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Quadflieg completed high school and earned his diploma there. While still a student, he took acting lessons. In 1933, he made his theater debut in Oberhausen, followed by performances in Giessen, Gera, and Düsseldorf. In 1936, he first appeared in Berlin at the Volksbühne. Two years later, he joined the Schiller Theater, performing under Heinrich George. Leveraging his connections with George and Eugen Klöpfer, the artistic director at the Volksbühne, Quadflieg was exempted from military service during the Third Reich, allowing him to focus on his career. He rose to stardom and gained followers. Later, he sought to make amends by using his recitations to promote political awareness. In Berlin, Quadflieg was particularly noted for his intense portrayals of Clavico, Hamlet, and Don Carlos.
Following World War II, he helped establish the Junge Bühne in Hamburg. From 1947, he performed at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, and the next year at the Schauspielhaus Zurich. Besides theater, he earned recognition as a reciter, viewing poetry as therapeutic. He also ventured into film, appearing successfully in entertainment movies like "Moselfahrt aus Liebeskummer" and "Don't Forget Love," though theater remained his passion. He became a highlight of the Salzburg Festival, performing in "Everyman" until 1959 and taking roles such as Mephistopheles, Egmont, Orestes, and the Prince of Gustalla. He collaborated with actor and director Gustaf Gründgens in Hamburg for six years. Quadflieg gained international acclaim playing the title role in Gründgens' production of "Faust" (1960). Afterward, his presence lessened somewhat as avant-garde influences reshaped theater.
With his classical style, Quadflieg stood somewhat apart from contemporary trends. He toured to connect with audiences. It was not until the mid-1970s that he made a comeback as a character actor, portraying complex roles in modern plays under Rudolf Noelte's direction. Since 1983, he performed at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg. Even at 85, he took on roles in works by Chekhov, Ionesco, and Shakespeare, marking nearly 65 years in theater. Of his five children, only his son Christian Quadflieg also became an actor. His numerous honors include the Hamburg Medal for Science and Art, the Henning Kaufmann Prize, the Grimme Gold Prize, and the Lew Kopelew Peace Prize, awarded for his "language as lived humanity," as stated in the award citation.
Will Quadflieg passed away on November 27, 2003, at the age of 89.
