RIP Joachim Kerzel

 

German voice acting legend Joachim Kerzel died in Berlin on July 20^th. He was 84. Born in Hindenburg, Upper Silesia, Germany on December 10, 1941, he began his acting training in 1963 at the University of Music, Drama and Media in Hanover, graduating in 1965. Following a career on various theater stages and in television productions, Kerzel increasingly shifted his artistic focus toward voice dubbing starting in the 1970s. Throughout his extensive dubbing career, his distinctive voice became inextricably linked with acting greats such as Dennis Hopper, Dustin Hoffman, Jean Reno, and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Following the death of Manfred Schott, Kerzel established himself as Jack Nicholson’s regular German voice, beginning with “The Witches of Eastwick” (1987). Consequently, he naturally provided the German voice for Jack Napier/the Joker in Tim Burton’s “Batman”. Kerzel dubbed several Spaghetti westerns including: “Ace High” in 1968 as the German voice of one of the bank employees. “Return of Sabata” in 1971 as the German voice of Luciano Rossi, “The Crazy Bunch in 1974 as the German voice of Oscar Giustini and Veriano Ginesi, “Thunder 2” in 1987 as the German voice of Bo Svenson, “Silent Tongue” in 1996 as the German voice of Alan Bates.