Thomas Fritsch | |
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| Born | (1944-01-16)16 January 1944 Dresden, Germany |
| Died | 21 April 2021(2021-04-21) (aged 77) Berlin, Germany |
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| Years active | 1962–2019 |
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 ofRussell Crowe, ofScar inThe Lion King, and ofDiego inIce Age.
Fritsch was born inDresden, the son of famous actorWilly Fritsch and dancerDinah Grace.[2] The family moved to Hamburg after World War II.[3] Director and actorGustaf 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 movieJulia, Du bist zauberhaft at age 17,[2] alongsideLilli Palmer. He starred oppositeDaliah Lavi inBlack-White-Red Four Poster [de], and became a favourite of teenagers.[2] He was frequently featured on the cover of the youth magazineBravo.[4] He played inAnd So to Bed in 1963, alongsideHildegard Knef.[3] In 1964, he appeared in his only film together with his father,Das hab ich von Papa gelernt.[4] He appeared two more times with his father, in theZDF television specialsDas gibts doch zweimal in 1965 andAndere Zeiten, andere Sitten. Die Thomas-Fritsch-Show in 1967.[3] He had film roles inDrei Männer in Santa Cruz,Onkel Toms Hütte, and played one of the three men in the title ofDrei Männer im Schnee, among many others.[5]
In the 1970s, Fritsch appeared in the television seriesDer Kommissar andDerrick several times. From 1977, Fritsch appeared in a leading role in the popular seriesDrei sind einer zuviel [de] (Three are one too many) byBarbara Noack, portraying a man in alove triangle story. It made him one of Germany's most popular actors.[3] He also starred in the television seriesRivalen der Rennbahn (1989).[2] In 2004, he made a return to cinema when he appeared as the villainous Earl of Cockwood inDer Wixxer, a comedy which spoofed the GermanEdgar Wallace films of the 1960s.[6]
Fritsch became known as a voice actor. He was the German voice ofRussell Crowe inGladiator,Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World andProof of Life.[4] He dubbedScar in the German version ofThe Lion King in 1994;[7] Diego, aSmilodon, inIce Age and sequels, beginning in 2002;[2][5] andAslan inThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and sequels. In the 2000s, he replaced the lateJoachim Kemmer as Lumiere for the "Human Again" DVD feature ofBeauty and the Beast.[2] His last role was the narrator in the 2018 children's filmJim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer, an adaption ofMichael Ende'sJim Button and Luke the Engine Driver.[5]
Fritsch divided his time between his home inMunich and his home on the Greek island ofMykonos. 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 aburial at sea near the island ofSylt.[12]
Fritsch played in films and television (TV) series, including:[13][14][15]
Fritsch voiced the following productions, among others:[16]
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