Fritz Wepper, the German actor who portrayed the German Jew Fritz Wendel in Bob Fosse’s Oscar-winning musical masterpiece Cabaret and starred in his home country on the TV series Derrick and For Heaven’s Sake, has died. He was 82.
Wepper died Monday in a Munich hospice after a long illness that followed the life-threatening sepsis he suffered last year, his family announced.
An actor since childhood, Wepper landed the biggest international role of his career in Cabaret (1972), where he appeared alongside Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem and Joel Grey. As Wendel, he passed as a Protestant and fell in love with wealthy Jewish heiress Natalia Landauer (Marisa Berenson).
After the film’s success — it raked in eight Oscars in 1973 — Wepper turned down Hollywood offers and instead took a sidekick role as Harry Klein on the new German crime series Derrick, playing alongside Horst Tappert‘s titular homicide detective, a...
Wepper died Monday in a Munich hospice after a long illness that followed the life-threatening sepsis he suffered last year, his family announced.
An actor since childhood, Wepper landed the biggest international role of his career in Cabaret (1972), where he appeared alongside Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem and Joel Grey. As Wendel, he passed as a Protestant and fell in love with wealthy Jewish heiress Natalia Landauer (Marisa Berenson).
After the film’s success — it raked in eight Oscars in 1973 — Wepper turned down Hollywood offers and instead took a sidekick role as Harry Klein on the new German crime series Derrick, playing alongside Horst Tappert‘s titular homicide detective, a...
- 3/27/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Like in several other territories, commercial juggernauts will win it big in 2011. This should be the case for Germany. Til Schweiger, for example, is going to churn out family-oriented Kokowääh (no, that's not a word) and Keinohrhasen 3. As always, comedians are going to try to translate their concert hall fame into tickets, like Tom Gerhardt and Hilmi Sözer, who have teamed up for buddy-cop-com Die Superbullen, or Kurt Krömer, who's trying his luck in a movie called Eine Insel namens Udo - titles you won't have to memorize altogether, as they will hardly be exported to non-German-speaking countries. Pina, in contrast, will be: It's Wim Wenders' bow to the late Pina Bausch, a 3D dance theater experience running out of competition at coming February's Berlinale, dreaded in advance by arthouse purists. Meanwhile, these are some of the most promising German films that do show up on the horizon: #.5 Memory...
- 1/5/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
German filmmaker Doris Dorrie is, like so many oth ers, fascinated by the Japanese way of life, and her infatuation is out there for all to see in "Cherry Blossoms," her 14th movie.
The story starts in Bavaria, home of loving wife Trudi (Hannelore Eisner) and her uptight, civil servant husband, Rudi (Elmar Wepper).
When Rudi's doctor discovers his patient has only a short time left on earth, he tells Trudi - but not the victim. She doesn't tell either, but does convince her husband to take her to see her beloved Mount Fuji.
On the...
The story starts in Bavaria, home of loving wife Trudi (Hannelore Eisner) and her uptight, civil servant husband, Rudi (Elmar Wepper).
When Rudi's doctor discovers his patient has only a short time left on earth, he tells Trudi - but not the victim. She doesn't tell either, but does convince her husband to take her to see her beloved Mount Fuji.
On the...
- 1/16/2009
- by By V.A. MUSETTO
- NYPost.com
Doris Dörrie's Cherry Blossoms is part of a recent wave of family dramas that pay homage to Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu either overtly or implicitly, and in some ways, Cherry Blossoms seems like Dörrie's attempt to out-Ozu the competition. Elmar Wepper plays a late-middle-aged German bureaucrat who's nearing retirement when his wife Hannelore Elsner dies. Though Elsner claims her husband "hates adventure"—and though their grown children think he's so dull that they don't want him around—Wepper decides to live out his wife's dream to travel to Japan for a cherry-blossom ...
- 1/15/2009
- avclub.com
By Neil Pedley
Anyone not waiting on a ski lift (or screening) with bated breath in Utah can spend their time picking through a hodgepodge of some of the finest examples of genre excess you're likely to find. Bollywood goes to China, the slasher film goes 3D and the people behind "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" make zero effort not to telegraph what will likely end up the lamest rhyming gag ever.
"Chandni Chowk to China"
Warner Bros looks to establish a foothold in Bollywood with this action comedy, the first of a three-picture deal with Indian outfit People Tree Films. Directed by Nikhil Advani, "Chandni Chowk to China" is billed as the first Bollywood kung-fu comedy, a marriage of the traditional song-and-dance set-pieces with the underdog saga of a short order cook-turned-kung-fu master that owes that owes more than a nod to Stephen Chow. Akshay Kumar stars as Sidhu, a...
Anyone not waiting on a ski lift (or screening) with bated breath in Utah can spend their time picking through a hodgepodge of some of the finest examples of genre excess you're likely to find. Bollywood goes to China, the slasher film goes 3D and the people behind "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" make zero effort not to telegraph what will likely end up the lamest rhyming gag ever.
"Chandni Chowk to China"
Warner Bros looks to establish a foothold in Bollywood with this action comedy, the first of a three-picture deal with Indian outfit People Tree Films. Directed by Nikhil Advani, "Chandni Chowk to China" is billed as the first Bollywood kung-fu comedy, a marriage of the traditional song-and-dance set-pieces with the underdog saga of a short order cook-turned-kung-fu master that owes that owes more than a nod to Stephen Chow. Akshay Kumar stars as Sidhu, a...
- 1/12/2009
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
[An indieWIRE review from Reverse Shot.] German filmmaker Doris Dorrie plays the Ozu card to the hilt in “Cherry Blossoms.” Riffing on “Tokyo Story,” she sends her elderly married protagonists, Rudi (Elmar Wepper) and Trudi (Hannelore Elsner), from their small hamlet in Bavaria to visit two of their three adult children in Berlin (their remaining son lives in Tokyo), only to find themselves generally ignored and passed around by their uncomfortable, …...
- 1/12/2009
- Indiewire
- The Italians apparently do it better. Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah and Paolo Sorrentino's Il Divo grabbed 5 nominations each with Toni Servillo getting nominated as best actor (see above) for his parts in both films. Two films that I thought were worthy contenders in several categories in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Three Monkeys and Abdellatif Kechiche’s The Secret of the Grain were shut out while Steve McQueen’s Hunger got two noms but failed to grab a Best Film nom. Last year’s The Orphanage and Waltz With Bashir both receive four nominations. This year’s Palme d'Or winner walked away with noms for best film and best director. Other well represented films include Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky, Joe Wright's Atonement, Andreas Dresen's Cloud 9 and Eran Riklis' Lemon Tree. Winners will be announced on December 6th in Copenhagen. Here are the categories.: European
- 11/11/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
The 2008 edition of the Museum of Modern Art's an nual festival of new films from Germany opened Wednesday night with "Cherry Blossoms - Hanami."
The screening was followed by a Q&A with the director, Doris Dorrie, and the female lead, Hannelore Elsner.
One gentleman in the front row slept through most of the movie and another person walked out part way through, but most viewers seemed to enjoy the weeper.
At the small soiree that followed, Dorrie - who studied in New York in the 1970s - told me The Post was her favorite newspaper.
Elsner -...
The screening was followed by a Q&A with the director, Doris Dorrie, and the female lead, Hannelore Elsner.
One gentleman in the front row slept through most of the movie and another person walked out part way through, but most viewers seemed to enjoy the weeper.
At the small soiree that followed, Dorrie - who studied in New York in the 1970s - told me The Post was her favorite newspaper.
Elsner -...
- 11/9/2008
- by By V.A. MUSETTO
- NYPost.com
- German novelist/director Doris Doerrie’s latest Nippon-set drama Cherry Blossoms – Hanami has been picked up by Strand Releasing for an Autumn release following the film’s two wins at the Bavarian Film Festival. TV vet Elmar Wepper plays a terminally ill man who travels to Tokyo following his wife’s death in an attempt to make up for her lost life. She dreamed of being a Butoh dancer but gave up her aspirations for her rudderless husband. According to THR, the film is “a surprisingly deep tale about a middle-aged German couple discovering love on the brink of death.” Inspired by Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story, the picture is the third by the veteran helmer to be set in Japan following Enlightenment Guaranteed and The Fisherman and His Wife. No word on why Strand didn't pick the film up at the Berlinale where the film screened in competition.
- 5/6/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
COLOGNE, Germany -- The German Film academy handed veteran director Doris Dorrie the equivalent of a golden bouquet Friday, nominating her latest drama "Cherry Blossoms" for six Lolas, the German equivalent of the Oscar.
Close behind were Fatih Akin's cross-cultural drama "The Edge of Heaven" with five Lola nominations and Christian Petzold's cerebral mystery thriller "Yella" with four.
Dorrie's film -- a sweetly tragic story of a terminally ill widower who travels to Japan to fulfill a lifelong dream of his dead wife -- picked up Lola noms in most of the main categories, including best film, best director and best actor for star Elmar Wepper.
Wepper has to be considered a front runner for the best actor Lola but he will be going up against two local veterans: Matthias Brandt for his role as an abused husband in Jan Bonny's "Counterparts" and Ulrich Noethen for his comic turn as a husband stuck in a midlife crisis in Rainer Kaufmann's crossover hit "Runaway Horse".
Nina Hoss picked up a Lola nomination for her starring turn in "Yella", a role for which she won the best actress Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival last year. Also nominated are Dutch actress Carice van Houten for Paul Verhoeven's World War II thriller "Black Book" (a German-Dutch co-production) and Victoria Trauttmansdorff as a husband-beating wife in "Counterparts".
"Cherry Blossoms" has been getting rave reviews from German and international critics since its debut at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. Many consider it the best film in Dorrie's long career.
The 52-year-old director made her name with light comedies including "Men" (1985) and "The Fisher and His Wife" (2005). While her films were often boxoffice hits, they were usually snubbed come awards time. Dorrie has only one Lola -- or German Film Award -- to her credit: a best screenplay prize in 1985 for her script to "Men".
But this year her movie is the one to beat in what is a surprisingly diverse field.
Close behind were Fatih Akin's cross-cultural drama "The Edge of Heaven" with five Lola nominations and Christian Petzold's cerebral mystery thriller "Yella" with four.
Dorrie's film -- a sweetly tragic story of a terminally ill widower who travels to Japan to fulfill a lifelong dream of his dead wife -- picked up Lola noms in most of the main categories, including best film, best director and best actor for star Elmar Wepper.
Wepper has to be considered a front runner for the best actor Lola but he will be going up against two local veterans: Matthias Brandt for his role as an abused husband in Jan Bonny's "Counterparts" and Ulrich Noethen for his comic turn as a husband stuck in a midlife crisis in Rainer Kaufmann's crossover hit "Runaway Horse".
Nina Hoss picked up a Lola nomination for her starring turn in "Yella", a role for which she won the best actress Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival last year. Also nominated are Dutch actress Carice van Houten for Paul Verhoeven's World War II thriller "Black Book" (a German-Dutch co-production) and Victoria Trauttmansdorff as a husband-beating wife in "Counterparts".
"Cherry Blossoms" has been getting rave reviews from German and international critics since its debut at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. Many consider it the best film in Dorrie's long career.
The 52-year-old director made her name with light comedies including "Men" (1985) and "The Fisher and His Wife" (2005). While her films were often boxoffice hits, they were usually snubbed come awards time. Dorrie has only one Lola -- or German Film Award -- to her credit: a best screenplay prize in 1985 for her script to "Men".
But this year her movie is the one to beat in what is a surprisingly diverse field.
- 3/28/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- The German Film academy handed veteran director Doris Dorrie the equivalent of a golden bouquet Friday, nominating her latest drama Cherry Blossoms for six Lolas, the German equivalent of the Oscar.
Close behind were Fatih Akin's cross-cultural drama The Edge of Heaven with five Lola nominations and Christian Petzold's cerebral mystery thriller Yella with four.
Dorrie's film -- a sweetly tragic story of a terminally ill widower who travels to Japan to fulfill a lifelong dream of his dead wife -- picked up Lola noms in most of the main categories, including best film, best director and best actor for star Elmar Wepper.
Wepper has to be considered a front runner for the best actor Lola but he will be going up against two local veterans: Matthias Brandt for his role as an abused husband in Jan Bonny's Counterparts and Ulrich Noethen for his comic turn as a husband stuck in a midlife crisis in Rainer Kaufmann's crossover hit Runaway Horse.
Nina Hoss picked up a Lola nomination for her starring turn in Yella, a role for which she won the best actress Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival last year. Also nominated are Dutch actress Carice van Houten for Paul Verhoeven's World War II thriller Black Book (a German-Dutch co-production) and Victoria Trauttmansdorff as a husband-beating wife in Counterparts.
Cherry Blossoms has been getting rave reviews from German and international critics since its debut at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. Many consider it the best film in Dorrie's long career.
The 52-year-old director made her name with light comedies including "Men" (1985) and The Fisher and His Wife (2005). While her films were often boxoffice hits, they were usually snubbed come awards time. Dorrie has only one Lola -- or German Film Award -- to her credit: a best screenplay prize in 1985 for her script to Men.
But this year her movie is the one to beat in what is a surprisingly diverse field.
Close behind were Fatih Akin's cross-cultural drama The Edge of Heaven with five Lola nominations and Christian Petzold's cerebral mystery thriller Yella with four.
Dorrie's film -- a sweetly tragic story of a terminally ill widower who travels to Japan to fulfill a lifelong dream of his dead wife -- picked up Lola noms in most of the main categories, including best film, best director and best actor for star Elmar Wepper.
Wepper has to be considered a front runner for the best actor Lola but he will be going up against two local veterans: Matthias Brandt for his role as an abused husband in Jan Bonny's Counterparts and Ulrich Noethen for his comic turn as a husband stuck in a midlife crisis in Rainer Kaufmann's crossover hit Runaway Horse.
Nina Hoss picked up a Lola nomination for her starring turn in Yella, a role for which she won the best actress Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival last year. Also nominated are Dutch actress Carice van Houten for Paul Verhoeven's World War II thriller Black Book (a German-Dutch co-production) and Victoria Trauttmansdorff as a husband-beating wife in Counterparts.
Cherry Blossoms has been getting rave reviews from German and international critics since its debut at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. Many consider it the best film in Dorrie's long career.
The 52-year-old director made her name with light comedies including "Men" (1985) and The Fisher and His Wife (2005). While her films were often boxoffice hits, they were usually snubbed come awards time. Dorrie has only one Lola -- or German Film Award -- to her credit: a best screenplay prize in 1985 for her script to Men.
But this year her movie is the one to beat in what is a surprisingly diverse field.
- 3/28/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- German romantic comedy specialist Doris Doerrie ("The Fischer and His Wife") and art-house favorite Hans-Christian Schmid ("Requiem") are returning to familiar ground for their next projects.
Doerrie received €300,000 ($384,000) in production subsidies from Berlin's Medienboard on Monday for her upcoming project "Hamani". Monica Bleibtreu, Elmar Wepper and Nadja Uhl star in the feature from Olga Film, which Berlin distributor Majectic has picked up for local release.
Schmid, whose "Requiem" won a Silver Bear in Berlin and four German Film Lolas, received €170,000 ($218,000) in development funding from the Medienboard for a slate of seven projects at his Berlin-based 23/5 shingle.
Doerrie received €300,000 ($384,000) in production subsidies from Berlin's Medienboard on Monday for her upcoming project "Hamani". Monica Bleibtreu, Elmar Wepper and Nadja Uhl star in the feature from Olga Film, which Berlin distributor Majectic has picked up for local release.
Schmid, whose "Requiem" won a Silver Bear in Berlin and four German Film Lolas, received €170,000 ($218,000) in development funding from the Medienboard for a slate of seven projects at his Berlin-based 23/5 shingle.
- 11/13/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
BERLIN -- Production company Teamworx said Thursday that German television celebrity Harold Schmidt will star as former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt in the big-budget miniseries Storm Tide for leading commercial broadcaster RTL. The two-part series from producer Nico Hofmann (The Tunnel) follows the real-life story of a catastrophic 1962 flood in Hamburg. Schmidt will star alongside Gotz George, Ottfried Fischer, Hannelore Elsner, Elmar Wepper, Nadja Uhl and Heiner Lauterbach. Schmidt, often called Germany's David Letterman, wrapped up his critically acclaimed eponymous late-night talk show in December. Schmidt is currently shooting the romantic comedy Vom Suchen Und Finden Der Liebe (Looking and Finding Love) with director Helmut Dietl. Schmidt's feature film debut as an actor was Dietl's 1999 satire Late Show.
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.