Rolf Schimpf: “The Old Man” is now in the club of hundreds

Rolf Schimpf: “The Old Man” is now in the club of hundreds

Rolf Schimpf
“The Old Man” is now in the club of hundreds






Former TV commissioner Rolf Schimpf is celebrating his 100th birthday today. Today, “The Old Man” meets numerous stars in the centenarians’ club.

He has long since secured his place in the ranks of influential German TV legends: Rolf Schimpf. This November 14th, the popular ex-TV commissioner will join the select club of centenarians. This puts him in a row with numerous celebrities – from Queen Mum (1900-2002) to “Jopi” Heesters (1903-2011). The German television audience took the “old man” into their hearts by 1986 at the latest. What may be less known is that he once lent his voice to an undead.

Inspector with a mustache and a heart

When Rolf Schimpf became “The Old Man” in 1986, he was only 62 years old. At that time he inherited the charismatic Siegfried Lowitz. Schimpf always gave his title role as TV chief inspector a human, approachable face – for 20 years and a total of 222 episodes. The numbers, which sound incredible in themselves, only represent a small part of Schimpf’s eventful biography. The actor, born on November 14, 1924 in Berlin, was seriously wounded in the head during the Second World War and later moved to Esslingen in Swabia. After an industrial apprenticeship, he switched to acting in the 1950s. With many supporting and guest roles, he finally played his way into the hearts of Germans with the title role in the TV series “Mensch Bachmann”. You just had to like the likeable, mustachioed widower and TV father of four daughters. This also applied to “Bachmann” producer Herbert Ringelmann, who cast Schimpf as the new “old man” two years later.

“Queen Mum” royal head of the Hundred Club

In the imaginary club of hundreds, Rolf Schimpf meets numerous well-known personalities. The club is led by the woman the whole world knew as “Queen Mum”. Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, her official and full name, was the wife of King George VI. (1895-1952) and the mother of the British Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). The Queen Mother’s rumored secret recipe for her longevity was, among other things, her penchant for spirits. She is said to have consumed a glass of gin and tonic every day until she was 102 years old. Her son-in-law Prince Philip (1921-2021), however, narrowly missed the hundred mark. He died in April 2021, just two months before the milestone life date.

Swearing among colleagues

In the exquisite club, Schimpf will be waiting alongside royal and political celebrities such as former US President Jimmy Carter, who turned 100 on October 1st. Some well-known acting colleagues also belong to the club. Johannes “Jopi” Heesters was a proud 108 years old when he died on Christmas Eve 2011. Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas (1916 – 2020) lived to be 103 years old. The great Herbert Körfer (1921-2021) experienced his 100th cradle celebration, as did the German film producer Artur “Atze” Brauner (1918-2009). Just as legendary: Luise Rainer, the only German actress to have won the Oscar so far – twice. She received the Academy Award in 1937 and 1938 for her leading roles in the US productions “The Great Ziegfeld” and “The Good Earth”. Rainer, who died in London in 2014, was 104 years old.

Dubbing voice for Dracula

Rolf Schimpf celebrates his 100th birthday in a retirement home in Munich. He moved there in 2023 at the age of 99. He could no longer financially afford his previous home in a posh retirement home in Munich. Schimpf is said to suffer from dementia. It would be a shame if he could no longer remember the stages of his eventful life. Because in addition to the “Old Man” and “Bachmann” there was also this in Schimpf’s life: Shortly before his well-known TV successes, in the early 80s he dubbed some film classics such as “The Sign of the Vampire” with Bela Lugosi (1882-1956) as the Count Dracula. After all, Schimpf lent his German dubbing voice to the most famous undead in film history.

SpotOnNews

Source: Stern

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts