Günther Kaufmann
Encyclopedia
Günther Kaufmann is a German film actor best known for his association with director Rainer Werner Fassbinder
. Fassbinder directed Kaufmann in a total of 14 films, casting him in a variety of leading and minor roles. Kaufmann was also involved in a romantic relationship with the director.
In 2002, Kaufmann was accused of murder
in relation to the 2001 death of Hartmut Hagen, a 60-year old accountant
whom Kaufmann's wife had defrauded
. The death was ruled accidental, though Kaufmann was sentenced to prison for lesser crimes relating to the incident. In 2005, a new police investigation discovered that Kaufmann was innocent, and had confessed to the crimes to cover up for his late wife, who may have been the perpetrator. He has since been released from prison and has resumed his acting career.
. His mother was German and his father was an African-American soldier stationed in Germany
following the end of World War II
.
Not an actor by training, Kaufmann was discovered by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
. His first role was in 1970, a bit part in a made-for-television production of Bertolt Brecht
's play Baal
, directed by Volker Schlöndorff
. Fassbinder played the title role. The same year, Fassbinder cast Kaufmann in his film Gods of the Plague as a character named "Günther."
, an actress who, like Kaufmann, regularly appeared in the director's films and was a member of his tightly-knit circle of friends.
By 1971, Fassbinder and Kaufmann had split up, and the director began an even more troubled relationship with a Moroccan
immigrant, El Hedi ben Salem
. Fassbinder and Kaufmann continued working together, and he appeared in many of the director's best known films, sometimes also contributing songs to the soundtrack. He appeared in Fassbinder's last movie, Querelle
.
in 1982, Kaufmann played bit roles in films. In 1986, he married his third wife, Alexandra Kaufmann, to whom he would remain married until her death from cancer
in 2001.
In the 1990s, he had begun to act more frequently, appeared in recurring roles on many television shows. However, around 2000, acting jobs began to dry up. His wife's cancer was getting worse, and it was because of the need to pay for her treatments that the Kaufmanns ended up defrauding their accountant, Hartmut Hagen, of close to $500,000.
Hartmut Hagen was found dead, apparently suffocated. Kaufmann and his late wife had defrauded
Hagen of $500,000, and Kaufmann was accused of the accountant's murder. In 2002, the death was ruled accidental after Kaufmann, who weighed close to 260 pounds at the time of the incident, confessed that he had fallen on the frailer Hagen during a fight. He was instead sentenced to 15 years in prison for blackmail
and robbery
in relation to the incident. In 2005, a police investigation revealed that Kaufmann was not the perpetrator of the crimes, but had confessed in order to cover up for his wife. The investigation also revealed that Hagen was in fact murdered, but by three men hired by Kaufmann's wife without his prior knowledge.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
. Fassbinder directed Kaufmann in a total of 14 films, casting him in a variety of leading and minor roles. Kaufmann was also involved in a romantic relationship with the director.
In 2002, Kaufmann was accused of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in relation to the 2001 death of Hartmut Hagen, a 60-year old accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
whom Kaufmann's wife had defrauded
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
. The death was ruled accidental, though Kaufmann was sentenced to prison for lesser crimes relating to the incident. In 2005, a new police investigation discovered that Kaufmann was innocent, and had confessed to the crimes to cover up for his late wife, who may have been the perpetrator. He has since been released from prison and has resumed his acting career.
Biography
Günther Kaufmann was born in 16 June 1947 in the Hasenbergl neighborhood of MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. His mother was German and his father was an African-American soldier stationed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
following the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Not an actor by training, Kaufmann was discovered by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
. His first role was in 1970, a bit part in a made-for-television production of Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's play Baal
Baal (play)
Baal was the first full-length play written by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It concerns a wastrel youth who becomes involved in several sexual affairs and at least one murder...
, directed by Volker Schlöndorff
Volker Schlöndorff
Volker Schlöndorff is a Berlin-based German filmmaker who has worked in Germany, France and the United States...
. Fassbinder played the title role. The same year, Fassbinder cast Kaufmann in his film Gods of the Plague as a character named "Günther."
Relationship with Fassbinder
Though Kaufmann was married when he met Fassbinder, the two began a romantic relationship. Kaufmann is often described as the first major love interest of the director's career. Like many of Fassbinder's relationships, it was troubled, and the director would often try to buy Kaufmann's affection with expensive presents, most famously cars. During their relationship, Fassbinder married Ingrid CavenIngrid Caven
Ingrid Caven is a German film actress and singer. Her younger sister Trudeliese Schmidt was an opera singer and also an actress.Caven has appeared in over 50 films since her film debut in 1969 in the short film...
, an actress who, like Kaufmann, regularly appeared in the director's films and was a member of his tightly-knit circle of friends.
By 1971, Fassbinder and Kaufmann had split up, and the director began an even more troubled relationship with a Moroccan
Moroccan people
The Moroccan people are a people that share a common Moroccan culture, ancestry and speak the Moroccan variant of the Arabic language or a Berber language as a mother tongue....
immigrant, El Hedi ben Salem
El Hedi ben Salem
El Hedi ben Salem , was a Moroccan actor best known for his work with German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.-Biography:...
. Fassbinder and Kaufmann continued working together, and he appeared in many of the director's best known films, sometimes also contributing songs to the soundtrack. He appeared in Fassbinder's last movie, Querelle
Querelle
Querelle, a 1982 film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, adapted from French author Jean Genet's 1947 novel Querelle de Brest. It marked Fassbinder's final film as a writer/director; it was posthumously released just months after the director died of a drug overdose in June 1982.-Plot:The plot...
.
After Fassbinder's death, television work and third marriage
After Fassbinder died of a drug overdoseDrug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
in 1982, Kaufmann played bit roles in films. In 1986, he married his third wife, Alexandra Kaufmann, to whom he would remain married until her death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2001.
In the 1990s, he had begun to act more frequently, appeared in recurring roles on many television shows. However, around 2000, acting jobs began to dry up. His wife's cancer was getting worse, and it was because of the need to pay for her treatments that the Kaufmanns ended up defrauding their accountant, Hartmut Hagen, of close to $500,000.
Death of Hartmut Hagen, conviction and exoneration
In 2001, Kaufmann's accountantAccountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
Hartmut Hagen was found dead, apparently suffocated. Kaufmann and his late wife had defrauded
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
Hagen of $500,000, and Kaufmann was accused of the accountant's murder. In 2002, the death was ruled accidental after Kaufmann, who weighed close to 260 pounds at the time of the incident, confessed that he had fallen on the frailer Hagen during a fight. He was instead sentenced to 15 years in prison for blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
and robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
in relation to the incident. In 2005, a police investigation revealed that Kaufmann was not the perpetrator of the crimes, but had confessed in order to cover up for his wife. The investigation also revealed that Hagen was in fact murdered, but by three men hired by Kaufmann's wife without his prior knowledge.
Release from prison and aftermath
Kaufmann was released from prison in 2005. He has since resumed his acting career, which had been waning around the time of Hagen's death, appearing in supporting roles in films and on television.Filmography
- BaalBaalBaʿal is a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord" that is used for various gods who were patrons of cities in the Levant and Asia Minor, cognate to Akkadian Bēlu...
(1970) - Götter der Pest (1970)
- Das Kaffeehaus (1970)
- Warum läuft Herr R. Amok? (1970)
- Die Niklashauser Fart (1970)
- Rio das MortesRio das Mortes (film)Rio das Mortes is a 1971 color film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. One of the early Fassbinder films it stars Hanna Schygulla as Hanna, Michael König as Michael/Mike and Günther Kaufmann as Gunther. The film was filmed for TV on 16 mm and later released on DVD.-Plot...
(1971) - Pioniere in Ingolstadt (1971)
- WhityWhity (film)Whity is a 1971 German Western film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It was entered into the 21st Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Ron Randell - Benjamin Nicholson* Hanna Schygulla - Hanna* Katrin Schaake - Katherine Nicholson...
(1971) - Ludwig - Requiem für einen jungfräulichen König (1972)
- Der Sieger von Tambo (1973)
- 1 Berlin-Harlem (1974)
- Depressionen (1975)
- Mulligans Rückkehr (1977)
- In einem Jahr mit 13 Monden (1978)
- Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979)
- Die dritte Generation (1979)
- Lola (1981)
- Heute spielen wir den Boß (1981)
- Die Sehnsucht der Veronika VossDie Sehnsucht der Veronika VossVeronika Voss is a black and white 1982 film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Its original German title is Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss, which means The Longing of Veronika Voss....
(1982) - Kamikaze 1989 (1982)
- QuerelleQuerelleQuerelle, a 1982 film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, adapted from French author Jean Genet's 1947 novel Querelle de Brest. It marked Fassbinder's final film as a writer/director; it was posthumously released just months after the director died of a drug overdose in June 1982.-Plot:The plot...
(1982) - Die wilden Fünfziger (1983)
- Otto - Der Film (1985)
- Whopper Punch 777 (1986)
- Beim nächsten Mann wird alles anders (1989)
- Römisches Intermezzo (1996)
- Dr. med. Mord (1998)
- Wie stark muß eine Liebe sein (1998)
- Mayday! Überfall auf hoher See (2001)
- Weisse Lilien (2007)
- LeroyLeroyLeroy, Leeroy, LeeRoy, Lee Roy, LeRoy, or Le Roy is often a male given name. It is also used as a surname. The name is derived from Old French.-Given names:*Leroy , American musician*Leroy Anderson, American composer...
(2007) - Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus! is a German television series based on the British reality television show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!...
(2009) - Für meine Kinder tu' ich alles (2009)
- Mord ist mein Geschäft, LieblingMord ist mein Geschäft, LieblingMord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling - is a German comedy directed by Sebastian Niemann.- Plot :...
(2009) - Wickie und die starken MännerVicky the Viking (film)Vicky the Viking is a 2009 live action comedy based on the book Vicke Viking and adaptation of the animated series called "Wickie The Mighty Viking"...
(2009) - Jerry CottonJerry CottonJerry Cotton is the fictional character in a series of crime novels by many different writers in German-speaking countries and in Finland.- Overview :...
(2010)