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Dietmar Schönherr
Schönleiten, Dietmar Edler von (Birth name)
actor, singer, writer, Moderator
* 17.05.1926
† 18.07.2014
Schönherr’s career began in 1944, when he played the role of an arrogant youth in the National Socialist propaganda film ‘Junge Adler’ ? a work for which Alfred Weidenmann and Herbert Reinecker were responsible. Schönherr made his name as an actor in German postwar cinema and as the German dubbing voice for James Dean and Steve McQueen. He shifted his work to television in the 1960s. In the process Schönherr became extremely popular, especially by playing the role of Commander McLane in ‘Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffs Orion’ (1966).
About the Estate
Finding Aid (PDF)Schönherr’s television career was accompanied by scandals, triggered by the broadcast formats or his behaviour as a moderator. Entertainment show playbooks for ‘Wünsch Dir Was’ (1969–72), which he co-moderated with Vivi Bach, and a notebook with questions for the first talk show on German television (‘Je später der Abend’, 1969–72) document preparations for show appearances. The Swiss television programme ‘Rendez-vous’ (1981) was cancelled after only one episode because Schönherr insulted US President Ronald Reagan on camera. A collection of numerous letters show how much he polarized audiences with his appearances. Handmade fan books and proposed ideas for entertainment shows, declarations of friendship and encouragement, but also wild insults and threats stand for the social and media projection surface that Schönherr personified.
As collected press clippings indicate, ‘Kain’, a film he wrote and directed, also caused divided reactions, because Schönherr focused on the German National Socialist past and the present-day divided country in 1973. The film was accepted into the Cannes Film Festival programme.
This archive reflects Schönherr’s conception of himself as a multifaceted artist. Treatments, notes and correspondence related to novels, film scripts, films and television formats, as well as a children’s book he wrote and illustrated, can all be found. Alongside his work in film and television, Schönherr was also shaped by his political and social engagement. In 1985, together with Peter Reichelt, he set up the Stiftung Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe (an aid organization with an emphasis on self-help), through which Schönherr mainly committed himself to social work in Nicaragua. The holdings in the archive came into the Kinemathek through Reichelt in 2018. (Text: Georg Simbeni)
- Content
- Paper documents, Photography
- Description
- Approximate 3.6 Shelf metres
- Inv. No.
- 201802
- Credit Line
- Dietmar-Schönherr-Archiv, Deutsche Kinemathek
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Junge Adler (D 1943, Regie: Alfred Weidenmann), Einladungskarte, 24.05.1944
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Klasse im Saal, Junge Adler (D 1943, Regie: Alfred Weidenmann), Fotografie, ca. 1943
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Im Sand mit Hund, Junge Adler (D 1943, Regie: Alfred Weidenmann), Fotografie, ca. 1943
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'Der Pimpf', Junge Adler (D 1943, Regie: Alfred Weidenmann), Zeitschrift, Reichsjugendführung, März 1944
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Fotografie 'x49 v. B', Junge Adler (D 1943, Regie: Alfred Weidenmann), Werkfotografie, ca. 1943
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Fotografie 'x41 v. B', Junge Adler (D 1943, Regie: Alfred Weidenmann), Werkfotografie, ca. 1943
Verwandte Personenarchive
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Herbert Reinecker
1914–2007
Script, Photography, Small object, Literature, Paper documents
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Alfred Weidenmann
1916–2000
Photography
More
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Visit the Archive
More informationYou can use our collections for scholarly work, curatorial and publication research, or personal interest at no cost. Please get in touch with us in advance to schedule your visit. We look forward to welcoming you to our reading room.
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Get in touch
- for research
- for image use
- to schedule a visit to our reading room
- for all other questions, suggestions, and requests
Christiane Grün
+49 30 300903-45
cgruen@deutsche-kinemathek.deGunnar Gutschmidt
+49 30 300903-45
ggutschmidt@deutsche-kinemathek.de