Günther Simon
Encyclopedia
Early life
A bank clerk's son, Simon attended an acting school already in GymnasiumGymnasium
Gymnasium may refer to:*Gymnasium , educational and sporting institution*Gymnasium , type of secondary school that prepares students for higher education**Gymnasium **Gymnasium...
. At the age of sixteen, he was sent to a pre-military training camp of the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
and then drafted to the Reich Labour Service. He volunteered to join the paratroopers
Fallschirmjäger (World War II)
The Fallschirmjäger of Nazi Germany were the first German paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They came to be known as the "green devils" by the Allied forces they fought against during World War II...
in August 1943. He was captured by American troops near Normandy and shipped to a POW camp in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where he acted in the camp's makeshift theater.
Breakthrough
After returning home in 1947, Simon took private acting lessons with Karl Meixner in the Hebbel Theater. He made his debut on stage in the Municipal Theater of KöthenKöthen (Anhalt)
Köthen is a city in Germany. It is the capital of the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, about north of Halle.Köthen is the location of the main campus and the administrative center of the regional technical university Hochschule Anhalt which is especially strong in information...
at 1948, in a production of Dmitry Scheglov's The Storm. He then moved to the Schwerin Theater
Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin
The Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin is the principal theatre of Schwerin in Germany. Its main theatre seats 650 people and is used for the performance of plays, opera, musical theatre and ballet. Designed by Georg Daniel, it was built between 1883 and 1886 after the previous theatre had...
, in which he remained until 1950; there, he met his wife Margarita, who was employed as a dancer. Afterwards, Simon joined the cast of the Dresden Theater
Staatsschauspiel Dresden
The Staatsschauspiel Dresden is a theatre on Theaterstraße in Dresden. It is maintained by the Free State of Saxony, hence its name. It is made up of a main auditorium and a studio theatre...
. At late 1951, he left it in favour of the Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
Theater, where he remained for only a short period.
Summit
Simon was cast for one of the leading roles in the 1952 film The Condemned Village, and since then was active mainly in cinema. At the same year, in spite of his inexperience, he was chosen to portray Ernst ThälmannErnst Thälmann
Ernst Thälmann was the leader of the Communist Party of Germany during much of the Weimar Republic. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1933 and held in solitary confinement for eleven years, before being shot in Buchenwald on Adolf Hitler's orders in 1944...
in Kurt Maetzig
Kurt Maetzig
Kurt Maetzig is an East German film director who had a significant effect on the film industry in the GDR. He is one of the most respected filmmakers of East Germany. He currently lives in Wildkuhl, Mecklenburg, and has three children....
's two-part propaganda epic about the communist leader's life
Ernst Thälmann (film)
Ernst Thälmann is an East German film in two parts about the life of the German Communist leader Ernst Thälmann, directed by Kurt Maetzig and starring Günther Simon in the title role. The first picture, Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse , was released at 1954...
. The picture was watched by millions and entered the East German schools' curriculum. Simon received the National Prize 1st class for his work on the first part, and the Best Actor Award in the 1956 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
for his appearance in the second. He joined the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
and became a member of the DEFA Studio's management.
Simon appeared in some thirty pictures throughout the years. In 1956, he was awarded the Heinrich Greif Prize
Heinrich Greif Prize
The Heinrich Greif Prize was an East German state award bestowed on individuals for contribution to the state's cinema and television industry.-History:...
2nd clas. He won the National Prize once more, in 1968, for his portrayal of Krause in the television mini-series Krause and Krupp, and received the Art Prize of the Free German Trade Union Federation
Free German Trade Union Federation
The Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund , was the trade union federation in East Germany. It was part of the National Front and had representatives in the Volkskammer....
thrice, in 1967, 1968 and 1971. He had three sons and one daughter, and is buried in the Dorotheenstadt cemetery.
Selected filmography
- Das verurteilte DorfDas verurteilte DorfDas verurteilte Dorf is an East German propaganda film directed by Martin Hellberg. It was released in 1952.-Plot:...
(1952) - Anna SusannaAnna SusannaAnna Susanna is an East German drama film directed by Richard Nicolas. It was released in 1953.-Plot:During the Great Depression, a rich businessman named Brinkmann decides sink his ship, Anna Susanna, so he would be compensated by the insurance. He orders its captain, Kleiers, to sabotage it while...
(1953) - Swings Or RoundaboutsJacke wie HoseThis article is about the film. It is not to be confused with Manfred Karga's play by the same name.Jacke wie Hose is an East German comedy film, directed by Eduard Kubat...
(1953) - Ernst ThälmannErnst Thälmann (film)Ernst Thälmann is an East German film in two parts about the life of the German Communist leader Ernst Thälmann, directed by Kurt Maetzig and starring Günther Simon in the title role. The first picture, Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse , was released at 1954...
(1954) - Damals in ParisDamals in ParisDamals in Paris is an East German film directed by Carl Balhaus. It was released in 1956.-Cast:* Gisela Trowe as Geneviève* Richard Lauffen as Padet* Günther Simon as Georges* Hans Stetter as Denis* Susanne Düllmann as Louise...
(1956) - Don't Forget My Little Traudel (1957)
- The Sailor's SongThe Sailor's SongThe Sailor's Song is an East German black-and-white film directed by Kurt Maetzig and Günter Reisch. It was released in 1958.-Plot:As the news of the October Revolution sweep through the world, the German High Seas Fleet's command, weary of a mutiny, decides to send all its ships to a suicide...
(1958) - Geschwader FledermausGeschwader FledermausGeschwader Fledermaus is an East German film. It was released in 1958.-Cast:*Wolfgang Heinz - General Lee*Christine Laszar - Flessy*Günther Simon - Tex Stankowsky*Kurd Pieritz - Mitch Bryk*Norbert Christian - Terry Varney...
(1958) - Sun SeekersSun SeekersSun Seekers is an East German film, directed by Konrad Wolf during 1958. It was banned and subsequently released only in 1972.-Plot:...
(1958/1972) - Eine alte LiebeEine alte LiebeEine alte Liebe is an East German black-and-white film, directed by Frank Beyer. It was released in 1959.-Plot:...
(1959) - Kein Ärger mit Cleopatra (1960)
- First Spaceship on VenusFirst Spaceship on VenusFirst Spaceship on Venus, German: Der schweigende Stern , Polish: Milcząca Gwiazda, is a 1960 East German/Polish film directed by Kurt Maetzig and based on the novel The Astronauts by Stanisław Lem...
(1960) - The DressThe Dress (1961 film)The Dress is an East German comedy film directed by Konrad Petzold and Egon Günther. It was released in 1961.-Cast:* Wolf Kaiser as Kaiser Max* Horst Drinda as Hans - Tuchwebergeselle* Werner Lierck as Kumpan - Tuchwebergeselle...
(1961) - At A French FiresideAt A French FiresideAt A French Fireside is an East German film directed by Kurt Maetzig. It was released in 1963.-Plot:Bundeswehr soldier Klaus' regiment is stationed in France, to take part in NATO maneuvers...
(1963) - Der Frühling braucht ZeitDer Frühling braucht ZeitDer Frühling braucht Zeit is an East German drama film directed by Günter Stahnke. It was released in 1966.-Cast:* Eberhard Mellies as Heinz Solter* Günther Simon as Erhard Faber* Doris Abeßer as Inge Solter* Karla Runkehl as Luise Faber...
(1966) - KLK Calling PTZ - The Red OrchestraKLK Calling PTZ - The Red OrchestraKLK Calling PTZ - The Red Orchestra is a 1971 East German film about the history of the Red Orchestra espionage ring.-Plot:...
(1971)