Hartmut Becker: acting veteran dies at the age of 83

Hartmut Becker is dead. The actor died on January 22, 2022 as a result of cancer in his hometown of Berlin. This is reported in unison by the media, citing his agency. Hartmut Becker not only shone on German television, but also in internationally acclaimed films and on stage.

Hartmut Becker was one of the busiest German actors ever. He played in many classics from “Derrick” to “Tatort” to “Lindenstraße” or “Das Traumschiff”. In the long-lived crime series “SOKO Munich”, the Berliner took on the role of chief inspector Rechlin in several episodes from 1978 onwards.

But Hartmut Becker was more than just a TV veteran. The actor, who studied theater studies, German and philosophy at the Free University of Berlin before starting his acting training, played leading roles in theaters in Munich and Vienna before moving to the stage in his hometown.

From 2007 to 2012 Becker sat on the board of directors of the German Film Academy.

First feature film triggers scandal at Berlinale

His cinema debut in 1970 was immediately an internationally recognized scandal. Hartmut Becker appeared in Michael Verhoeven’s (83) experimental war drama “ok”, which showed a woman being raped by US soldiers in the Vietnam War. The jury, led by US director George Stevens, protested.

Becker also acted in international films, for example in 1976 in “The Bridge from Arnhem”.

Claudia Roth pays tribute to the “wonderful actor” Becker

In a statement, the Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth (66, The Greens), praised Becker not only as a “wonderful actor”, but also as a “clever man”. The deceased “also gave us a picture of how hard and demanding the acting profession is – away from glamor and the red carpet,” says Roth. “I thank him for his work as an artist, but especially for the time we spent together on this planet.”