Hannes Messemer
Encyclopedia
Hannes Messemer was a German
actor best known for his role as the commandant in The Great Escape
(1963). The movie had a star-studded cast, but it was the relatively unknown Messemer 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."
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 died of a heart attack in Aachen
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actor best known for his role as the commandant in The Great Escape
The Great Escape (film)
The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
(1963). The movie had a star-studded cast, but it was the relatively unknown Messemer who uttered the film's most famous line (to Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
/Capt. Hilts): "It looks, after all, as if you will see Berlin before I do."
Born in Dillingen an der Donau, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Messemer served on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was eventually captured by Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
soldiers. He died of a heart attack in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
.
Filmography
- 1956 : Rose BerndRose Bernd (film)Rose Bernd is a 1957 German drama film directed by Wolfgang Staudte. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Maria Schell - Rose Bernd* Raf Vallone - Arthur Streckmann* Käthe Gold - Henriette Flamm* Leopold Biberti - Christoph Flamm...
- 1957 : Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam
- 1957 : Der Arzt von Stalingrad
- 1957 : Madeleine und der Legionär
- 1957 : Der gläserne Turm
- 1958 : TaigaTaiga (film)Taiga is an eight-hour documentary directed and photographed by Ulrike Ottinger.It focuses on the life and rituals of nomadic peoples in Northern Mongolia, specifically the Darkhad nomads and the Sojon Urinjanghai.-External links:*...
- 1959 : Babette Goes to War
- 1959 : Menschen im Netz
- 1959 : General della RovereGeneral della RovereGeneral della Rovere is a 1959 Italian film directed by Roberto Rossellini. The film is based on a novel by Indro Montanelli which was in turn based on a true story.-Plot:...
- 1959 : Twelve Hours by the Clock
- 1959 : Ein Tag, der nie zu Ende geht
- 1960 : Das kunstseidene MädchenDas Kunstseidene MädchenThe High Life is a 1960 French, West German and Italian film directed by Julien Duvivier.-Plot:Doris Putzke is fond of dating men in her quest for finding the perfect one. In her brief relationships, Doris is engaged, disturbing the relationships of her closest acquaintances while seeking...
- 1960 : Escape by Night
- 1960 : Die Rote Hand
- 1960 : Die Brücke des Schicksals
- 1960 : Auf Engel schießt man nicht
- 1961 : Der Transport
- 1962 : Liebe im September
- 1963 : The Great EscapeThe Great Escape (film)The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
- 1963 : Mission to Venice
- 1963 : Die Legende vom heiligen Trinker
- 1966 : Lautlose Waffen
- 1966 : Grieche sucht Griechin
- 1966 : Der Kongreß amüsiert sich
- 1966 : The DefectorThe Defector (film)The Defector is a 1966 thriller film, starring Montgomery Clift, Roddy McDowell and Macha Meril. It was directed by Belgian director/producer Raoul Lévy.-Plot:...
- 1966 : Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning? is a 1966 film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by rival branches of the French Resistance and the Free French Forces.-Plot:...
- 1968 : König Richard II
- 1974 : The ODESSA FileThe ODESSA File (film)The Odessa File is a 1974 film adaptation of the thriller novel by Frederick Forsyth, about a struggle between a young German reporter and the ODESSA, an organization for ex-Nazis. The film stars Jon Voight and was directed by Ronald Neame, with a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber.- Plot :The plot opens...
- 1974 : Wer stirbt schon gerne unter Palmen?
- 1977 : Die Dämonen
- 1977 : Onkel Silas
- 1978 : Union der festen Hand
- 1978 : DerrickDerrick (TV series)Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a...
- Season 5, Episode 2: "Tod eines Fans" - 1980 : DerrickDerrick (TV series)Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a...
- Season 7, Episode 6: "Die Entscheidung" - 1981 : Frau Jenny TreibelFrau Jenny TreibelFrau Jenny Treibel is a German novel published in 1892 by Theodor Fontane.- Plot :The primary subject of the novel revolves around two Berlin families. One is the upper-class Treibel family consisting of the Councillor of commerce and his wife, Frau Jenny, as well as their sons Otto and Leopold....
- 1982 : Flüchtige Bekanntschaften
- 1983 : Die Geschwister Oppermann
- 1983 : Diese DrombuschsDiese DrombuschsDiese Drombuschs is a German television series....
- 1983 : DerrickDerrick (TV series)Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a...
- Season 10, Episode 07: "Lohmanns innerer Frieden" - 1989 : Langusten