“Lindenstrasse”: He was “Hans Beimer” – Joachim H. Luger turns 80

On the street he is still often addressed as “Hans Beimer” – for more than 30 years Joachim H. Luger played one of the most important roles in the former ARD series “Lindenstrasse”. “It was an important part of my life,” says the actor.

“But when I left there five years ago, it was closed for me.” He hasn’t been bored since then, emphasizes Luger, who turns 80 on October 2nd, in an interview with the German Press Agency. “My days are full.”

For example with traveling, hiking or of course his “old passion”, sailing. Together with his friend, the actor Burghart Klaußner, he sets sail several times a year. Luger also used to go paragliding a lot and rode a lot of motorcycles, sometimes to adventurous destinations. He once went on a motorcycle tour through the Himalayas with his “Lindenstrasse” colleague Knut Hinz.

“Lindenstrasse” actor Joachim Luger is learning poems and new languages

Considering his age, he feels physically very fit overall, says Luger. “So that my head doesn’t get rusty, I’m learning poems and monologues and improving my Swedish.”

His family also keeps him very busy: his third grandchild was born just a few months ago – the newly married younger son, like Luger, lives in Bochum. The other two grandchildren in Bavaria are also happy when grandpa comes to visit. The actor is planning a casual celebration with family and friends on his milestone birthday.

Although Luger has lived in the Ruhr area with his wife for more than 40 years, he still sees Berlin as his old home. That’s why he goes there as often as possible; he owns a small apartment on the outskirts of the capital. “It’s far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, but close enough to take advantage of the many cultural opportunities.”

In 2018, Hans Beimer died from serial death

Since the start of “Lindenstrasse”, which was filmed in Cologne in 1985, Luger had played Hans, who, with his wife Helga (Marie-Luise Marjan) and their three children, formed the originally healthy Beimer family – but it fell apart when Hans left his family for a younger woman left. Over the decades, Hans and the other “Lindenstrasse” residents went through all imaginable ups and downs in life.

However, when the makers let Hans suffer from incurable Parkinson’s disease in 2015, Luger lost the fun in his role. “It was increasingly stressful for me to always play a sick man,” he says. And so he drew a line in the sand: in 2018, Hans died of serial death. A little later, WDR announced the end of “Lindenstrasse” – the last episode ran in March 2020.

Luger used his “regained freedom” primarily for the theater, which has always been his heart. Even as a boy, Luger, who was born in Thuringia and grew up in Berlin, dreamed of the big stage. But first he trained as a chemical laboratory technician and also played in an amateur group. Eventually he quit his job and went to an acting school.

He got his first theater engagement when he spontaneously performed a “kitchen song” during the audition and the director laughed at it to tears, as Luger says with a smile. “Even after that, I was just incredibly lucky in my professional life.” Not many actors are able to stay busy well into their old age.

“The big break was Corona, when all the theaters had to close. I was doing the comedy in Frankfurt and then suddenly everything was canceled,” he remembers. The theaters only reopened at the end of 2021 so that he could continue his engagement in Frankfurt.

After that, nothing suitable came up at the theater. He left an already fixed contract at short notice last summer. “I had already learned the role, but the chemistry with the director wasn’t right,” says Luger. “I don’t want to stress myself anymore. Then I’d rather do nothing at all than do something I don’t like.” He sees it in a relaxed way: “If something else comes along, it’s good, if not, I can spend my time differently.”