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Herbert Lichtenfeld (16 June 1927 in
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 ...
– 11 December 2001 in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
) was one of the most successful television
screenplay writer A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
s in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. He wrote over 300 film scripts. Many of his scripts were successful in Germany.


Life

After graduating in Leipzig, Lichtenfeld moved into the Federal Republic, and there worked as a reporter on several newspapers. In the 1960s he became the television correspondent for
Hörzu ''Hörzu'' () is a German weekly television listings magazine published in Hamburg. History and profile ''Hörzu'' first appeared in 1946 and was published by Axel Springer as the first radio program magazine to be produced in what was then t ...
magazine. At this time he started to write
radio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s and books. From 1968 he worked full-time as a
screenplay writer A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
. His first
television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
''Deutschlandreise'' (German Journey) (1970, co-production between NDR and
NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
) was awarded with the
Grimme-Preis The Grimme-Preis (Grimme Award), formerly known as the Adolf-Grimme-Preis, is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme. The Grimme Institute ...
. A little later he began a partnership with the then still unknown director
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...
. Together they developed a series about police detective Finke (
Klaus Schwarzkopf Klaus Schwarzkopf (18 December 1922, in Neuruppin – 21 June 1991, in Bochum) was a German actor. From 1971 until 1978 he starred in the Norddeutscher Rundfunk version of the popular television crime series '' Tatort''. He was also known as a res ...
) for the TV series ''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
''. These achieved ratings of over seventy per cent. The high point of this series was ''
Reifezeugnis is a 1977 German television film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and part of the television series. The film starred Nastassja Kinski in her first major role in a feature-length film, it was her breakthrough role that made her famous in Germany. ...
'' (1974) with
Nastassja Kinski Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (; née Nakszynski, ; born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. Her worldwide breakthrough was with '' Stay as You Are'' (1978). Sh ...
and Christian Quadflieg, about a relationship between a teacher and a pupil. While Wolfgang Petersen moved to the cinema and today works successfully in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
, Lichtenfeld remained a writer for television. Besides writing further ''Tatort'' scripts he wrote for other crime film series such as ''
The Old Fox ''Der Alte'' ("The Old One" or "The Old Fox") is a German crime drama series created by Helmut Ringelmann. It premiered on 11 April 1977 on ZDF. Since 1978 the series is part of the Friday Crime Night of the network. It depicts the crime-solvi ...
''. Also outside of the crime film genre he wrote numerous books, radio plays, television films and television series. Lichtenfeld's film scripts were always complex, with very precise dialogue, often not without a shot of irony.


''The Black Forest Clinic''

Lichtenfeld's greatest success was ''
The Black Forest Clinic ''The Black Forest Clinic'' (, ) is a German medical drama television series that was produced by and filmed in West Germany. The series was produced between 1984 and 1988 with the original airing being from October 2, 1985, to March 25, 1989, on ...
'' (''Die Schwarzwaldklinik''). Lichtenfeld is often called the inventor of ''The Black Forest Clinic''. But the idea to create a series in a hospital in the Black Forest was conceived by producer Wolfgang Rademann, who gave the screenplay writing job to Lichtenfeld. The series, featuring the white-coated Professor Brinkmann, attracted audiences of 25 million. Lichtenfeld wrote all the scripts for ''The Black Forest Clinic'', as well as his own series ''
Der Landarzt is a German television series that aired for 22 seasons from 1987 to 2013. During early seasons, the show revolves around country doctor Dr. Karsten Matthiesen who runs a practice in his Northern German hometown of Deekelsen with the help of h ...
'', centring on physician Dr. Matthiesen in the fictitious small town of Deekelsen in
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
. Lichtenfeld wrote all the episodes until 1997. In the early 1990s Lichtfeld was one of the most sought after screenwriters on German television. Among other series he wrote ''
Das Traumschiff ' ("The Dream Ship") is a German television drama series by ZDF. The series, about a cruise ship that travels to places around the world, debuted in 1981 and became one of the most-watched television shows in Germany. As of 2024, more than 100 e ...
'', and '' Hotel Paradies'' (1990), ''Unsere Hagenbecks'' (1991), '' Immer wieder Sonntag'' (1993-1995), '' Vater wider Willen'' (1995), and several successful television films. Lichtenfeld's final film, ''Jugendsünde'' (Youth Sin) appeared in 2000.


Selected filmography

*' ( ''Die Deutschlandreise'', dir. Sølve Kern, 1970, TV film) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...
, 1971, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...
, 1972, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...
, 1973, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...
, 1974, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Eine todsichere Sache'' (dir.
Thomas Fantl Thomas Fantl (9 December 1928 – 20 July 2001) was a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 23 films between 1964 and 1986. His 1964 film '' Time of the Innocent'' was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival. F ...
, 1974, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (dir.
Fritz Umgelter Fritz Umgelter (18 August 1922 – 9 May 1981) was a German television director, television writer, and film director. Umgelter worked mainly in television as both a writer and director. He received directing credit for 68 TV films or series, a ...
, 1975, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Tod eines Einbrechers'' (dir.
Rolf von Sydow Rolf von Sydow (18 June 1924 – 16 June 2019) was a German film director and author. Life Von Sydow worked as a film director in Germany. He married on three occasions. As an author, Sydow wrote several books and audible books. Works by Syd ...
, 1975, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...
, 1975, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (dir.
Fritz Umgelter Fritz Umgelter (18 August 1922 – 9 May 1981) was a German television director, television writer, and film director. Umgelter worked mainly in television as both a writer and director. He received directing credit for 68 TV films or series, a ...
, 1976, TV series episode) * (dir. Wolfgang Becker, 1976, TV series episode) * (dir.
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...
, 1977, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Spätlese'' (dir.
Wolfgang Staudte Wolfgang Staudte (9 October 1906 – 19 January 1984), born Georg Friedrich Staudte, was a German film director, script writer and actor. He was born in Saarbrücken. After 1945, Staudte also looked at German guilt in the cinema. Alongside ...
, 1977, TV series episode) *''
The Old Fox ''Der Alte'' ("The Old One" or "The Old Fox") is a German crime drama series created by Helmut Ringelmann. It premiered on 11 April 1977 on ZDF. Since 1978 the series is part of the Friday Crime Night of the network. It depicts the crime-solvi ...
: Lohngeld'' (dir. Dietrich Haugk, 1977, TV series episode) *''
The Old Fox ''Der Alte'' ("The Old One" or "The Old Fox") is a German crime drama series created by Helmut Ringelmann. It premiered on 11 April 1977 on ZDF. Since 1978 the series is part of the Friday Crime Night of the network. It depicts the crime-solvi ...
: Nachtmusik'' (dir. Helmut Ashley, 1978, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Lockruf'' (dir. Wolfgang Becker, 1978, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (dir. , 1978, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Schweigegeld'' (dir. , 1979, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Streifschuß'' (dir. , 1980, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Beweisaufnahme'' (dir. Peter Keglevic, 1981, TV series episode) *''Die Stunde des Löwen'' (dir. , 1982, TV film) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Kindergeld'' (dir. , 1982, TV series episode) *''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: Geburtstagsgrüße'' (dir.
Georg Tressler Georg Tressler (January 25, 1917 – January 6, 2007) was a Vienna-born Germany, German film actor and film director. Also known as George Tressler, Hans Tressler, Hans Dressler, Hans Georg Keil and Hans Sternbeck (per IMDb). The son of acto ...
, 1984, TV series episode) *''
The Black Forest Clinic ''The Black Forest Clinic'' (, ) is a German medical drama television series that was produced by and filmed in West Germany. The series was produced between 1984 and 1988 with the original airing being from October 2, 1985, to March 25, 1989, on ...
'' (1985–1989, TV series, 70 episodes) *''Mord im Spiel'' (dir. , 1985, TV film) *''
Der Landarzt is a German television series that aired for 22 seasons from 1987 to 2013. During early seasons, the show revolves around country doctor Dr. Karsten Matthiesen who runs a practice in his Northern German hometown of Deekelsen with the help of h ...
'' (1987–1996, TV series, 91 episodes) *''In guten Händen'' (dir.
Rolf von Sydow Rolf von Sydow (18 June 1924 – 16 June 2019) was a German film director and author. Life Von Sydow worked as a film director in Germany. He married on three occasions. As an author, Sydow wrote several books and audible books. Works by Syd ...
, 1988, TV film) *'' Hotel Paradies'' (1990, TV series, 27 episodes) *''Marx & Coca-Cola'' (dir. , 1991, TV film) *''Die Bank ist nicht geschädigt'' (dir. , 1991, TV film) *''Im Teufelskreis'' (dir. , 1993, TV film) *''Jugendsünde'' (dir. , 2000, TV film)


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lichtenfeld, Herbert 1927 births 2001 deaths German television writers German television show creators German male television writers 20th-century German screenwriters