Lukas Ammann (29 September 1912 – 3 May 2017) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

actor who appeared mainly in German and Swiss films and television shows. He continued to work steadily for over 60 years. He is best known for his title role in the German television series '' Graf Yoster''.

Early life

Lukas Amann's mother was a singer and his father a painter. After he saw Schiller's '' The Robbers'' at grammar school in Basel, he aspired to be an actor.Lukas Ammann 100 Jahre alt: Über der Rolle stehen
/ref> Starting in 1933 he attended the acting school of Max Reinhardt in Berlin. In 1934, he left Germany with Heinrich Gretler for Switzerland. Because of his Jewish mother, he was discriminated against even in Switzerland. In the beginning he worked in St. Gallen and later at the Schauspielhaus Zürich with Therese Giehse. In 1948, he participated under

Kurt Hirschfeld Kurt Hirschfeld (born 10 March 1902 in Lehrte, Germany; died 8 November 1964 in Zurich) was a German theater director and dramaturg in Zurich. Life and career Kurt Hirschfeld was born on 10 March 1902 in Lehrte, Lower Saxony, Germany to the J ...

in the role of the attorney in the premiere of ''Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti''. After World War II, Ammann belonged to the Ensemble of the theatre Kleine Freiheit in Munich. Guest performances and tours led him to stages in Austria, Scandinavia and the USA.

Cinematic career

Ammann began his film career in the 1939 Swiss movie '' Constable Studer'' after the novel of Friedrich Glauser, starring Heinrich Gretler. Beginning in the 1950s, he was successful especially on German Television. In 1961, he played in the series ''

Gestatten, mein Name ist Cox ''Gestatten, mein Name ist Cox'' ("Good Evening, My Name Is Cox") is a series of crime novels and audio dramas written by the Germany, German couple and , later also adapted to a television series and Hello, My Name is Cox, a movie. The series ...

'' with

Günter Pfitzmann Günter Pfitzmann (8 April 1924 – 30 May 2003) was a German film actor who appeared in more than 60 films between 1950 and 2001. He was born and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Only One Night'' (1950) * ''All Clues Lead ...

and Paul Edwin Roth. In 1963, he was one of the jurors in ', which was a remake of the American film '' 12 Angry Men'' for German television. In 1966, Ammann played in the first color-TV series ''

Adrian der Tulpendieb ''Adrian der Tulpendieb'' was a 1966 West German television series; the first that aired in full color. Six episodes were produced, which were based on the novel by Otto Rombach and directed by Dietrich Haugk. The official start of color telev ...

''. On top of that he appeared in series like ''

Das Kriminalmuseum ''Das Kriminalmuseum'' was a German television series. It ran from 1963 to 1970 on ZDF and was one of its first programs. Each episode began with a tracking shot through an unspecified crime museum, stopping at one of the displays, whose story w ...

'', ', '' Der Forellenhof'' and '' Der Kommissar''. In 1973, the horror movie '' Mark of the Devil Part II'' depicted him as tortured to death. Between 1967 and 1977 he achieved great popularity in his most famous role in the German detective series '' Graf Yoster'', where he played the main part of the same name. From 1994 to 2000, Ammann played a family patriarch in the television series ''Die Fallers''. In 1998, he played a purported survivor of the Holocaust in Dani Levy's film ''

Meschugge ''Meschugge'' (English title: ''The Giraffe'') is a 1998 German thriller film directed by Dani Levy and set during World War II. The German title roughly translates as "crazy". The English title refers to the nickname of a character who was once ...

''. In 2005, at age 92, he played Abi Golstein in Micha Lewinsky's Swiss short film ''Herr Goldstein''. It won an award for best Swiss short film at the Locarno International Film Festival. Ammann lent his voice in German dubbing Peter Sellers (in '' John and Julie'', 1955) and Lucky Luke (in the animated film '' Daisy Town'', 1971). In 2013, he worked again, aged 101, with the director

Ronnie R. Vogt Ronnie may refer to: * Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album ''Load'' * Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadiu ...

on the movie ''Reunion Solitaire''.

Personal life

Lukas Ammann lived in Munich. After two failed marriages, he married German soprano

Liselotte Ebnet Liselotte Ebnet, also Ammann-Ebnet (11 February 1932 – 25 September 2009) was a German operetta soprano and mezzo soprano, as well as an actress and dubbing artist. Ebnet was the third wife of the actor Lukas Ammann Lukas Ammann (29 Septemb ...

in 1959; she died in 2009. As of 2015, he still ran his household by himself and also drove his car. He died in May 2017 at the age of 104 from complications from surgery.

Filmography

References

External links