Günter Meisner
| Günter Meisner | |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 April 1926 Bremen, Germany |
| Died | 5 December 1994 (aged 68) Berlin, Germany |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–1994 |
| Spouse(s) | Gisela Albrecht Meisner (?-1994) (his death) |
Günter Meisner (18 April 1926 – 5 December 1994) was a German TV and film character actor. He is remembered for his several cinematic portrayals of Adolf Hitler and for his role as Mr. Slugworth in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He was fluent in four languages and appeared in many English-language, German-language and French-language films.
Born in Bremen, Meisner briefly worked at a steel foundry before training as a radio operator with the Luftwaffe's Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers). After the war, though he was interested in a career in sculpture and painting, in 1948 he switched to drama and studied under Gustaf Gründgens at Düsseldorf's State Conservatory, where he also got his first job at the local Schauspielhaus.
Meisner often played Nazi officers and other sinister characters. He portrayed Hitler in the 1982 Franco-German action comedy, L'as des as (Ace of Aces), and in the ABC television miniseries, The Winds of War. He also appeared in the CBS miniseries, Blood and Honor and the ITV's, Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years.
Other films Meisner took part in were Is Paris Burning?, The Quiller Memorandum, Funeral in Berlin, and The Boys from Brazil. He was Mr. Slugworth/Mr. Wilkinson in the 1971 film version of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He also appeared in several television commercials.
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