Gerd Michael Henneberg (14 July 1922 – 1 January 2011) was a German actor and theater director.

Biography

Gerd Henneberg's father, Richard, was a theater director. After the young Henneberg took private acting classes, he debuted on stage at age sixteen at the

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

Theater. Afterwards, he worked in the

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; Hessian: ''Aschebersch'', ) is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg, despite being its administrative seat, is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg. Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...

Theater and later became a member of the cast at the German National Theater in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

, where he remained until after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1948, Henneberg moved to

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

. He appeared on the stages of the Schiffbauerdamm Theater and the People's Theater, but finally settled in the Maxim Gorky Theater. Henneberg's most recognized performance was that of Scanlon of ''

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

'', a character he depicted more than four hundred times. On 5 October 1960, he was awarded the People's Artist Prize. In 1960, he was named manager of the

Neustrelitz Neustrelitz (; ) is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District. From 1738 until 1918 it was the capital o ...

Theater. In February 1962 he assumed the same duties in the Dresden Theater. Henneberg was removed from the latter post in October 1965, after the

Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Mar ...

disapproved of several plays he allowed to be performed and from the lack of cooperation with communist writers. He was criticized for lacking "socialist ardor," and had to announce that he left due to "failing to make a contribution to Socialist dramaturgy." Henneberg returned to Neustrelitz, where he remained as manager until 1968. He continued to direct plays and to perform in the Maxim Gorky Theater until the 1980s, and made his last appearance on stage in Dresden in 1997. Beside his theatrical work, he also appeared in some sixty cinema and television productions, mostly East German ones. He is mostly remembered for portraying

Wilhelm Keitel Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (; 22 September 188216 October 1946) was a German field marshal who held office as chief of the (OKW), the high command of Nazi Germany's armed forces, during World War II. He signed a number of criminal ...

in all of Yuri Ozerov's World War II films and for making several guest appearances in the popular crime drama ''

Polizeiruf 110 ''Polizeiruf 110'' ("Police call 110") is a long-running German-language detective television series. The name refers to the emergency telephone number of the ''Volkspolizei''. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic ...

''. After a prolonged illness, Henneberg died on New Year's Day 2011.

Partial filmography

* ''Hexen'' (1954) - Staudten-Enderlein * '' Heimliche Ehen'' (1956) - Fischer * ''

Thomas Müntzer Thomas Müntzer ( – 27 May 1525) was a German preacher and theologian of the early Reformation whose opposition to both Martin Luther and the Catholic Church led to his open defiance of late-feudal authority in central Germany. Müntzer was f ...

'' (1956) - Evangelischer Pfarrer * '' Das tapfere Schneiderlein'' (1956) - Schatzmeister Gier * '' Die Millionen der Yvette'' (1956) - Offizier * ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...

'' (1957) - Herrick * '' Lissy'' (1957) - Staudinger * ''

Berlin – Ecke Schönhauser… ''Berlin, Schoenhauser Corner'' () is an East German crime film directed by Gerhard Klein. It was released in 1957. Plot summary Dieter, Angela, Kohle and Karl-Heinz are part of a group of delinquent youths who prowl Schönhauser Allee, in Berl ...

'' (1957) - Amerikaner * ''

Spielbank-Affäre ''Spielbank-Affäre'' is an East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 Oc ...

'' (1957) - Reporter * '' Der Fackelträger'' (1957) - Schulze IV * ''Die Schönste'' (1957) * ''Tilman Riemenschneider'' (1958) - Fürstbischoff Konrad von Thüringen * '' Im Sonderauftrag'' (1959) - Hafenkommandant * '' Ware für Katalonien'' (1959) - Geschäftsführer * ''

Thirty Cases of Major Zeman ''Thirty Cases of Major Zeman'' (''Třicet případů majora Zemana'') is a Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Czechoslovak action-drama television show intended as a political propaganda to support the official image and attitude of the Communist ...

'' (1961) - 1. Herr in der S-Bahn * ''Nebel'' (1963) - Prosecutor * '' Frozen Flashes'' (1967) - Speer * ''

Ways across the Country ''Ways across the Country'' (German language, German: ''Wege übers Land'') is a 1968 East Germany, East German television miniseries, directed by Martin Ackermann. Plot Episode I November 1939. Gertrud Habersaat is a maid in the house of the Leß ...

'' (1968, TV Mini-Series) - Erster Offizier in Krakau * ''Das siebente Jahr'' (1969) - Oberarzt * ''Verdacht auf einen Toten'' (1969) - Hendrik Jahn * '' Liberation I: The Fire Bulge'' (1970) - Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel * '' Liberation II: Breakthrough'' (1970) - Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel * '' Liberation III: Direction of the Main Blow'' (1971) - Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel * '' Liberation IV: The Battle of Berlin'' (1971) - Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel * '' Trotz alledem!'' (1972) * ''Leichensache Zernik'' (1972) - (uncredited) * ''Chyornye sukhari'' (1972) * ''Nakovalnya ili chuk'' (1972) - Reichsminister Konstantin von Neurath * ''

'' (1972–1990, TV Series) - Alfred Ditsch / Dr. Bokelch / Arzt * ''Goroda i gody'' (1974) - Gubernator * ''Istoki'' (1974) - Posol * ''Den, ktory neumrie'' (1974) - generál Höffle * ''

Soldiers of Freedom ''Soldiers of Freedom'' () is a four-part 1977 film epic directed by Yuri Ozerov and starring Mikhail Ulyanov, Yevgeny Matveyev, Vasily Lanovoy. It is a World War II historical drama and the sequel to 1970-71's '' Liberation''. Plot The film ...

'' (1977, TV Mini-Series) - Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (1977) * ''Fleur Lafontaine'' (1978) - Oberstabsarzt von Wirsing * ''Für Mord kein Beweis'' (1979) - Dr. Helmissen * ''

Bürgschaft für ein Jahr The ''Bank guarantee case'' or ''Bürge'' (19 October 1993) BVerfGis a German contract law case, concerning the interpretation of private law, and particularly the law of contract, in a way that is compatible with basic human rights principles. It ...

'' (1981) * ''Little Alexander'' (1981) - Loberg * ''Dein unbekannter Bruder'' (1982) - Kommissar Bolten * ' (1985) * ''

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II, between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated H ...

'' (1985) - Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel * ' (1987) - Zweiter Angestellter des Instituts * ''Ich liebe dich - April! April!'' (1988) - Prof. Stein * ' (1989) - Alter Mann * ''

Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...

'' (1989) - Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel * ''Angely smerti'' (1993) - Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (final film role)

Biography

Partial filmography

References

External links