Thomas Fritsch

Thomas Fritsch
Born(1944-01-16)16 January 1944
Dresden, Germany
Died21 April 2021(2021-04-21) (aged 77)
Berlin, Germany
Occupations
  • Actor
  • dubbing actor
  • schlager singer
Years active1962–2019

Thomas Fritsch (16 January 1944 – 21 April 2021) was a German film, television and dubbing actor and schlager singer. He was regarded as the "Sonnyboy"[a] in the German cinema of the 1960s,[2] and became one of the best-known actors by his presence in television series.[2] Later, he was the German voice of Russell Crowe, of Scar in The Lion King, and of Diego, a Smilodon, in Ice Age.

Life

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Fritsch was born in Dresden, the son of famous actor Willy Fritsch and dancer Dinah Grace [de].[2] The family moved to Hamburg after World War II.[3] Director and actor Gustaf Gründgens encouraged the 16-year-old Thomas to become an actor.[2] He trained at an acting school in Hamburg-Pöseldorf for three years.[4]

He played his first film role in the 1962 Austrian Julia, Du bist zauberhaft at age 17,[2] alongside Lilli Palmer. He starred opposite Daliah Lavi in Das schwarz-weiß-rote Himmelbett [de], and became a favourite of teenagers.[2] He was frequently featured as the cover image of the Bravo youth magazine.[4] He played in And So to Bed [de] in 1963, alongside Hildegard Knef.[3] In 1964, he appeared in his only film together with his father, Das hab ich von Papa gelernt.[4] He played two more times with his father, in ZDF television shows, Das gibts doch zweimal in 1965, and Andere Zeiten, andere Sitten. Die Thomas-Fritsch-Show in 1967.[3] He had film roles in Drei Männer in Santa Cruz, Onkel Toms Hütte, and played one of the three men in the title of Drei Männer im Schnee, among many others.[5]

In the 1970s, Fritsch appeared in the television series Der Kommissar and Derrick several times. From 1977, Fritsch appeared in a leading role in the popular series Drei sind einer zuviel [de] (Three are one too many) by Barbara Noack, portraying a man in a love triangle story. It made him one of Germany's most popular actors.[3] He also starred in the television series Rivalen der Rennbahn (1989).[2] In 2004, he made a return to cinema when he appeared as the villainous Earl of Cockwood in Der Wixxer, a comedy which spoofed the German Edgar Wallace films of the 1960s.[6]

Fritsch became known as a voice actor. He was the German voice of Russell Crowe in Gladiator, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Proof of Life.[4] He starred voicing Scar in the German version of The Lion King in 1994,[7] and voiced many other animated lions as well, and Diego, a Smilodon, in Ice Age and sequels, beginning in 2002.[2][5] In the 2000s, he replaced the late Joachim Kemmer as Lumiere for the "Human Again" DVD feature of Beauty and the Beast.[2] His last role was the narrator in the 2018 children's film Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer, an adaption of Michael Ende's Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver.[5]

Private life and death

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Fritsch divided his time between his home in Munich and his home on the Greek island of Mykonos. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1990.[8] In 2006, Fritsch revealed he was bisexual.[9] In 2019, it was announced that Fritsch was diagnosed with dementia and was living in an assisted living facility.[10]

Fritsch died on 21 April 2021 in Berlin, aged 77.[2][5][11] He was given a burial at sea near the island of Sylt.[12]

Films

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Actor

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Fritsch played in films and television (TV) series, including:[13][14][15]

Voice

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Fritsch voiced the following productions, among others:[16]

Awards

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Notes

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  1. ^ A young man who radiates charm and a carefree cheerfulness, which produces sympathy from others. (Junger Mann, der Charme und eine unbeschwerte Fröhlichkeit ausstrahlt, dem die Sympathien zufliegen.)[1]

References

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  1. ^ "Sonnyboy". Duden (in German). Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Schauspieler und Synchronsprecher Thomas Fritsch ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). 21 April 2021. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Ohne ihn sähe der deutsche Fernsehvorabend anders aus / Schauspieler Thomas Fritsch stirbt im Alter von 77 Jahren". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). 21 April 2021. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Sänger und Schauspieler Thomas Fritsch ist tot" (in German). NDR. 22 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Schauspieler und Synchronsprecher Thomas Fritsch ist tot". Tagesschau (in German). 21 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  6. ^ Nachruf auf Thomas Fritsch: Liebling des Publikums Archived 2 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Süddeutsche Zeitung
  7. ^ "Schauspieler & Synchronsprecher – Thomas Fritsch mit 77 Jahren gestorben" (in German). ZDF. 21 April 2021. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  8. ^ Erzähler der drei „???“: Schauspieler Thomas Fritsch gestorben Archived 13 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  9. ^ Die bisexuellen Bekenntnisse von TV-Star Thomas Fritsch Archived 13 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  10. ^ „Ich habe alles ausgekostet, bis zur Neige“ Archived 1 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  11. ^ Körzdörfers NACHRUF in: BILD-Printausgabe (BILD Letzte Seite) vom 22. April 2021 sowie "Ich habe alles ausgekostet, bis zur Neige". Bild.de. 21 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021.
  12. ^ Thomas Fritsch ist tot: Schauspieler in der Nordsee bestattet Archived 13 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  13. ^ Thomas Fritsch Archived 18 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine filmportal.de
  14. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Schweizer Film Charts". filmcharts.ch (in German). Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Thomas Fritsch". vollfilm (in German). 26 January 2000. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Thomas Fritsch". synchronkartei.de (in German). Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Thomas Fritsch gestorben: Schauspieler wurde 77 Jahre alt". Prisma (in German). 21 April 2021. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  18. ^ Danner, Corsta (21 April 2021). "Thomas Fritsch". Synchronsprecher (in German). Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Kulturpreise.de : Deutscher Preis für Synchron". Handbuch der Kulturpreise - Handbook of Cultural Awards (in German). Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
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