Jan Heinrich Tilman Kiwe (born Eduard Heinrich Kiefer), also known as ''Til Kiver'' or ''Till Kiwe'', (b. 7 June 1910 in

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

; d. 30 November 1995 in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

) was a German

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

voice actor Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

and

screenwriter 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 ...

who also was an

ethnologist Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Scien ...

and highly decorated army officer and

POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...

. Thus, he often played soldiers, like a German guard in '' The Great Escape'' in 1963.

Early life

Jan Heinrich Tilman Kiwe was born in Aachen on 7 June 1910. He trained as an actor as well as receiving singing instruction at the Conservatory in Aachen. In 1934, he passed his ''

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

'', a German

Matriculation examination A matriculation examination or matriculation exam is a university entrance examination, which is typically held towards the end of secondary school. After passing the examination, a student receives a School leaving qualification, school leaving ce ...

. From 1934 to 1937 he studied

ethnology Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Sci ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

and

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, USA, as well as acting, under Swiss actor Adolf Manz and at the "Studio of Dramatic Art". Before the

Second World War 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 ...

broke out, he made several overseas trips, among them was an expedition to the

Tibesti Mountains The Tibesti Mountains are a mountain range in the central Sahara, primarily located in the extreme north of Chad, with a small portion located in southern Libya. The highest peak in the range, Emi Koussi, lies to the south at a height of and i ...

French Chad Chad was a part of the French colonial empire from 1900 to 1960. Colonialism, Colonial rule under the French began in 1900 when the Military Territory of Chad was established. From 1905, Chad was linked to the federation of French colonial poss ...

in 1938.

Military service

During the

, Kiefer served in the ''Luftwaffes ''

Fallschirmjäger The () were the airborne forces branch of the Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They were commanded by Kurt Student, the Luftwaffe's second-in-comman ...

'' (paratroops). Between 1941 and 1942, he was in the elite 1st Parachute Division, which was part of

Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...

, during the

invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...

. In late 1942, Kiefer was transferred to the

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

fighting in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. There he served as a

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

in the 4th Panzerjäger Company, part of the Hermann Goring Division's Reconnaissance Battalion. He became a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

when all Axis forces in North Africa surrendered in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

on 12 May 1943. Six days after becoming a POW, Kiefer was awarded the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

. He was sent to a POW camp in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, USA. It was from there he made several escape attempts. On one occasion, Kiefer made it as far as

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

by train before he was recaptured. After escaping from a prison camp in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, Kiefer made it all the way to the Mexican border before being caught. He was repatriated to Germany after the war.

Acting career

In post-war Germany Kiefer changed his name to Til Kiwe. In 1946 debuted in Munich as an actor at the experimental theatre ''Die Spieler'' ("The Players"). Kiwe acted in Munich until 1972, mainly at the ''Junges Theater'' ("Young Theatre"), the

Munich Kammerspiele The Munich Kammerspiele (German: Münchner Kammerspiele) is a state-funded German-language theater company based at the ''Schauspielhaus'' on Maximilianstraße (Munich), Maximilianstrasse in the Bavarian capital. The company currently has three ...

and the ''Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel'' ("Bavarian State Playhouse"). Among the roles that he played were Ruprecht in '' The Broken Jug'', Leander in

Franz Grillparzer Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna. He ...

's ''Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen'' (''"Waves of the Sea and of Love"''), Eilif in ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' () is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical productions were produced in Switzerland and ...

'', Jim in '' The Glass Menagerie'', John Rand in

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of Naturalism (literature), literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into h ...

's ''Schluck and Jau'' and Professor Higgins in '' Pygmalion''. Kiwe likewise appeared in several '' Heimatfilme'' and repeatedly portrayed

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

officers, such as

Claus von Stauffenberg Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of Op ...

's adjutant Werner von Haeften in '' Jackboot Mutiny'' (German title: ''Es geschah am 20. Juli'' — "It Happened on 20 July"), and, in a supporting role in Bernhard Wicki's wartime drama ''

Die Brücke Die Brücke (The Bridge), also known as Künstlergruppe Brücke or KG Brücke, was a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905. The founding members were Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-R ...

'' ("The Bridge"), a lieutenant and bearer of the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cro ...

who in the war's dying days was rushing to keep ahead of the looming American advance. In '' Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen'', he played an SS officer. In the second part of

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 ...

's classic television series '' Am grünen Strand der Spree'', entitled "Der General", he is seen alongside Wolfgang Büttner, Hans Pössenbacher and Anneli Granget as Major Illing, stationed as part of a divisional staff in northern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Even though Kiwe was quite busy as an actor, he still found time to work as an

. He went travelling and in 1953–1954, he found himself in the

Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of , which increases to if the barre ...

, on

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

and on the

Mato Grosso Plateau Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...

. Further trips took him to

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

and once again to the Tibesti range. He recorded his impressions for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as producer and director for 17 documentary films, among others ''Wüste, Kupfer und die heilige Carmen''; ''Menschen, Technik und moderne Waffen''; ''Wege aus dem Dunkel''; ''The Call of the Condor''; ''Assuan und seine Folgen'' and ''Pearlstring of the Gods''. Beginning in 1972, Kiwe worked as a

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

and staged, among other plays, ''The Broken Jug'', ''Pygmalion'', ''Volpone'' and ''Finden Sie, dass Konstanze sich richtig verhält?'' ("Do You Find that Constance is Behaving Herself?"), based on

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

's ''

The Constant Wife ''The Constant Wife'', a play written in 1926 by W. Somerset Maugham, is a comedy whose modern and amusing take on marriage and infidelity gives a quick-witted, alternative view on how to deal with an extramarital affair. A "sparkling comedy o ...

''. From 1956 onwards, he was to be seen on television and played, among other roles, Superintendent Peters, alongside Josef Dahmen, in the crime series '' Hafenpolizei'' in 1963 for 39 episodes. He also wrote a few teleplays and screenplays, among them ''Auf den Wegen nach Rom'' (1959), ''Stahlschrank SG 3'' (1966) and ''Flut über Polesine'' (1967). As a voice actor he lent

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was an English actor, soldier, raconteur, memoirist and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. His accolades include an Academ ...

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939), ...

and Jean Marais his voice for German-language overdubs, and at the same time wrote

dubbing Dubbing (also known as re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and the video production process where supplementary recordings (known as doubles) are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production audio to cr ...

scripts and worked as a dubbing director.

Personal life

Til Kiwe was married and was father to a son and a daughter.

Death

Kiwe died at 85 in

. His grave is to be found at the city's ''Neuer Südfriedhof'' ("New South Cemetery").

Filmography

*1949: ''Das goldene Edelweiß'' - Thomas *1950: '' Who Drove the Grey Ford?'' - Polizeirat Proske *1951: ''Eva und der Frauenarzt'' - Fred *1951: '' Decision Before Dawn'' - Adjutant (uncredited) *1954: '' Prisoners of Love'' - Heinz *1955: '' Children, Mother, and the General'' - Werner *1955: '' The Blacksmith of St. Bartholomae'' - Ruppert *1955: '' Jackboot Mutiny'' - Oberleutnant v. Haeften *1955: ''Parole Heimat'' - Major Winston *1956: '' The Vulture Wally'' - Vinzenz *1956: '' Where the Ancient Forests Rustle'' - Eibl, Ingenieur *1957: ''Saranno uomini'' *1957: '' Der Stern von Afrika'' - Mansfeld *1958: '' The Doctor of Stalingrad'' - Sauerbrunn *1958: ''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

'' - Taras *1958: '' Der Schinderhannes'' - Gendarm Adam *1959: '' Rommel Calls Cairo'' - Amis *1959: ''

'' - Knight of the Iron Cross *1959: ''Der Schatz vom Toplitzsee'' - Harold Pfeifer, Löhdes Assistant *1959: '' The Cow and I'' - SS-Offizier #2 (uncredited) *1960: '' Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen'' - SS-Offizier Lothar *1960: '' Am grünen Strand der Spree'' (TV Mini-Series, part 2) - Major Illing, Ib *1961: ''Schiffer im Strom'' (TV Mini-Series, three parts) - Erwin Zell *1961: ''Treibjagd'' (TV Movie) - 1. Detektiv *1961: ''

One, Two, Three ''One, Two, Three'' is a 1961 American political comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, and written by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond. It is based on the 1929 Hungarian one-act play ''Egy, kettő, három'' by Ferenc Molnár, with a "plot borrowe ...

'' - Reporter *1961: ''Seit 5.45 Uhr wird zurückgeschossen'' - Narrator *1962: '' The Longest Day'' - Capt. Helmuth Lang (uncredited) *1963: '' The Great Escape'' - Frick *1963-1966: '' Hafenpolizei'' (TV Series) - Kommissar Peters *1964: '' Kommissar Freytag'' (TV Series, episode: "Der Schatten") - Kommissar Grosser *1964: ''Die fünfte Kolonne'' (TV Series, episode: "Eine Puppe für Klein-Helga") - Tirolerhut *1964: '' Massacre at Marble City'' - Fielding (voice, uncredited) *1964: ''Columbus – Bericht und Bildnis'' (TV Movie) - Zweiter Soldat *1965: '' Der Nachtkurier meldet…'' (TV Series, episode: "Bauherr Norske will keine Babys") - Herr Holger (uncredited) *1965: '' Black Eagle of Santa Fe'' (1965) - Blacky James (nvoice, uncredited) *1965: ''Gewagtes Spiel'' (TV Series, episode: "Das zweite Gesicht") - Lürsen *1966: ''Die rote Rosa'' (TV Movie) - Leutnant Liepmann *1966: '' Die seltsamen Methoden des Franz Josef Wanninger'' (TV Series) – Die Stute Flora *1967: ''Der Röhm-Putsch'' (TV Movie) - SA-Mann *1967: ''

How I Won the War ''How I Won the War'' is a 1967 British black comedy film directed and produced by Richard Lester and starring Michael Crawford, Jack MacGowran, Roy Kinnear, Lee Montague, and John Lennon in his only non-musical acting role. The screenplay was b ...

'' (1967) - Franz (uncredited) *1968: ''King Richard II'' (TV Movie) - Graf von Salisbury *1968: '' Graf Yoster'' (TV Series, part 11: "Wie macht man einen Krimi?") - Corsini *1968: '' Hannibal Brooks'' - Von Haller's Sergeant *1969: ''Ehepaar sucht gleichgesinntes'' - Arzt *1969: ''Stewardessen'' (TV Series) *1970–1971: '' Der Kurier der Kaiserin'' (two parts of this TV series) - Englischer Sergeant / Preußischer Offizier *1971: ''Welt Sex Report'' - Narrator *1973: ''Laß jucken Kumpel 2. Teil: Das Bullenkloster'' - Erwin Kutter (voice, uncredited) *1974: ''Liebesgrüße aus der Lederhose II. Teil: Zwei Kumpel auf der Alm'' - Erwin Kutter (voice) *1974: ''

The Odessa File ''The Odessa File'' is a thriller by English writer Frederick Forsyth, first published in 1972, about the adventures of a young German reporter attempting to discover the location of a former SS concentration-camp commander. The name ODESSA ...

'' - Medal Shop Proprietor *1975: ''Champagner aus dem Knobelbecher'' - Major von Horwitz *1976: '' The Eagle Has Landed'' - (uncredited) *1978: ''Die Anstalt'' - Notary *1979: ''Son of Hitler'' - Dr. Puttkamer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiwe, Til 1910 births 1995 deaths Actors from Aachen Artists from Aachen Fallschirmjäger of World War II German Army personnel of World War II German male actors German military officers German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States German screenwriters German theatre directors Luftwaffe personnel of World War II Male actors from North Rhine-Westphalia Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross