Hannes Messemer
| Hannes Messemer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Hans Edwin Messemer 17 May 1924 Dillingen an der Donau, Bavaria |
| Died | 2 November 1991 (aged 67) Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1956-1989 |
| Known for | The Great Escape |
| Spouse(s) | Monika Keusch (1985 -1991) (his death) Susanne Korda (1980-1981) (divorced) Rosel Schäfer (1952-1977) (divorced) (1 child) |
Hannes Messemer (17 May 1924 – 2 November 1991) was a German actor. Born in Dillingen an der Donau, Bavaria, Messemer served on the Eastern Front of World War II and was eventually captured by Soviet soldiers. He managed to escape and make it back to Germany on foot. After the war, Messemer tried his hand at several jobs, before falling into acting in 1946. With only his natural talent and no training, he successfully secured roles with several major theatre companies in Tübingen, Hamburg, Munich and Berlin in the following ten years.
His big break in films came with a role in Rose Bernd in 1956. He was then cast in the major role of Colonel Rossdorf in the production of The Devil Strikes at Night the following year - a role which saw him awarded a Best Actor accolade. A series of successful roles followed, including The Doctor of Stalingrad, Der Transport (Destination Death), Die Brücke des Schicksals and the comedy Babette Goes to War with Brigitte Bardot. He achieved critical international acclaim for his role as Colonel Muller in the Roberto Rossellini production of General della Rovere (1959), with the film winning the Golden Lion at Venice that year.
Messemer is probably best known for his role as Oberst von Luger, the Kommandant in The Great Escape (1963). The film had a star-studded cast, but it was Messemer, relatively unknown outside Europe, who uttered the film's most famous line (to Steve McQueen/Capt. Hilts): "It looks, after all, as if you will see Berlin before I do."
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