People: Actor Peter Sodann is dead

The actor Peter Sodann is dead. He died in Halle an der Saale at the age of 87, his family announced. Then fell asleep peacefully. Sodann became known nationwide primarily as the somewhat grumpy Chief Inspector Bruno Ehrlicher in “Tatort,” which he played from 1992 to 2007. The director of his home broadcaster MDR and numerous politicians reacted with concern and sadness.

Sodann came from Meißen in Saxony, where he was born on June 1, 1936 as the son of a worker. After an apprenticeship as a toolmaker and a foray into law, he studied at the Leipzig Theater University.

Sodann also ran a cabaret that was closed in 1961 because of a program that was found to be counter-revolutionary. He was then arrested for anti-state agitation. He spent nine months in prison in the GDR, and later the Stasi spied on him.

Career in theater

He also made a name for himself as a theater maker. As director, he created a unique cultural island with several venues at his home in Halle. In 1986 he received the National Prize in the GDR. In 2001 he was also awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. He also passionately collected books published in the GDR in order to save them from being forgotten.

In 2009, he ran as a left-wing candidate for the election of Federal President. This earned him admiration from fans, but also a lot of head shaking – because of public statements about wanting to build “socialism or something similar” where people were all equal.

“The news of Peter Sodann’s death makes us very sad,” said MDR director Ludwig. The actor gained great popularity especially through his role as Inspector Ehrlicher in the crime scenes of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk from Dresden and Leipzig. “The MDR owes a lot to Mr. Sodann as the crime scene inspector from the very beginning,” explained the director.

Prime Ministers remember Sodann

The Prime Ministers of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia commented on the platform X, formerly Twitter. “Peter Sodann was a trusted and loved actor, director and director for generations,” wrote Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU). “But we will also miss his social commitment and his political interference.”

Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) paid tribute to the deceased actor as “a great theater personality”. He was an important cultural figure who will be remembered above all as a “crime scene” inspector. As director, he shaped the culture of his hometown Halle, it was said on the state government’s official channel.

Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow then praised him as an artist and a committed personality. “A great person has left us. A straightforward and upright democrat, a wonderful actor and a very committed personality,” wrote the left-wing politician. “A friend has left and the memory stays with him.”