Baier]], where he was played by {{Interlanguage link|Jürgen Tarrach|de}}, and of an episode of the [[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]] TV series ''[[Die großen Kriminalfälle]]''.
In 2009, the two men convicted of the killing took legal action demanding the removal of their names from the German and English language [[Wikipedia]], arguing that it invaded their right to privacy. The names were removed from the [[German Wikipedia]], while the English-speaking Wikipedia community declined to do so, supported by the [[Wikimedia Foundation]], which contested the validity of the ruling as it neither operates nor has assets in Germany.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|first=John|last=Schwartz|title=Two German Killers Demanding Anonymity Sue Wikipedia's Parent|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/13wiki.html?_r=0|date= November 12, 2009|access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref> In December 2009, the [[Federal Court of Justice]], the highest court of ordinary jurisdiction in Germany, ruled that the convicted have no right of removal of their names from internet archives as this would interfere too strongly with the right of free speech.<ref>{{cite web |author=Bundesgerichtshof |url=http://juris.bundesgerichtshof.de/cgi-bin/rechtsprechung/document.py?Gericht=bgh&Art=en&Datum=Aktuell&Sort=12288&nr=50267&linked=pm&Blank=1 |title=Deutschlandradio darf Mitschriften nicht mehr aktueller Rundfunkbeiträge, in denen im Zusammenhang mit dem Mord an Walter Sedlmayr der Name der Verurteilten genannt wird, in ihrem "Online-Archiv" weiterhin zum Abruf bereithalten |work=Mitteilung der Pressestelle Nr. 255/2009 |date=2009-12-15 |access-date=2009-12-15}}</ref><ref name="nachbeben">Hendrik Steinkuhl: [http://www.noz.de/deutschland-welt/medien/artikel/595672/vor-25-jahren-starb-der-schauspieler-walter-sedlmayr ''Nachbeben bei Wikipedia: Vor 25 Jahren starb der Schauspieler Walter Sedlmayr ''], NOZ, 14 July 2015.</ref><ref>''Fall Sedlmayr – Müssen die Namen der Mörder im Netz nachträglich getilgt werden?'', 11 November 2009, on [http://archiv.sueddeutsche.de/I5W38W/3140588/Fall-Sedlmayr.html sueddeutsche.de] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114160311/http://archiv.sueddeutsche.de/I5W38W/3140588/Fall-Sedlmayr.html |date=2010-01-14 }}</ref> After this ruling, the names were again included in the German Wikipedia. In June 2018, the [[European Court of Human Rights]] upheld the decision of the Federal Court of Justice to reject the request to ban publication of the killers' names.<ref name="ECHR">{{cite news|title=Europe Court Rejects Online Anonymity Suit By German Murder Convicts|url=https://independent.ng/europe-court-rejects-online-anonymity-suit-by-german-murder-convicts/|location=Lagos, Nigeria|date= June 29, 2018|access-date=June 29, 2018|newspaper=[[Independent (Nigeria)|Independent]]}}</ref>
==Filmography== ===Film=== {|width="100%" align="center| |width="50% valign="top"| *1949: ''{{Interlanguage link|Die drei Dorfheiligen (1949 film)|de|3=Die drei Dorfheiligen (1949)|lt=Die drei Dorfheiligen}}'' - Schwälble *1951: ''Heidelberger Romanze'' *1952: ''[[Two People (1952 film)|Two People]]'' - Martin *1952: ''[[The Crucifix Carver of Ammergau]]'' - Muckl *1953: ''[[The Mill in the Black Forest]]'' *1953: ''[[Marriage Strike (1953 film)|Marriage Strike]]'' *1954: ''[[The Little Town Will Go to Sleep]]'' *1954: ''[[Rose-Girl Resli]]'' - Theo *1955: ''[[I Know What I'm Living For]]'' *1955: ''[[The Royal Waltz (1955 film)|The Royal Waltz]]'' - Konditor Franz *1955: ''Der Frontgockel'' - Beni Banzinger *1955: ''[[Three Girls from the Rhine]]'' *1956: ''Hilfe - sie liebt mich'' - Schnecki *1956: ''[[The Hunter of Fall (1956 film)|The Hunter of Fall]]'' - Loisl, Wirtssohn *1957: ''[[Marriages Forbidden]]'' - Lois Haflinger *1958: ''[[Der Pauker]]'' - Substitute Teacher *1959: ''[[The Shepherd from Trutzberg]]'' - Eberhard von Trutzberg *1959: ''[[Dorothea Angermann]]'' - Willi *1959: ''[[People in the Net]]'' *1959: ''[[The Buddenbrooks (1959 film)|The Buddenbrooks]]'' - Alois Permaneder *1960: ''Ein gewisses Röcheln'' (director) *1964: ''Bei Tag und Nacht'' (TV Movie) - Celio *1965: ''{{Interlanguage link|Radetzkymarsch (1965 film)|de|3=Radetzkymarsch (1965)|lt=Radetzkymarsch}}'' (TV Movie) - Rittmeister Taittinger *1965: ''{{ill|Die fromme Helene (1965 film)|de|3=Die fromme Helene (Film)|lt=Die fromme Helene}}'' - Bauer Knoll *1969: ''Frei bis zum nächsten Mal'' (TV Movie) - Bürgermeister |width="50% valign="top"| *1969: ''Der Rückfall'' (TV Movie) *1970: ''[[Baal (film)|Baal]]'' (TV Movie) - Anwalt Pschierer *1970: ''[[The Niklashausen Journey]]'' (TV Movie) - Priest *1970: ''Das Glöcklein unterm Himmelbett'' - Judge *1971: ''[[Rio das Mortes (film)|Rio das Mortes]]'' (TV Movie) - Sekretär *1971: ''[[Mathias Kneissl (film)|Mathias Kneissl]]'' - Polizist *1972: ''[[The Merchant of Four Seasons]]'' - Fruit cart salesman *1972: ''[[The Morals of Ruth Halbfass]]'' - The arms dealer *1972: ''[[Theodor Hierneis oder Wie man ehem. Hofkoch wird]]'' - Theodor Hierneis *1972: ''[[A Free Woman (1972 film)|A Free Woman]]'' - Personalchef *1973: ''[[The Experts (1973 film)|The Experts]]'' (1973) *1974: ''[[Ali: Fear Eats the Soul]]'' - Angermayer *1974: ''{{ill|Die Ameisen kommen|de|Die Ameisen kommen (Film)}}'' - Kommissar *1974: ''Die Reform'' (TV Movie) *1974: ''[[Stolen Heaven (1974 film)|Stolen Heaven]]'' - Franz Josef Reyer *1975: ''Das Andechser Gefühl'' - School director *1975: ''[[Fox and His Friends]]'' - Car dealer *1975: ''[[Lina Braake]]'' - Emil Schoener *1975: ''{{ill|Cold Blood (1975 film)|de|3=Das Amulett des Todes|lt=Cold Blood}}'' - Franz Grendel *1976: ''[[Der verkaufte Großvater]]'' (TV Movie) - Haslinger *1977: ''{{Ill|Die Jugendstreiche des Knaben Karl|de}}'' - Vater Fey *1979: ''[[Anton Sittinger]]'' (TV Movie) - Anton Sittinger *1981: ''Mein Freund, der Scheich'' (TV Movie) - Grindel *1984: ''Rambo Zambo'' (TV Movie) - Haslinger |- |}
===TV appearances=== *1964-1970: ''[[Das Kriminalmuseum]]'' - Kriminalkommissar Brunnert / Drogist / Ludwig Schmiedl / Bahnwärter / Bahn Herr Renz / Alois Hirsch *1969: ''Der Staudamm'' - Hering *1972: ''[[Eight Hours Don't Make a Day]]'' - Witwer *1972-1973: ''[[Tatort]]'' - Pröpper / Dünnkitz *1973: ''Drei Partner'' - Herr Kottnick *1973: ''[[World on a Wire]]'' - Janitor *1973-1975: ''[[Der Kommissar (TV series)|Der Kommissar]]'' - Alfons Tolke / U-Bahn-Kontrolleur / Bürgermeister / Polizist *1974: ''Der Herr Kottnik'' - Alfred Kottnik *1974-1975: ''[[Derrick (TV series)|Derrick]]'' - Koch / Herr Huber *1975: ''{{Interlanguage link|Münchner Geschichten|de}}'' - Erster Polizist *1975-1976: ''Spannagl & Sohn'' - Gustav Spannagl *1976: ''{{ill|Alle Jahre wieder – Die Familie Semmeling|de}}'' - Wiesner / Reiseleiter Wiesner *1976-1980: ''[[Vater Seidl und sein Sohn]]'' - Vater Ludwig Seidl *1976-1982: ''Reisen mit Walter Sedlmayr'' *1977-1988: ''[[Polizeiinspektion 1]]'' - Franz Josef Schöninger / Hans W. Hübner *1978-1980: ''[[The Old Fox|Der Alte]]'' - Herbert Smolka / Ziesenhut *1979-1988: ''[[Der Millionenbauer]]'' - Josef Hartinger *1983: ''[[Monaco Franze – Der ewige Stenz|Monaco Franze]]'' - Dr. Felix Hallerstein *1983-1985: ''[[Unsere schönsten Jahre]]'' - Seidl *1986-1988: ''[[Der Schwammerlkönig]]'' - Dädy Schwaiger
==Award== In 1973, Sedlmayr won the Outstanding Individual Achievement: Actor [[Deutscher Filmpreis]] award for his role in ''Theodor Hierneis oder Wie man ehemaliger Hofkoch wird''.
In June 2000, the [[Walter-Sedlmayr-Platz]] was named after him.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/Stadtverwaltung/Kommunalreferat/geodatenservice/strassennamen/2000/Walter-Sedlmayr-Platz.html | title=Walter-Sedlmayr-Platz | publisher=münchen.de | language=de | access-date=30 June 2020 | archive-date=17 December 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217100910/https://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/Stadtverwaltung/Kommunalreferat/geodatenservice/strassennamen/2000/Walter-Sedlmayr-Platz.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0781356}} * {{DNB portal|131370650|TYP=}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedlmayr, Walter}} [[Category:1926 births]] [[Category:1990 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century German male actors]] [[Category:20th-century German male writers]] [[Category:German gay actors]] [[Category:German male film actors]] [[Category:German male television actors]] [[Category:German murder victims]] [[Category:German television directors]] [[Category:German television writers]] [[Category:German male television writers]] [[Category:German LGBTQ screenwriters]] [[Category:Gay screenwriters]] [[Category:1990 murders in Germany]] [[Category:Male actors from Munich]] [[Category:People murdered in Germany]] [[Category:German Film Award winners]] [[Category:Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]] [[Category:Deaths by stabbing in Germany]] [[Category:Deaths by beating in Europe]] [[Category:Luftwaffenhelfer]] [[Category:20th-century German screenwriters]] [[Category:20th-century German LGBTQ people]] [[Category:Murdered actors]]