Being the villain has never felt so good

Germany, too, wept. More than 10 million people sat in their cinema seats, shocked and angry at him...: Mario Adorf (93), who plays the shooter Sante.

Mario Adorf and the 60th anniversary of "Winnetou 1" - Being the villain has never felt so good.

Wild West Trickster Sant has won the hearts of millions of viewers with Winchester's blank cartridge.

Winnetou (Pierre Brice, 86) and her beautiful sister Nsho-chi (Marie Versini, 83) sank among the white limestone cliffs of the Tulove Grede massif in Croatia.

The year is 1963: Mario Adorf, already a film hero ("Rosemary Girl"), was only 33 years old. The actor plays the murderer Frederic Sant, so good, so evil.

Sixty years later, the son of an Italian doctor and a German mother from the Eiffel Tower is our last giant. This was followed by major European films and soon Hollywood (including Charlton Heston, †84).

Today, the audience has long since forgiven. Thanks to the newly restored Rialto and Tobis films, Winnetou 1 will be released on Blu-ray to mark the anniversary. Shooting scenes: clearer and more colorful than ever before.

Compared to the possibilities of today's social media attacks. "Nevertheless, today I have to worry that I will be threatened with deeds and death."

Mario Adolf had to say goodbye to many good friends over the decades. Pierre Brice (Winnetou), Ralph Walter (†95, Sam Hawkens), Marie Versini (Nscho-tschi).

Characters who don't like their characters live the longest. The love of his life, Monique (79), has been by his side since 1985.

How does Mario Adolf cope with getting older?

How does the film and television star (which also includes "Keir Royal," "Momo" and "The Big Belheim") cope with aging now? "I've coped pretty well with age. That's why I don't want to condemn the signs of aging. If you fight it like hell, you're wasting too much time and you're going to lose the fight in the end."

His plan for the game of life: "It's like football: when you're down 0-7 in the second half, you don't stop playing. You're trying to lose with dignity."

In 2015, the Karl May veteran reprised his role as Sant's father in a new film based on Winnetou's story. But Adolf didn't remember the story in the drawer.

Rather, it is a thank you to Lex Barker (Old Broken Hands), Dunja Rajter (Belle) or friend Pierre Brice for what happened after the shooting: "There was an obvious personal reluctance among those involved at the time. It." It wasn't until after the filming of "Winnetou 1" that Pierre became a lifelong friend.

His unparalleled career began 70 years ago with the anti-war film "08/15". Will you ever be in front of the camera again? "70 years? A number to be proud of. A small regret is that I cannot attribute the end of my career to a free choice, but mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented at least three film projects still planned." I'd rather say goodbye to a character who still has one last dream."

But there is still a chance, even with his old friend Terence Hill (84) ... wait! Adolf, the realist, did not want to build fantastic castles in the air.

Speaking of wishes, what does he have? The film legend: "My hunger and thirst for life is more the fear of losing my curiosity about how and when the war in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip will end or who will become German football champion..."

His words are heartwarming: "The fear of the end cannot bring delayed happiness is to be grateful that you have gone so long without being alone."