Who Are Those Guys? ~ Joachim Fuchsberger

 

Joachim ‘Blacky’ Fuchsberger was a prominent German-Australian actor, television presenter, and entertainer, best known for his roles in post-war films and as a host of popular TV game shows. Born on March 11, 1927, in Stuttgart, Germany, Fuchsberger grew up in Heidelberg and was conscripted into the Reich Labour Service during World War II, later serving as a parachutist on the Eastern Front. After the war, he held various jobs, including a miner, mechanic, and newsreel anchor, before entering the entertainment industry. His acting breakthrough came with the “08/15” film trilogy (1954–1955), where he portrayed the rebellious Wehrmacht private Willi Asch, marking his rise as a leading man in German cinema. In the 1960s, he became a star of the Edgar Wallace krimi series, starring in 12 adaptations, often as detectives or inspectors, such as “The Devil's Daffodil” (1961) and “The Strange Countess” (1961), which popularized the British crime stories in Germany.

Transitioning to television in the 1970s, Fuchsberger hosted successful game shows like’ Auf los geht’s los’ (1977–1986, 60 episodes) and ‘Heut’ abend’ (1980–1989, over 300 episodes), earning him the nickname "Blacky" for his charismatic, smooth persona. He also appeared in later TV films, including as ‘Count Capilupi in Flames of Love’ (1995), and made a comedic comeback parodying his Wallace role in ‘Neues vom Wixxer’ (2007). Fuchsberger received numerous accolades, including two Bambi Awards (1969, 1982), the Golden Camera (1981), the Bavarian Order of Merit (1979), and the Grand Federal Cross of Merit (1994). Personally, he was married to Gundula Korte from 1954 until his death in 2014, and they had a son, Thomas (1957–2010); he served as a UNICEF ambassador from 1984 and lived in Australia from 1983 to the 1990s. Fuchsberger passed away on September 11, 2014, in Grünwald near Munich, at the age of 87.

FUCHSBERGER, Joachim (Joachim Karl Fuchsberger) [3/11/1927, Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, Germany - 9/11/2014, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany (organ failure)] – songwriter, theater, film, TV actor, married to actress, singer Gitta Lind (Rita Maria Gracher) [1925–1974] (1950-1953) Gundula Korte [1930-    ] (1954-2014) father of producer, composer Thomas Fuchsberger [1957-2010], awarded Bavarian Order of Merit [1979], Grand Federal Cross of Merit [1994], Lifetime Achievement Award [2014].

The Last Tomahawk - 1964 (Captain Bill Hayward)

Who Killed Johnny R.? – 1965 (Clyde Smith)