Diether Krebs
Encyclopedia
Diether Krebs was a German actor
, cabaret
artist and comedian
.
shop owner. His godfather
was Diether Posser
, a lawyer, SPD
politician and erstwhile Minister for Justice and Finance for North Rhine Westphalia. Krebs gained his first experience in the theatre at school at the Humboldt Gymnasium
in Essen. He took acting lessons at the renowned "Folkwangschule" school of performing arts
in the Ruhrgebiet and took on his first role at the theatre in Oberhausen
, followed by some small film roles. Of these, his most noteworthy appearance was in the film Zoff (1971) in which he played alongside well-known actors such as Jürgen Prochnow
and Claus Theo Gärtner
.
From 1973, Krebs became famous for his role as "Michael Graf" in the legendary comedy series
Ein Herz und eine Seele
, the German version of Til Death Us Do Part
. Krebs played the same role as Tony Booth's Mike, the left-wing son-in-law of Alfred Tetzlaff (Alf Garnett
), played by Heinz Schubert
. In 1974, however, he left the series due to differences with the producers WDR
.
In the time that followed, Krebs made many television appearances, both in light entertainment and in more sophisticated series. In 1975, Peter Zadek chose him to play in Eiszeit with Heinz Bennent
; in 1980 he played a main role in Die Judenbuche
based on the story by Annette von Droste-Hülshoff
.
series: for eight years, from 1978 to 1986, he played "Dieter Herrle", the miserable chief detective in the series SOKO 5113
. He made several guest appearances in the classic detective series Tatort
, as well as in the famous Polizeiruf 110 and Der Alte.
, alongside Beatrice Richter and Klaus Havenstein
. This poked fun at the main news programme, the Tagesschau, and caused a good deal of uproar. Krebs left his series, again because of disagreements with the producer (ARD
).
From 1985 to 1987 Krebs achieved cult
status with his comedy series Sketchup in which he took on a wide range of different roles, accompanied at first by Beatrice Richter and then by Iris Berben
. The series also became popular in other countries, such as Belgium
. This series, followed by Knastmusik (1990) and Lauter nette Nachbarn (also 1990) built up Krebs's reputation as a comedian.
's successful series Kir Royal; in 1993 he took on a role in the catastrophe film Möbius by Matti Geschonneck. In 1991 he acted as a long-distance driver in the comedy Go Trabi Go
by Peter Timm. That same year, he entered the German music charts: for a while he became famous as "Martin", a naive tree-hugger
in a hand-knitted Fair Isle
jumper with straggly hair and prominent teeth. He also played this character on stage.
Krebs also worked as a television presenter
, for example hosting the New Year Gala on MDR
from 1996 and the Goldene Henne media award ceremony in 1999, also on MDR.
show R.O.S.T. - Die Diether Krebs-Show, which also starred Hugo Egon Balder
, was cancelled after thirteen episodes. The Sat.1
comedy series Der Dicke und der Belgier with the Flemish
comedian Carry Goossens was also cancelled in 1998 due to low viewing figures.
By now, Krebs had serious heart problems and had to undergo heart surgery. Nonetheless, at this time, he developed a new character which he played on stage: "Herr Krups", a funny sales rep with horn-rimmed glasses and wonky teeth. In 1998 he set off on a tour, starting in Berlin
, with a routine including his own version of the Ruhrgebiet's ode to Currywurst
. The text of this song which Herbert Grönemeyer
made famous was written by Krebs.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
artist and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
.
Youth and initial success
Diether Krebs was born on 11 August 1947 in Essen, the son of a stationeryStationery
Stationery has historically meant a wide gamut of materials: paper and office supplies, writing implements, greeting cards, glue, pencil case etc.-History of stationery:...
shop owner. His godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
was Diether Posser
Diether Posser
Diether Posser was a German politician, representative of the Social Democratic Party.- Life :...
, a lawyer, SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
politician and erstwhile Minister for Justice and Finance for North Rhine Westphalia. Krebs gained his first experience in the theatre at school at the Humboldt Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Essen. He took acting lessons at the renowned "Folkwangschule" school of performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
in the Ruhrgebiet and took on his first role at the theatre in Oberhausen
Oberhausen
Oberhausen is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen . The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the...
, followed by some small film roles. Of these, his most noteworthy appearance was in the film Zoff (1971) in which he played alongside well-known actors such as Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
and Claus Theo Gärtner
Claus Theo Gärtner
Claus Theo Gärtner in Berlin, Germany is a German television actor mainly known for his role as Josef Matula, the main character in the German detective show series Ein Fall für Zwei ....
.
From 1973, Krebs became famous for his role as "Michael Graf" in the legendary comedy series
German television comedy
Germany has a long tradition of television comedy stretching as far back as the 1950s, and with its origins in cabaret and radio.-1960s:*1963: Der 90. Geburtstag is a comedy sketch recorded on July 8, 1963 at Theater am Besenbinderhof in front of a real audience by Norddeutscher Rundfunk...
Ein Herz und eine Seele
Ein Herz und eine Seele
Ein Herz und eine Seele is a German sitcom aired in 1973/74 and 1976. It was essentially a remake of the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part by Johnny Speight, and was written by Wolfgang Menge....
, the German version of Til Death Us Do Part
Til Death Us Do Part
Till Death Us Do Part is a British television sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1965 to 1968, 1970, and from 1972 to 1975. First airing as a Comedy Playhouse pilot, the show aired in seven series until 1975. Six years later, ITV continued the sitcom, calling it Till Death......
. Krebs played the same role as Tony Booth's Mike, the left-wing son-in-law of Alfred Tetzlaff (Alf Garnett
Alf Garnett
Alf Garnett is a fictional character in the British sitcoms Till Death Us Do Part, Till Death... and In Sickness and in Health, and chat show The Thoughts of Chairman Alf. He was created by Johnny Speight and played by Warren Mitchell....
), played by Heinz Schubert
Heinz Schubert (actor)
Heinz Schubert was a German actor, drama teacher and photographer, best known for playing the role of Alfred Tetzlaff in the German television comedy sitcom Ein Herz und eine Seele.- Life :...
. In 1974, however, he left the series due to differences with the producers WDR
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
.
In the time that followed, Krebs made many television appearances, both in light entertainment and in more sophisticated series. In 1975, Peter Zadek chose him to play in Eiszeit with Heinz Bennent
Heinz Bennent
Heinz Bennent was a German actor.Bennent was born in Stolberg, Rhineland, and served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. His career began after the end of World War II in Göttingen. He moved to Switzerland in the 1970s, where he lived until his death at age 90...
; in 1980 he played a main role in Die Judenbuche
Die Judenbuche
Die Judenbuche is a novella written by Annette von Droste-Hülshoff and first published in 1842. The beech tree becomes a significant symbol in the story....
based on the story by Annette von Droste-Hülshoff
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff
Anna Elisabeth von Droste-Hülshoff, known as Annette von Droste-Hülshoff , was a 19th century German author, and one of the most important German poets.-Biography:...
.
Detective thrillers
In 1978, Krebs turned to crimeCrime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
series: for eight years, from 1978 to 1986, he played "Dieter Herrle", the miserable chief detective in the series SOKO 5113
SOKO 5113
SOKO 5113 is a long running German police television series. It was first aired in 1978 on 2 January. SOKO is an abbreviation of the term "Sonderkommission" in German.-Longest serving cast:...
. He made several guest appearances in the classic detective series Tatort
Tatort
Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland...
, as well as in the famous Polizeiruf 110 and Der Alte.
Comedian and cabaret artist
Krebs achieved more success as a cabaret artist and comedian: in 1981, he made regular appearances on Rudis Tagesshow with Rudi CarrellRudi Carrell
Rudi Carrell , born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar, was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters, Linda de Mol and Sylvie van der Vaart, Carrell was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in Germany.He worked as a television entertainer and hosted his...
, alongside Beatrice Richter and Klaus Havenstein
Klaus Havenstein
Klaus Havenstein , was a German actor, cabaret artist, dubbing artist and television presenter.Klaus Havenstein grew up in Hamburg, where he started an apprenticeship as a retail salesman in 1937...
. This poked fun at the main news programme, the Tagesschau, and caused a good deal of uproar. Krebs left his series, again because of disagreements with the producer (ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
).
From 1985 to 1987 Krebs achieved cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
status with his comedy series Sketchup in which he took on a wide range of different roles, accompanied at first by Beatrice Richter and then by Iris Berben
Iris Berben
Iris Berben is a German actress. She grew up in Hamburg, where her parents ran a restaurant....
. The series also became popular in other countries, such as Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. This series, followed by Knastmusik (1990) and Lauter nette Nachbarn (also 1990) built up Krebs's reputation as a comedian.
Actor, singer and presenter
In the years that followed, Diether Krebs acted in roles of varying quality. In 1986 he played the hairdresser "Hupsi" in Helmut DietlHelmut Dietl
Helmut Dietl is a German film director and author from Bad Wiessee.- Work :After completion of grammar school in 1958, Dietl studied theatre science and the history of art. Afterwards, he became head of photography and later assistant director to the Munich Kammerspiele theatre...
's successful series Kir Royal; in 1993 he took on a role in the catastrophe film Möbius by Matti Geschonneck. In 1991 he acted as a long-distance driver in the comedy Go Trabi Go
Go Trabi Go
Go Trabi Go is a 1991 German comedy film. It was the first major box office hit about events concerning the newly reunified Germany. Unlike other films in this period which focused on the problems following the reunification, Go Trabi Go sees the main characters, former citizens of East Germany,...
by Peter Timm. That same year, he entered the German music charts: for a while he became famous as "Martin", a naive tree-hugger
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
in a hand-knitted Fair Isle
Fair Isle (technique)
thumb|Fair Isle [[sweater|jumper]] done in the traditional style, from Fair Isle.Fair Isle is a traditional knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. It is named after Fair Isle, a tiny island in the north of Scotland, that forms part of the Shetland islands...
jumper with straggly hair and prominent teeth. He also played this character on stage.
Krebs also worked as a television presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, for example hosting the New Year Gala on MDR
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt...
from 1996 and the Goldene Henne media award ceremony in 1999, also on MDR.
Hard times and a comeback
The last years of Diether Krebs's life were marked by his dwindling success and serious illness. In 1993, the RTLRTL Television
Rtl.de' redirects here. For other uses, see RTL.RTL Television , or simply RTL, is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T , in larger population centres...
show R.O.S.T. - Die Diether Krebs-Show, which also starred Hugo Egon Balder
Hugo Egon Balder
Hugo Egon Balder is a German actor and comedian. He was born 22 March 1950 in Berlin to Egon Friedrich Balder and Gerda Balder, née Schure . Gerda Balder was a Jew who, together with her mother and her son from her first marriage, survived the Theresienstadt concentration camp.Balder was a...
, was cancelled after thirteen episodes. The Sat.1
Sat.1
Sat.1 is a privately owned German television broadcasting station. Sat.1 was the first privately owned television broadcasting station in Germany, having started one day before RTL Television....
comedy series Der Dicke und der Belgier with the Flemish
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
comedian Carry Goossens was also cancelled in 1998 due to low viewing figures.
By now, Krebs had serious heart problems and had to undergo heart surgery. Nonetheless, at this time, he developed a new character which he played on stage: "Herr Krups", a funny sales rep with horn-rimmed glasses and wonky teeth. In 1998 he set off on a tour, starting in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, with a routine including his own version of the Ruhrgebiet's ode to Currywurst
Currywurst
Currywurst is a fast-food dish of German origin consisting of hot pork sausage cut into slices and seasoned with curry ketchup, regularly consisting of ketchup or tomato paste blended with generous amounts of curry powder, or a ready-made ketchup-based sauce seasoned with curry and other spices...
. The text of this song which Herbert Grönemeyer
Herbert Grönemeyer
Herbert Grönemeyer is a German musician and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He starred as war correspondent Lieutenant Werner in Wolfgang Petersen's movie Das Boot, but later concentrated on his musical career...
made famous was written by Krebs.
His last role
In 1999, Diether Krebs played his last role in the Ruhrgebiet-based action comedy film Bang Boom Bang - Ein todsicheres Ding. Playing slimeball shipping agent Werner Kampmann he appeared alongside Ralf Richter and others in this film directed by Peter Thorwarth. Some film critics acclaimed this as Krebs's best ever part. Krebs was also scheduled to act in the longer cinema version of the film but died 8 month earlier from lung cancer.Films
- 1970: Die tollkühnen Penner
- 1973: Ein Herz und eine SeeleEin Herz und eine SeeleEin Herz und eine Seele is a German sitcom aired in 1973/74 and 1976. It was essentially a remake of the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part by Johnny Speight, and was written by Wolfgang Menge....
(until 1974) - 1974: EiszeitIce Age (1975 film)Ice Age is a 1975 German drama film directed by Peter Zadek. It was entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* O. E...
- 1979: TatortTatortTatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland...
- Alles umsonst - 1981: SilasSilas (TV series)Silas was a 1981 ZDF Adventure TV mini-series based on the Danish children's book „Silas og den sorte hoppe“ by Cecil Bødker who kept on writing instalments until 2001....
- 1987: Beule - oder wie man einen Tresor knackt
- 1990: Go Trabi GoGo Trabi GoGo Trabi Go is a 1991 German comedy film. It was the first major box office hit about events concerning the newly reunified Germany. Unlike other films in this period which focused on the problems following the reunification, Go Trabi Go sees the main characters, former citizens of East Germany,...
- 1999: Bang Boom BangBang Boom BangBang Boom Bang is a German comedy film from 1999. The movie is set in Unna, Westphalia, which was, besides Dortmund, one of the shooting locations.-Plot:The part-time criminal Keek is in trouble, after losing most of the money on the horses...
Source
- Large parts of this article were translated from the German version as of October 30, 2006
External links
- IMDB article
- Short biography in German