Who Are Those Singers & Musicians? Gerry Wolff

 

Gerry Wolff was a German actor, singer, voice actor, and audiobook narrator known for his prolific career in East German film and television as well as his extensive work dubbing international films into German. Born on June 23, 1920, in Bremen to a Jewish family, he emigrated to England in 1935 to escape Nazi persecution, where he was interned as an "Enemy Alien" during World War II and began performing in camp theatre before working in publishing and participating in Free German exile cultural groups. He returned to Germany in 1947 and established himself in the cultural life of the German Democratic Republic, joining the Berliner Ensemble in 1949 and later the Volksbühne ensemble in 1956, while appearing in supporting roles in DEFA films from the 1950s onward. His breakthrough came with a prominent role in Frank Beyer's “Naked Among Wolves” (1963), which gained international recognition, and he went on to feature in nearly 200 cinema and television productions across genres including spy films, Westerns, musicals, and the long-running crime series ‘Polizeiruf 110’. In addition to acting, Wolff pursued a parallel career as a singer, releasing records and earning a Special Prize at the Sopot International Song Festival for his song "Die Rose war rot," and he later performed Yiddish songs with klezmer groups. As a voice actor, he provided the German dubbing for notable characters including Yoda in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999), Brooks Hatlen in “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994), and roles in “Vertigo” (1958) and “Schindler's List” (1993). Wolff remained active into his later years, giving biographical interviews and publishing a memoir before his death on February 16, 2005, in Oranienburg, Brandenburg at the age of 84.

WOLFF, Gerry (Gerald Wolff) [6/23/1920, Bremen, Theuringen, Germany – 2/16/2005, Oranienburg, Brandenburg, Germany (heart ailment)] – film, TV, voice actor, son of actor Martin Wolff [18??-1931], married to Mirjam Asriel [19??-2005] (1950-2005) father of producer, director, writer, actor Thomas Wolff [1951-    ].

Chingachgook, the Great Snake – 1967 [sings: “Der Grosse Strom”, “Dazwischen”]

Das Märchen von Texas Bill – 1974 [sings: ? (co)]