Ulli Lommel (21 December 1944 – 2 December 2017) was a German

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, noted for his many collaborations with

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

and his association with the

New German Cinema New German Cinema (german: Neuer Deutscher Film) is a period in German cinema which lasted from 1962 to 1982, in which a new generation of directors emerged who, working with low budgets, and influenced by the French New Wave and Italian Neore ...

movement. Lommel spent time at

The Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities and Warhol's superstar ...

and was a creative associate of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

, with whom he made several films and works of art. He moved to the United States in 1977, where he wrote, directed and starred in over 50 films.

Early life

Born in Zielenzig in 1944, a few weeks before the arrival of the Red Army, Lommel's family fled the city, wrapping the infant Ulli in a roll of carpet. His father, Ludwig, was a popular radio personality. His mother was the actress Karla van Cleef. While living in

Bad Nauheim Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. As of 2020, Bad Nauheim has a population of 32,493. The town is approximately north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a wor ...

as a teenager, Lommel performed with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Career

Lommel started his cinematic career as an actor in the early 1960s. One of his first film roles was in

Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fea ...

's ''

Fanny Hill ''Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure''—popularly known as ''Fanny Hill''—is an erotic novel by English novelist John Cleland first published in London in 1748. Written while the author was in debtors' prison in London,Wagner, "Introduction" ...

'', in which he starred alongside Italian actress Letícia Román. In 1969, he appeared in

's directorial debut '' Love Is Colder Than Death''. The movie, an

existentialist Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, received a shocked and confused response at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

in 1969, but the cast as an ensemble would go on to win an award at the

German Film Awards German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

in 1970. In 1971, Fassbinder's

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

'' Whity'', which Lommel produced and starred in the leading role, won several German Film Awards (the German Oscars). Shot in

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

, Spain, in the summer of 1970, the shoot was so tumultuous and grueling that it became the source of inspiration for the subsequent Fassbinder film, ''

Beware of a Holy Whore ''Beware of a Holy Whore'' (german: Warnung vor einer heiligen Nutte) is a 1971 West German drama film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder that features Lou Castel, Eddie Constantine, Hanna Schygulla and Fassbinder himself. Fassbinder ...

''. Beware of a Holy Whore was a postmodern analysis of Fassbinder's career. in which he used

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

methods to poke fun at the trials and tribulations of filmmaking. He starred in Fassbinder's ''

The American Soldier ''The American Soldier'' (german: Der amerikanische Soldat) is a 1970 West German film written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film stars Karl Scheydt as Ricky, a German-American Vietnam veteran, who takes a job as a hired assassin ...

'' (1970), ''

World on a Wire ''World on a Wire'' (german: Welt am Draht) is a 1973 German science fiction television serial, starring Klaus Löwitsch and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Shot in 16 mm, it was made for German television and originally aired in 1973 in ...

'' (1973) and '' Chinese Roulette'' (1976) among others. Lommel's second film as director, '' The Tenderness of Wolves'', which was produced by Fassbinder, was a drama about the murders of

Fritz Haarmann Friedrich Heinrich Karl "Fritz" Haarmann (25 October 1879 – 15 April 1925) was a German serial killer, known as the Butcher of Hanover, the Vampire of Hanover and the Wolf Man, who committed the sexual assault, murder, mutilation and dismemb ...

. Haarmann was also the inspiration behind

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

's M. This was the feature which brought him to the attention of Andy Warhol, after the film was screened at a Chicago Film Festival. A very enthusiastic review was written by the renowned critic

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' which stated:

"It is beautifully and enthusiastically performed and it doesn't contain a single superfluous or redundant camera movement. Like Mr. Fassbinder's own early films, 'Tenderness of the Wolves' is cryptic, tough-talking and swaggering in the manner of someone who means to shock his elders. Like the early Warhol work, "Tenderness of the Wolves" seems to be sending up everyone and everything, but, unlike the Warhol movies, it takes filmmaking—the possibilities of the discipline—with complete seriousness."

The film was nominated at the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival for the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

. Lommel moved to the United States in 1977 and started working with

. He became fascinated with Warhol's artistic style. Lommel owned an array of Warhol's polaroid photographs and pop art pieces. Their friendship led to Warhol becoming involved with several of Lommel's films. He produced '' Cocaine Cowboys,'' a rock and roll western which starred

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

. Warhol appeared in Lommel's '' Blank Generation'' (1980), a film which focused on the punk rock scene in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It starred the punk icon

Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television and ...

and his band

Richard Hell and the Voidoids Richard Hell and the Voidoids were an American punk rock band, formed in New York City in 1976 and fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of the Neon Boys, Television (band), Television and the Heartbreakers. History Kentucky-born Richard He ...

. Several scenes were filmed in

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

and offer an insight into the frenetic madness of the scene at the time. In 1980, Lommel directed ''

The Boogeyman The Bogeyman (; also spelled boogeyman, bogyman, bogieman, boogie monster, boogieman, or boogie woogie) is a type of mythic creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions var ...

'', which became a worldwide hit. The film gained notoriety in the UK, when it was added to the

DPP DPP may stand for: Business *Digital Production Partnership, of UK public service broadcasters * Direct Participation Program, a financial security * Discounted payback period Photography * Digital Photo Professional, Canon software Law en ...

Video Nasties Video nasty is a colloquial term popularised by the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association (NVALA) in the United Kingdom to refer to a number of films, typically low-budget horror or exploitation films, distributed on video cassette that ...

' list. After the success of Boogeyman, Lommel made several more genre features, including ' (1983), starring

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

and

Vera Miles Vera June Miles ( née Ralston, born August 23, 1929) is an American retired actress who worked closely with Alfred Hitchcock, most notably as Lila Crane in the classic 1960 film '' Psycho'', reprising the role in the 1983 sequel '' Psycho II ...

, ''

The Devonsville Terror ''The Devonsville Terror'' is a 1983 American supernatural horror film directed by Ulli Lommel and starring Suzanna Love, Donald Pleasence, and Robert Walker. The plot focuses on three different women who arrive in a conservative New England town ...

'' (1983) with

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

, and '' Revenge of the Stolen Stars'' (1985) with

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...

. For a period of four years, Lommel made a series of

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

movies based on the lives of

serial killers A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

, most of which were released through Lionsgate. In 2002, Lommel participated in the documentary ''Fassbinder in Hollywood'', which is available as part of the Arrow Films and Video Fassbinder Collection (Vol 2). The documentary contains an interview with Wim Wenders. In 2012 and early 2013, Lommel produced the feature "The 4 Senses", A Metropole Film production with a $3 million budget, which shot in Venice and Verona, Italy and Savannah, Georgia. (USA). Rudiger von Spies was the writer and director. In the summer of 2013 Lommel went for nine months to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

to work on several projects. He completed his bio-epic documentary '' Mondo Americana'' and wrote a book. Ulli Lommel: CAMPO BAHIA and made a film about Campo Bahia, the official camp for the

Germany national football team The Germany national football team (german: link=no, Deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft) represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association (''Deutsch ...

in Brazil. In 2016, Hollywood Action House began developing ''Boogeyman Chronicles'', a series of eight 45-minute episodes. Inspired by Lommel's 1980 cult hit ''The Boogeyman'', the first episode was planned to begin airing worldwide on Halloween 2018. The new story line was developed after test audiences in the U.S. and Europe saw various cuts of a series of plot-possibilities and characters titled "Boogeyman Reincarnation". The writing team headed by Colin McCracken worked on episodes 2–8 with the plan to create a total of up to 64 episodes. Lommel indicated that, even though he directed episode 1, most of the remaining episodes would be directed by a series of young directors from the U.S, Europe and Asia. Lommel was celebrated as part of the Yes! Yes! Yes! Warholmania event at the 2015 Munich Film Festival. Several screenings of his works with Warhol took place alongside a series of special interviews.

Filmography

As director

Andy Warhol and Ulli Lommel on set of Cocaine Cowboys

*''Haytabo'' (1971) *'' The Tenderness of Wolves'' (1973) *''Jodeln is ka Sünd'' (1974) *''Wachtmeister Rahn'' (1974) *' (1975) *''Adolf and Marlene'' (1977) *''Ausgerechnet Bananen'' (1978) *'' Cocaine Cowboys'' (1979) *'' Blank Generation'' (1980) *''

'' (1980) *''BrainWaves (1982) *''

'' (1983) *''

Olivia Olivia may refer to: People * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer * Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 19 ...

'', also known as ''Double Jeopardy'' and ''Prozzie'' (1983) *''Strangers in Paradise'' (1984) *'' Revenge of the Stolen Stars'' (1985) *''I.F.O.: Identified Flying Object'' (1987) *''Heaven and Earth'' (1987) *''Overkill'' (1987) *''Cold Heat'' (1989) *''WarBirds'' (1989) *''The Big Sweat'' (1991) *''Marilyn, My Love'' (1994) *'' Daniel – Der Zauberer'' (2004) *'' Zombie Nation'' (2005) *''

Zodiac Killer The Zodiac Killer is the pseudonym of an unidentified serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s. The case has been described as the most famous unsolved murder case in American history. It became a fixture of popular c ...

'' (2005) *''B.T.K. Killer'' (2005) *'' Green River Killer'' (2005) *''

Killer Pickton ''Killer Pickton'' is a 2005 American horror film loosely based on the crimes of Canadian pig farmer Robert Pickton. The movie was filmed in New Hampshire and directed by Ulli Lommel. It was co-produced and co-written by Ulli Lommel and Jef ...

'' (2005) *''

Diary of a Cannibal ''Diary of a Cannibal'' (also known as ''Cannibal'') is a 2007 German-American horror film directed by Ulli Lommel. It is possibly inspired by Armin Meiwes, the "Rotenburg Cannibal". Lommel's film changes the account from a "Rotenburg Cannibal" to ...

'' (2006) *''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myste ...

'' (2006) *''

Black Dahlia Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – January 14–15, 1947), known posthumously as the Black Dahlia, was an American woman found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 15, 1947. Her case became highly publicized ow ...

'' (2006) *''

Curse of the Zodiac ''Curse of the Zodiac'' is a 2007 American horror film from Lionsgate, written and directed by Ulli Lommel, inspired by the true story of the hunt for a notorious serial killer known as "Zodiac" who claimed responsibility for the still unsolved mu ...

'' (2007) *'' The Tomb'' (2007) *''Borderline Cult'' (2007) *''Killer Nurse'' (aka: ''Angel of Death'' 2007) *'' Nightstalker'' (2007) *''Baseline Killer'' (2008) *''Son of Sam'' (2008) *''Dungeon Girl'' (2008) (aka: ''Blood Dungeon'', 2012) *'' Absolute Evil'' (2008) *'' D.C. Sniper'' (2009) *'' Mondo Americana'' (2017) *'' America: Land of the Freeks'' (2017) *''Factory Cowboys: Working with Warhol'' (2018) *''Queen of Rio'' (2018) *''Genus X'' (2018)

As actor

*''Ich bin auch nur eine Frau'' (1962) *''Die endlose Nacht'' (1963) – junger Mann (uncredited) *''Das große Liebesspiel'' (1963) *''

'' (1964) – Charles *''

Old Surehand ''Old Surehand'' (german: Old Surehand 1. Teil, also known as ''Flaming Frontier'') is a 1965 German Western film starring Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice and Letitia Roman. The film is based on a novel by Karl May. It was shot at the Spand ...

'' (1965) – Surehand's Scout (voice, uncredited) * ''

Maigret and His Greatest Case ''Maigret and His Greatest Case'' (German: ''Maigret und sein grösster Fall'') is a 1966 crime film directed by Alfred Weidenmann and starring Heinz Rühmann, Françoise Prévost and Günther Stoll.Woeller & Cassiday p.175 It was made as a c ...

'' (1966) – René Delfosse *''Final PMP'' (1968) * ''

Detectives A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

'' (1969) – Sebastian West *'' Love Is Colder Than Death'' (1969) – Bruno *''Deine Zärtlichkeiten'' (1969) – Stefan / Brother *''

'' (1970) – Tony le Gitano *''Der gelbe Koffer'' (1970) – The Composer *''Anglia'' (1970) *''Rio das Mortes'' (1971, TV Movie) – Autohändler *'' Whity'' (1971) – Frank Nicholson *''

'' (1971) – Korbinian, Aufnahmeleiter *''Haytabo'' (1971) – (uncredited) *''

The Italian Connection ''The Italian Connection'' ( it, La mala ordina, lit=The mob orders, also released as ''Manhunt in the City'' and ''Manhunt in Milan'') is a 1972 italian '' noir''-'' thriller'' film co-written and directed by Fernando Di Leo; starring Mario Ado ...

'' (1972) – Dancer *''

The Sensuous Three ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1972) – Raymond *''Adolf und Marlene'' (1973) – Hans Grans (voice, uncredited) *''

'' (1973, TV Mini-Series) – Rupp, Journalist *''

Effi Briest ''Effi Briest'' is a realist novel by Theodor Fontane. Published in book form in 1895, ''Effi Briest'' marks both a watershed and a climax in the poetic realism of literature. It can be thematically compared to other novels on 19th century mar ...

'' (1974) – Major Crampas *''Con la música a otra parte'' (1974) – The Composer *''

Shadow of Angels ''Shadow of Angels'' (german: Schatten der Engel) is a 1976 Swiss drama film directed by Daniel Schmid. It was entered into the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. The film is based upon the play ''Der Müll, die Stadt und der Tod'' by Rainer Werner Fass ...

'' (1976) – Der kleine Prinz / Little Prince *''

Satan's Brew ''Satan's Brew'' (german: Satansbraten) is a 1976 German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Plot The poet Walter Kranz and his practical wife Luise live with Walter's mentally disabled brother Ernst. They have money problems, as the for ...

'' (1976) – Lauf *'' Chinese Roulette'' (1976) – Kolbe *''Adolf und Marlene'' (1977) – Joseph Goebbels *''Ausgerechnet Bananen'' (1978) – Max *'' Blank Generation'' (1980) – Hoffritz *''Olivia'' (1983) – The Detective *'' Boogeyman II'' (1983) – Mickey Lombard *''Strangers in Paradise'' (1984) – Jonathan Sage / Hitler *'' Revenge of the Stolen Stars'' (1986) – Max Stern *''

Hors Saison ''Off Season'' (french: Hors Saison) is a 1992 comedy film by Daniel Schmid, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Martin Suter. The film is semi-autobiographical for Schmid, who re-imagines the hotel he grew up in the Swiss Alps. The French-Swiss ...

'' (1992) – Prof. Malini *''Sex Crimes'' (1992) – Davis *''Every Minute Is Goodbye'' (1996) – Teddy *''Bloodsuckers'' (1997) – Angelo / Santano *''September Song'' (2001) – Valentin Reiner *'' Daniel – Der Zauberer'' (2004) – Johnny *''Zombie Nation'' (2004) – Dr. Melnitz *'' Absolute Evil'' (2009) – Rick *'' Melancholie der Engel'' (2009) – Katze als Engel (voice) *''Shpion'' (2012) – Josef 'Sepp' Dietrich *''Carcinoma'' (2014) – Krankenpfleger *''Mondo Americana'' (2015) – Ulli *''Julia 17 -'' (2017) – Mysterious Director *''Factory Cowboys: Working with Warhol'' (2018) – Himself *''Queen of Rio'' (2018) – Rick *''Genus X'' (2018) – Chief Commander

As producer

*''Anglia'' (1970) *'' Whity'' (1971) *''Con la música a otra parte'' (1975) *''The Boogeyman'' (1980) *''Fassbinder in Hollywood'' (2002) *'' Daniel – Der Zauberer'' (2004)

References

Bibliography

* "

Video Watchdog ''Video Watchdog'' was a bimonthly, digest size film magazine published from 1990 to 2017 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife, art director and co-publisher Donna Lucas. Although devoted chiefly to the horror, science fiction, and fantas ...

" (USA) April 1998, Iss. 42, pg. 26+, by: Jeff Frentzen, "The Weird World of Ulli Lommel." * "The Globe and Mail" (Canada) 19 September 2006. by: Robert Matas,
I'm okay with being attacked.
An interview with Ulli Lommel about the controversy surrounding his movie ''Killer Pickton''. *
Release Print
(USA), Jan./Feb. 2007, by: Elina Shatkin, "Wolf Among Wolves: The Voluptuous Horror of Ulli Lommel." * ''Dark Side Magazine'' (UK) Issue 113. February. March 2005. by: Christopher O'Neill. Meet The Boogeyman. * ''Dark Side Magazine'' (UK) Issue 125. February. March 2007. by: Calum Waddell. Return of the Boogeyman.

External links

* *
Fucking Liberty! review by Bill Krohn

Fucking Liberty! review (German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lommel, Ulli 1944 births 2017 deaths People from Sulęcin German film directors People from Bad Nauheim Horror film directors German male film actors People associated with The Factory People from the Province of Brandenburg