Internationally known for his single line in National Lampoon's National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) : "Wer zum Teufel waren die Leute?" (Who the devil were those people?).
Very popular actor in his home town Cologne, which erected a monument
in his honor during his lifetime and named a square near his theater
the Willy-Millowitsch-Platz.
After taking over the "Volkstheater Millowitsch", where plays in
Cologne dialect have been shown, from his father in 1940, he was its
director until 1996.
Played the leading character in "Der Etappenhase", the first live
broadcast of a theatrical performance in German television history (27
January 1953).
Participated in the anti-Nazi campaign "Arsch huh, Zähn ussenander!"
(Ass up, teeth apart!), which was attended by 100.000 people in his
hometown Cologne (1992).
As he came from a traditional theater family, he quit school without a
degree to concentrate on his acting career.
His hobbies were movies and dancing (waltzes).
Retired from performing in 1995 for health reasons.
Had intended to be an engineer.
His distant ancestors founded the Volkstheater Millowitsch in Cologne in 1796.