Hartmut Becker

Hartmut Becker was a German actor. He played Sgt. Gustav Wagner 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. After O.K. Hartmut Becker was one of Germany’s busiest actors in film and theatre. More important main parts in films followed like in Verhoeven's He Who Loves in a Glass House, When Mother Went on Strike, John Ralling, , Audienz, Sunday Children.

Career

Becker was born in Berlin on 6 May 1938. His first leading part in an English-language production, Becker performed in the BBC film Forgive Our Foolish Ways, where he played the role of a 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 , where he portrayed the main part of Karl Koenig, a character in the crucial test between love and war. His partners in this film were Dyan Cannon, Elke Sommer and Trevor Howard. In his next "Festival-Film" The Tenth One in Hiding Becker worked together with director Lina Wertmüller. His female partner in this feature film was Dominique Sanda.
Several dream parts followed after the success of The Tenth One in Hiding, for example the characters Niels Jost in A Quiet Conspiracy, Rauscher in the American film Triumph of the Spirit, Lutz in the English-French Television film Free Frenchmen, Moritz in the English-Austrian feature film Gavre Princip by Peter Patzak, King Christian in Young Catherine, Rusty in the Italian TV-film Requiem per Voce e Pianoforte, and last but not least Dieter Krause in the English TV-thriller The Waiting Time. His last leading roles in German feature films of the last years were The Unforgotten, Montag kommen die Fenster/''Windows will drive on Monday, The Gift and Amatores Meae Matris''.
Between 2007 and 2012 Becker was a member in the committee of the German Academy of Film.
As a songwriter and singer his first single was produced in 2013.
Becker died of cancer in Berlin on 22 January 2022, at the age of 83.

Selected filmography

Student of the Bedroom, as Schläger auf Festo.k., as Ralph ClarkeHe Who Loves in a Glass House, as IgorWhen Mother Went on Strike, as Gabriel GillhoffJohn Ralling Derrick, as Erich Holler', as Dr. Sand21 Hours at Munich A [Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far], as German sentryBier und Spiele, as Jupp KrügerDerrick, as Alexander BorkSunday Children, as KonradiForgive Our Foolish Ways

' Jenny's War ', as Pater Roger LeeEscape from Sobibor, as Hauptscharführer Gustav WagnerThe Tenth One in Hiding A Quiet Conspiracy Triumph of the Spirit, as Sturmbannführer RauscherYoung Catherine Requiem per Voce e Pianoforte
', as Cpl. MoritzSaint Peter's Snow, as Prince PraxatinDr. Stefan Frank – Der Arzt, dem die Frauen vertrauen as Dr. Ulrich WaldnerSOKO 5113 Rosa Roth The Waiting Time Medicopter 117 A Touch of Love Leipzig Homicide The Unforgotten Montag kommen die Fenster -, as Herr BuchnerCrazy Partners Love and Passion The Gift Interim - One Murder too much The German Friend, as Herr Werner KunheimAmatores Mea Couples Verfehlung, as Kardinal SchoellerDie Spezialisten - Miss Mai 1988, as Big ToniLiebesfilm, as Lenz Senior