GERMANY / SHOWBIZ: German actor Horst Tappert, best known as "Derrick", dies at 85

Record ID: 803043

  • Title: GERMANY / SHOWBIZ: German actor Horst Tappert, best known as "Derrick", dies at 85
  • Date: 15th December 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (German) HORST TAPPERT, AKA "DERRICK" SAYING: "During the shootings I knew that I had been working on this series for 25 years. It was successful, not just here in Germany but also abroad. You can't ask for more than that. I thought now was enough. I'm an actor but now I'm no longer Derrick. I would like to play other roles."
  • Embargoed: 30th December 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Entertainment,People
  • Reuters ID: LVAA6OWNRUB1EH11Y2BBREY2FG4O
  • Story Text: German actor Horst Tappert, known to the world as "Derrick" in a popular detective series that was broadcast in 108 countries, has died in Munich at the age of 85, his wife said on Monday.
    Tappert's portrayal of Stefan Derrick, a wise and mild-mannered Munich inspector who always got the crook by using his brains instead of bullets, was an unlikely export hit for Germany's ZDF television network and made him a cult figure.

    "Derrick" was broadcast from 1974 to 1998 and there were 281 episodes that were translated into 12 languages. Tappert, a towering man and impeccably dressed detective, and his side-kick Harry, played by Fritz Wepper, always caught the bad guys.
    Tappert's wife Ursula told the online edition of Bunte magazine on Monday she was sad but that her husband had an exciting life. Tappert had long suffered from a diabetes ailment and died in a Munich hospital on Saturday, she said.
    Tappert was born on May 26, 1923, in Wuppertal. He was applying for a sales job at a theater in Stendal in 1945. But the sales director was not there that day so he talked to the artistic director instead and got his first job as an actor.
    In 1973, after 27 roles in German theatres and appearances in 43 local films, Tappert got the role that made him famous in Germany and his face known around the world. He was especially popular in Japan, Italy and China.
    Pope John Paul was among his fans and Tappert met the late pontiff in 1999.
    Tappert turned in his badge in 1998 -- at the age of 75.
    He gave his last interview on the occasion of his 85th birthday in May 2008 in which he told Bunte magazine that he lived reclusively.
    In the interview, Tappert said he no longer had any contact with old colleagues since most of them had died already.
    He added that he wanted to stay around for a bit longer.
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