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Götz George, born in Berlin in 1938, is the son of renowned actor Heinrich George and actress Berta Drews. He made his first stage appearances as a child at Berlin's Hebbel Theater and received acting training from the esteemed Else Bongers. At 15, he began his film career. In 1960, he earned his first major award, the Bundesfilmpreis, for his role in Wolfgang Liebeneiner's film 'Jacqueline,' followed by the German Critics Award in 1961. The following year, he won the public "Bambi" award as Germany's most popular actor. Between 1959 and 1969, he appeared in 26 films, including 'Kirmes' (Wolfgang Staudte), 'Das Mädchen und der Staatsanwalt' (Jürgen Goslar), 'Liebe will gelernt sein' (Kurt Hoffmann), 'Sie nannten ihn Gringo' (Roy Rowland), and 'Ostwind' (Jean-Luc Godard).
In 1977, George delivered a highly acclaimed performance as KZ commander Rudolf Höss in Theodor Kotulla's 'Aus einem Deutschen Leben.' His films 'Abwärts' (1984) and 'Zahn um Zahn' (1985), the latter based on the 'Schimanski' TV series, were both critical and commercial successes. In 1985, he received the German Cinema Award (Charlie-Chaplin-Schuh) and the Gold Ribbon (Bundesfilmpreis) for Best German Actor. Following his roles in 'Zabou' (1987), another 'Schimanski' adaptation, and the action thriller 'Die Katze' (1988), George featured in 'Der Bruch,' the first East-West German film co-production, directed by Frank Beyer. In 1989, he starred in 'Blauäugig,' directed by Reinhard Hauff, filmed in Argentina.
In 1991, George played a lead role in Helmut Dietl's comedy 'Schtonk,' which achieved great success in Germany and was the country's official Oscar submission. For this role, he again received the Gold Ribbon for Best Actor. Perhaps his most notable achievement was portraying serial killer Fritz Haarmann in Romuald Karmakar's 'Der Totmacher,' earning him the Coppa Volpi at the Venice Film Festival in 1995 and another Gold Ribbon in 1996. That same year, he appeared in another successful Helmut Dietl film, 'Rossini.' In early 1997, he starred in 'Das Trio,' directed by Hermine Huntgeburth, and spent the last two months filming the thriller 'Solo für Klarinette,' directed by Nico Hofmann, based on Elsa Lewin's novel. In the summer of 1998, George portrayed Josef Mengele in Roland Suso Richter's 'After the Truth / Nichts als die Wahrheit.'
In 2000, he played advertiser Eddie Kaminski in Lars Kraume's 'Commercial Man,' the eccentric Heinrich in 'Gott ist tot' (2001, written and directed by Kadir Sözen), and designer Jost in 'Maria an Callas' (2004/5, written and directed by Petra K. Wagner).
Throughout the 1970s, George worked extensively in television and theater. Notable stage roles included Troilus in 'Troilos und Cressida,' Martin Luther in 'Martin Luther und Thomas Münzer,' Stanley Kowalski in 'Endstation Sehnsucht' ('A Streetcar Named Desire'), Danton in 'Dantons Tod,' and Platonow in 'Platonow.' Although a popular film actor for four decades, George gained his most distinctive fame portraying detective Horst Schimanski in the 'Tatort' TV series from 1981 to 1991. Beyond Germany, the 'Schimanski' films reached a global TV audience of 427 million viewers. His extensive work in other successful TV productions has made him one of Germany's most recognized and decorated actors. After a six-year hiatus, Schimanski returned to German television at the end of 1997 and continues to appear in the role.
Other notable TV roles include 'Schulz & Schulz' (1989-93), 'Das Schwein' (1994), 'Der Sandmann' (1995), and 'Die Bubi Scholz Story' (1997). In 1999, George filmed the TV feature 'Die Spur meiner Tochter' in Morocco. The year 2000 saw two more 'Schimanski' movies and concluded with the shooting of the TV film 'Liebe macht blind' in South Africa. 'Vinzenz & Claire' followed in 2002. Between 2003 and 2004, George starred in 'Blatt & Blüte' (director Michael Kreindl), 'Alpenglühen I+II' (director Hajo Gies), 'Einmal so, wie ich will' (director Vivian Naefe), and the suspense thriller 'Geheimnisvolle Freundinnen,' directed by Oliver Elias. In 2002, he played a leading role in the TV movie 'Mein Vater,' which won the Emmy Award for Best Foreign Feature Film in 2003. The 'Schimanski' episodes 'Der Golem' and 'Asyl' were Emmy-nominated in 2004.
