Thomas Fritsch (16 January 1944 – 21 April 2021) was a German film, television and dubbing actor and schlager singer. He was regarded as the "Sonnyboy" ^[a] in the German cinema of the 1960s, ^[2] and became one of the best-known actors by his presence in television series. ^[2] Later, he was the German voice of Russell Crowe, of Scar in The Lion King, and of Diego, a Smilodon, in Ice Age.

Life

Fritsch was born in Dresden, the son of famous actor Willy Fritsch and dancer Dinah Grace [ de]. ^[2] The family moved to Hamburg after World War II. ^[3] Director and actor Gustaf Gründgens encouraged the 16-year-old Thomas to become an actor. ^[2] He trained at an acting school in Hamburg-Pöseldorf for three years. ^[4]

He played his first film role in the 1962 Austrian Julia, Du bist zauberhaft at age 17, ^[2] alongside Lilli Palmer. He starred opposite Daliah Lavi in Das schwarz-weiß-rote Himmelbett [ de], and became a favourite of teenagers. ^[2] He was frequently featured as the cover image of the Bravo youth magazine. ^[4] He played in And So to Bed [ de] in 1963, alongside Hildegard Knef. ^[3] In 1964, he appeared in his only film together with his father, Das hab ich von Papa gelernt. ^[4] He played two more times with his father, in ZDF television shows, Das gibts doch zweimal in 1965, and Andere Zeiten, andere Sitten. Die Thomas-Fritsch-Show in 1967. ^[3] He had film roles in Drei Männer in Santa Cruz, Onkel Toms Hütte, and played one of the three men in the title of Drei Männer im Schnee, among many others. ^[5]

In the 1970s, Fritsch appeared in the television series Der Kommissar and Derrick several times. From 1977, Fritsch appeared in a leading role in the popular series Drei sind einer zuviel [ de] (Three are one too many) by Barbara Noack, portraying a man in a love triangle story. It made him one of Germany's most popular actors. ^[3] He also starred in the television series Rivalen der Rennbahn (1989). ^[2] In 2004, he made a return to cinema when he appeared as the villainous Earl of Cockwood in Der Wixxer, a comedy which spoofed the German Edgar Wallace films of the 1960s. ^[6]

Fritsch became known as a voice actor. He was the German voice of Russell Crowe in Gladiator, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Proof of Life. ^[4] He starred voicing Scar in the German version of The Lion King in 1994, ^[7] and voiced many other animated lions as well, and Diego, a Smilodon, in Ice Age and sequels, beginning in 2002. ^{[2] [5]} In the 2000s, he replaced the late Joachim Kemmer as Lumiere for the "Human Again" DVD feature of Beauty and the Beast. ^[2] His last role was the narrator in the 2018 children's film Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer [ de], an adaption of Michael Ende's Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver. ^[5]

Private life and death

Fritsch divided his time between his home in Munich and his home on the Greek island of Mykonos. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1990. ^[8] In 2006, Fritsch revealed he was bisexual. ^[9] In 2019, it was announced that Fritsch was diagnosed with dementia and was living in an assisted living facility. ^[10]

Fritsch died on 21 April 2021 in Berlin, aged 77. ^{[2] [5] [11]} He was given a burial at sea near the island of Sylt. ^[12]

Films

Actor

Fritsch played in films and television (TV) series, including: ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Voice

Fritsch voiced the following productions, among others: ^[16]

Awards

• 1963: Bambi Award, Bambi Award 1963 [ de], as the best newcomer for Das schwarz-weiß-rote Himmelbett ^[17]
• 2002: Deutscher Preis für Synchron [ de] for Second Chance – Alles wird gut ^{[18] [19]}

Notes

References

External links

• Thomas Fritsch at IMDb
• Synchronsprecher Russell Crowe – Thomas Fritsch (in German) synchronsprecher.de 21 April 2021