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Hartmut Becker is one of Germany’s most popular stage and film stars. He has worked in the theatre for nearly 25 years, during which time he has starred in dozen of plays and has been featured in many international and national film and television product.
Hartmut was born on May 6th 1943 in Berlin, the youngest of two boys. His father died during World War II in Leningrad 1942.
After university where Hartmut Becker studies theatres and philosophy, he went to one of Berlin’s top acting schools: the UFA Academy of Drama. After completing his studies, he first start a theatre career playing leading parts at the state Theatres of Braunschweig, Munich, Vienna, Berlin and others.
His film debut he made in 1970 with the main role Clark in Michael Verhoeven’s feature film “O.K.”. The film was the official German contribution at the Film Festival Berlin 1970 and it’s hot political expressiveness was sensation of Berlin and “killed” the festival. Hartmut’s performing in this film earned several prices and a great praise in the German feature articles.
After “O.K.” Hartmut Becker was one of Germany’s busiest actors in film and theatre (at the Stat Theatres of Munich and Berlin he performed leading characters in plays from Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams). More important main parts in films followed like in Verhoeven’s “Den Graben” (Film Festival Berlin 1971), “Als Mutter streikte”, “John Ralling” (TV), “Mitgift”, “Audienz” (TV), “Sonntagskinder”:
His first leading part in an English language production Mr. 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” (Columbia Pictures) where he portrayed the main part of Karl Koenig, a character in the crucial test between love and war. His partners in this film where Dyan Cannon, Elke Sommer and Trevor Howard. For his widely praised performance in the following American production “Escape from Sobibor” (director: Jack Gold, also starring Alan Arkin and Rutger Hauer) Hartmut had been nominated for an Emmy Award 1988.
In his next “Festival Film” (“Il decimo clandestine”/Festival International du Film Cannes 1989) Hartmut Becker worked together with admirable director Lina Wertmuller. His female partner in this feature film was Dominique Sanda.
Several dreams parts followed after the success of “Il decimo clandestino”, for example the characters Niels Jost in “A quiet conspiracy” (Channel 4; director John Gorrie, also starring Joss Ackland), Rauscher in the American Film “Triumph of the Spirit” (director Robert M. Young, with Willem Dafoe, Robert Loggia), Lutz in the English-French Television Film “Free Frenchmen” (also starring Derek De Lint, Agnes Soral), Moritz in the English-Austrian feature film “Gavre Princip” by Peter Patzka, King Christian in “Young Catherine” (American TV, with a.o. Vanessa Redgrave, Julia Ormond, Marthe Keller. Director Michael Anderson), Rusty in the Italian TV-film “Requiem per Voce e Pianoforte” (RAI DUE), and last not least Dieter Krause in the English TV Thriller “The Waiting time” (ITV 2000, director Stuart Orme) |
