Klaus Havenstein
Encyclopedia
Klaus Havenstein was a German actor
, cabaret
artist, dubbing
artist and television presenter.
Klaus Havenstein grew up in Hamburg
, where he started an apprenticeship as a retail
salesman in 1937. At the same time, against his father's wishes, he took acting lessons from a private teacher.
In 1939 Havenstein was called up
to the Wehrmacht
where he joined the artillery
. He took part in the Battle of France
, in the occupation of Greece
and in the war against Russia
.
In 1945 he was captured as an American prisoner of war
. The Americans recognised his talent and brought him to a special camp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
to entertain imprisoned officers. There, he was discovered as a theatre actor, and it was in the Garmisch theatre that he first appeared on stage, promoted by the famous German actor Hans Söhnker
among others.
In the 1950s and 1960s Havenstein was known all over Germany. Along with Ursula Herking
, Dieter Hildebrandt
and Oliver Hassencamp, the cabaret artist created a form of sharp-tongued, provocative entertainment of a kind never seen before. In 1956 he was among the founders of the ensemble München Lach- und Schießgesellschaft, literally "Munich laughter and shooting club" - a mixed-up version of Wach- und Schließgesellschaft ("security company"). In 1972 Havenstein left the group but remained active on television and radio.
Havenstein married in 1958; his wife's name was Marina.
In 1968 Havenstein played the voice of King Louie
in the dubbed
German
version of the Walt Disney
film The Jungle Book
. He dubbed all the spoken and sung parts. Other voices he dubbed included those of Michel Galabru
(Le Gendarme de St. Tropez), Gene Wilder
(Frankenstein Junior, the German version of Young Frankenstein
), Jack Lemmon
(Mister Roberts), Alberto Sordi
(Vitelloni) and Peter Ustinov
.
Havenstein also presented popular children's television programmes such as "Sport-Spiel-Spannung" ("sports, games, fun") and "Zwei aus einer Klasse" ("two from one school class"). He acted in films and began to work with the Bavaria
n broadcasting company Bayerischer Rundfunk
. This work lasted a long time: he made around 3,000 programmes over 46 years. One of the highlights of this work was his co-production of the children's series "Jeremias Schrumpelhut", in which he spoke all 50 roles himself. In 1996 he stopped working as a radio presenter to make way for younger blood.
From 1990 to 1992 Havenstein directed the festival in Bad Vilbel
.
Later, he took on guest roles in various television programmes such as Rudis Tagesshow with Rudi Carrell
, where he entertained the crowd along with Diether Krebs
and Beatrice Richter.
Klaus Havenstein died in spring 1998 of a heart condition and was buried in Munich's Nordfriedhof cemetery.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
artist, dubbing
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
artist and television presenter.
Klaus Havenstein grew up in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where he started an apprenticeship as a retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
salesman in 1937. At the same time, against his father's wishes, he took acting lessons from a private teacher.
In 1939 Havenstein was called up
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
to the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
where he joined the artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. He took part in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, in the occupation of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and in the war against Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
In 1945 he was captured as an American prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. The Americans recognised his talent and brought him to a special camp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
to entertain imprisoned officers. There, he was discovered as a theatre actor, and it was in the Garmisch theatre that he first appeared on stage, promoted by the famous German actor Hans Söhnker
Hans Söhnker
Hans Söhnker was a German film actor. He appeared in 105 films between 1933 and 1980.He was born in Kiel, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Faithful * Beloved Corinna...
among others.
In the 1950s and 1960s Havenstein was known all over Germany. Along with Ursula Herking
Ursula Herking
Ursula Herking was a German film actress. She appeared in over 130 films between 1933 and 1972.She was born in Dessau, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:...
, Dieter Hildebrandt
Dieter Hildebrandt
Dieter Hildebrandt is a German Kabarett artist.Born in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Hildebrandt attended school until he became an assistant for the German Air Force in World War II...
and Oliver Hassencamp, the cabaret artist created a form of sharp-tongued, provocative entertainment of a kind never seen before. In 1956 he was among the founders of the ensemble München Lach- und Schießgesellschaft, literally "Munich laughter and shooting club" - a mixed-up version of Wach- und Schließgesellschaft ("security company"). In 1972 Havenstein left the group but remained active on television and radio.
Havenstein married in 1958; his wife's name was Marina.
In 1968 Havenstein played the voice of King Louie
King Louie
King Louie is a fictional orangutan who kidnaps Mowgli in Disney's 1967 animated musical adaptation of The Jungle Book. He is voiced by Louis Prima in the film and therefore has his same mannerisms...
in the dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version of the Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
film The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
. He dubbed all the spoken and sung parts. Other voices he dubbed included those of Michel Galabru
Michel Galabru
Michel Louis Edmond Galabru is a French actor born on 27 October 1922 in Safi, Morocco.-Career:Over the course of his career, Galabru appeared in over 200 movies and worked with such renowned directors as Bertrand Blier, Costa-Gavras, Luc Besson , and Jean-Luc Godard...
(Le Gendarme de St. Tropez), Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder is an American stage and screen actor, director, screenwriter, and author.Wilder began his career on stage, making his screen debut in the film Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. His first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1968 film The Producers...
(Frankenstein Junior, the German version of Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard...
), Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
(Mister Roberts), Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
(Vitelloni) and Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
.
Havenstein also presented popular children's television programmes such as "Sport-Spiel-Spannung" ("sports, games, fun") and "Zwei aus einer Klasse" ("two from one school class"). He acted in films and began to work with the 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...
n broadcasting company Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] is the public broadcasting authority for the German Freistaat of Bavaria, with its main offices located in Munich. BR is a member of ARD.- Legal foundation :...
. This work lasted a long time: he made around 3,000 programmes over 46 years. One of the highlights of this work was his co-production of the children's series "Jeremias Schrumpelhut", in which he spoke all 50 roles himself. In 1996 he stopped working as a radio presenter to make way for younger blood.
From 1990 to 1992 Havenstein directed the festival in Bad Vilbel
Bad Vilbel
Bad Vilbel is a spa town with many mineral waters. Bad Vilbel is the town with the most inhabitants in the Wetteraukreis district in Hessen, Germany. The city center of Bad Vilbel is located 8 km northeast of the center of Frankfurt am Main...
.
Later, he took on guest roles in various television programmes such as Rudis Tagesshow with Rudi Carrell
Rudi Carrell
Rudi Carrell , born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar, was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters, Linda de Mol and Sylvie van der Vaart, Carrell was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in Germany.He worked as a television entertainer and hosted his...
, where he entertained the crowd along with Diether Krebs
Diether Krebs
Diether Krebs was a German actor, cabaret artist and comedian.-Youth and initial success:...
and Beatrice Richter.
Klaus Havenstein died in spring 1998 of a heart condition and was buried in Munich's Nordfriedhof cemetery.
Source
- Much of this article was translated from the German version of February 2007.