Hans-Joachim Preil
| Hans-Joachim Preil | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 26, 1923 Köslin, Weimar Republic |
| Died | November 2, 1999 (aged 76) Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany |
| Occupation | comedian, actor |
| Years active | 1939 - 1991 |
Hans-Joachim Preil (June 26, 1923 – November 2, 1999) was an East German comedian.
Preil begun studying acting at 1939. He later appeared on the stages of theaters in Quedlinburg, Aschersleben, Bernburg and Magdeburg. During 1951, he met fellow actor Rolf Herricht. The two founded a comedy duo, 'Herricht & Preil', making their first sketch, 'The Chess Match', in 1953. In their act, Herricht was the 'comic' while Preil served as the 'straight man'. During the 1950s, Preil worked as artistic director in the theaters of Magdeburg and Bernburg, while continuing to perform in sketches with Herricht. By 1959, Deutscher Fernsehfunk had broadcast one of their acts, which was highly successful with the audience. They began appearing regularly on television, and turned to the most recognized comedians of the German Democratic Republic.
During the 1960s, the pair appeared in two DEFA comedy films the plot of which centered around their comical skills: the first one, Hands Up, Or I'll Shoot (1966), that portrayed Herricht as a mentally unstable detective called Holmes and Preil as an antique expert, was banned by the 11th Plenum of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany for being deemed critical of the law enforcement system, and only released in 2009. The second, My Friend Sybille (1967), presented the two as a junior and senior travel guides in a cruise at the Black Sea. In addition to his acting career, he also worked as an assistant-director in the Babelsberg Studios of DEFA, and wrote several plays for theater.
Preil was awarded the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic on 13 May 1977.
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