Hartmut Becker

Hartmut Becker
Born	(1938-05-06) 6 May 1938 Berlin, Germany

Hartmut Becker (born 6 May 1938, Berlin) is a German actor. He played Sgt. Gustav Wagner (1911–1980) in Escape From Sobibor in 1987. He also starred in the 1970 film o.k, which was also entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. However, the competition was cancelled and no prizes were awarded, over controversy surrounding the film.<ref name="Berlinale 1970 Prizes" After „O.K.“ Hartmut Becker was one of Germany’s busiest actors in film and theatre (at the State Theatres of Munich and Berlin he performed leading characters in plays from Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams). More important main parts in films followed like in Verhoeven’s „Who Love in the Glasshouse“ (International Film Festival Berlin 1971), „Als Mutter streikte“, „John Ralling“ (TV), „Mitgift“, „Audienz“ (TV), „Sonntagskinder“,

His first leading part in an English language production Mr. Becker performed in the BBC-film „Forgive our foolish ways“, where he played the role of an German prisoner of war next to Kate Nelligan. The television film became a very big success all over the world. Hartmut’s following international film was the American-English production „Jenny’s War“  (Columbia Pictures) where he portrayed the main part of Karl Koenig, a character in the crucial test between love and war. His partners in this film where Dyan Cannon, Elke Sommer and Trevor Howard. For his widely praised performance in the following American production „Escape from Sobibor“ (director: Jack Gold, also starring Alan Arkin and Rutger Hauer) Hartmut had been nominated for an Emmy Award 1988. In his next ‚Festival-Film‘ („Il decimo clandestino“/Festival International du Film Cannes 1989) Hartmut Becker worked together with admirable director Lina Wertmüller. His female partner in this feature film was Dominique Sanda. Several dream parts followed after the success of  „Il decimo clandestino“ ("Portrait with Women"), for example the characters Niels Jost in „A quiet conspiracy“ (Channel 4; director: John Gorrie; also starring Joss Ackland), Rauscher in the American Film „Triumph of the Spirit“ (director: Robert M. Young; with Willem Dafoe, Robert Loggia), Lutz in the English-French Television Film „Free Frenchmen“ (also starring Derek de Lint, Agnes Soral), Moritz in the English-Austrian feature film „Gavre Princip“ by Peter Patzak, King Christian in „Young Catherine“ (American TV; with a.o. Venessa Redgrave, Julia Ormond, Marthe Keller, Maximilian Schell; director: Michael Anderson), Rusty in the Italian TV-film „Requiem per Voce e Pianoforte“ (RAI DUE), and last not least Dieter Krause in the English TV-thriller „The Waiting Time“ (ITV 1999; director: Stuart Orme). His last leading in a German feature films of the last years were „The Unforgotten“, "Montag kommen die Fenster"/"Windows will drive on Monday" (International Filmfestival Berlin), "The Gift" and "Amatores Meae Matris".

Between 2007 and 2012 Hartmut Becker was a member in the committee of the German Academy of Film (Deutsche Filmakademie). As a songwriter and singer his first single was produced in 2013.

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Selected filmography

References