Dieter Laser

Klaus Dieter Laser(17 February 1942 – 29 February 2020) was a German actor.Laser's career spanned over five decades, appearing in both German and English-language productions. He achieved recognition for his lead role in the 2009 filmThe Human Centipede (First Sequence)and also starred in thethird entryin 2015. On television, he had a recurring role onLexxfrom 1998 to 2000.

Dieter Laser
Dieter Laser in April 2010
Born	(1942-02-17)17 February 1942 Kiel,Germany
Died	29 February 2020(2020-02-29)(aged 78) Berlin,Germany
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1968–2020

Biography

Laser was born in 1942 as the second child of his parents Oskar and Lore Laser. His older sister Heidi was also born in Kiel in 1939; she died on November 3, 1987.Dieter Laser spent his first year of life inLaboenear Kiel. When he was born, his father was an officer in the GermanWehrmachtinFrance.In recognition of the invention of a new type of anchor that would enable landing craft to land even in high waves, he was transferred, at his request, to a unit that was building bunkers forU-boatsin the port of Kiel after a visit to theFührer's headquartersin Berlin.This meant that he could spend almost a year with his wife and two children. Afterwards, Oskar Laser was ordered to theEastern Frontand was killed on 16 June 1943 near Orel,Soviet Union,during a "suicide mission",to which he had been assigned because of hisChristianbeliefs.At this time, Dieter Laser was barely 18 months old.

Dieter Laser was meanwhile evacuated from Laboe with his mother and sister due to constantair raids on Kiel.After several stops, the family came toRothenburg ob der Tauber,where they experienced the end of the war in April 1945 under dramatic circumstances.Dieter Laser was rescued with his mother and sister byAmericansoldiers from a burningair raid shelter.The three-year-old had been lying there next to aTBpatient and also fell ill. The illness worsened so much that Dieter Laser had to be admitted to a hospital inKonstanz.After some time, with the support of a Christian community inHamburg,his mother was able to take him to a home for children suffering from tuberculosis inBeatenberginSwitzerland.After he had recovered there, the family moved back to Rothenburg and from there to Hamburg via an apartment swap.

Dieter Laser grew up in Hamburg. His family belonged to a Christian community in which the only reading material permitted was theLuther Bible.He rejected the Christian faith and made a "contract with the devil" at the age of 14: "You will pay - but you will pay later."After he had to leave theGymnasiumshortly before hisAbiturat the instigation of his mother, "because studying spoils faith", he left his parents' home and went into hiding in Hamburg. During his acting training he worked as an extra at theDeutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburgand as a hotel servant, but dropped out of his studies in 1960 after one year and despite passing the state intermediate examination.

In 1961, Laser, who continued to secretly attend rehearsals at theHamburger Schauspielhaus,was "discovered" byGustaf Gründgenswhen the latter wanted to throw him out of the auditorium. Laser was initially entrusted with small, then larger roles by Gründgens. "That's how I got into acting, because the god of theater was kind to me," Laser said looking back.From 1967 to 1974 he devoted himself to the theater. In 1967 he began working withPeter Stein.In 1970 he moved with Stein to the BerlinSchaubühne am Halleschen Ufer,where he was a member of the board of directors from 1971 to 1973. From 1974 Laser worked as a freelancer and withguest engagementsat theStaatliche Schauspielbühnen Berlinand theWiener Burgtheater,among others.

In the 1970s, Laser repeatedly appeared in front of the camera under the direction ofRainer Erler,with whom he made the five-partscience fictionseriesDas Blaue Palais,in which he played the researcherEnrico Polazzo,and the filmOperation Ganymed.For his acting performance inUlf Miehe's directorial debutJohn Glückstadtbased on a novella byTheodor Storm,Dieter Laser was awarded theGerman Film Awardin 1975 in the categoryBest Actor.Two roles made him known to a wider audience in 1975: In theTatortepisodeKurzschlussdirected byWolfgang Petersen,he played the petty criminalPiet Kallweitand got involved in a fatal game with a police officer, played byGünter Lamprecht.On the big screen, Laser was seen in the same year as the shady newspaper reporterTötgesinThe Lost Honour of Katharina Blum.In 1978 he played alongsideHelmut GriemandBrigitte FosseyinHans W. Geißendörfer'sOscar-nominatedfilm dramaThe Glass Cell.

In the star-studded miniseriesVäter und Söhne – Eine deutsche TragödiebyBernhard Sinkelabout the rise and fall of a German industrial family, he took on the role ofFriedrich Deutzin 1986. In addition to guest appearances in various crime series, Dieter Laser continued to appear in cinemas in the 1990s in films such asPeter Sehr'sKasper-Hauser-film adaptationandArmin Mueller-Stahl's directorial debutConversation with the Beast.InThe Ogrein 1996, again directed byVolker Schlöndorff,he played the "race researcher"Professor Blättchen.In 2007 and 2008 he appeared on stage in the role of the Hun kingEtzelat theNibelungen FestivalinWorms.In 2012, under the direction ofDieter Wedel,he played General Speckenschwardt inThe Fortune of Mr. Süß.

In 2009, Laser played the surgeon Dr. Josef Heiter in the Dutch horror film Human Centipede by Tom Six, and became an international star. Roger Ebert praised his performance, although it was his 63rd role, as the one he was "born for."In order to make his portrayal as a bizarreparodyclose to the notorious Nazi doctorJosef Mengele,Laser specially obtained a "Eppendorferdoctor's coat "and suggested to the director that he should also give the character the first name Josef.For his acting performance, he received the acting award at the Fantastic Fest inAustin,Texasthat same year.

Laser would appear again in the third and final part of theHuman Centipedetrilogy.On March 29, 2012, he announced his departure from the project due to profound creative differences.Shortly afterwards, Six Entertainment announced in an official press release that it would take legal action against Laser.At the beginning of 2013, both sides announced that they would now make the film together.Filming was completed in the middle of the same year. The German version was released in 2017.In an interview, Laser spoke about massive problems with the dubbed version.

In November 2015, Laser was in front of the camera inEstoniafor thefantasy filmJesus’ Blood and Red Currantsbased on a novel byAndrus Kivirähk.The film had its international premiere under the titleNovemberat theTribeca Film Festivalin April 2017.Under the titleTotal EclipseLaser announced his feature film directorial debut based on his own screenplay.In the summer of 2019, he played the role of the lawyer Huld in the production of Kafka's playThe Trialat theBad Hersfeld Festival.

Dieter Laser was married to Inge and lived with her in Berlin. He died twelve days after his 78th birthday on 29 February 2020.His death was not announced until a message to his official Facebook page was posted on 9 April 2020.

Selected filmography

• 1968:In the Jungle of Cities(Im Dickicht der Städte),as Collie Couch alias "The Pavian"
• 1973:Desaster,as Alf Harden
• 1974:Ermittlungen gegen Unbekannt,as Günter Riegand
• 1974-1976:Das Blaue Palais(TV-series), as Enrico Polazzo
• 1975:John Glückstadt,as John Glückstadt
• 1975:The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum,as Werner Toetges
• 1975:The Last Holidays,as Miguel
• 1976:The Elixirs of the Devil,as Medardus
• 1977:Operation Ganymed,as Don
• 1978:Germany in Autumn,as Member of the board of TV producers
• 1978:The Glass Cell(Oscar nominated:Best Foreign Language Film), as David Reinald
• 1979:Union der festen Hand(TV film), as Adam Griguszies
• 1981:Don Quixote's Children,as Peter Senders
• 1982:Wir(based onWe,the 1921Russian novelbyYevgeny Zamyatin)
• 1986:Väter und Söhne – Eine deutsche Tragödie(mini series), as Friedrich Deutz
• 1990:The Man Inside,as Leonard Schroeter
• 1991:Meeting Venus,as Hans von Binder
• 1993:Kaspar Hauser,as Ludwig I. von Bayern
• 1996:Conversation with the Beast,as Peter Hollsten
• 1996:The Ogre,as Prof. Otto Blaettchen
• 1997:Shanghai 1937(Hotel Shanghai),as Dr. Hain
• 1997:The Rat(TV film), as Bruno
• 2000:Recycled,as Hasso von Walden
• 2002:Big Girls Don't Cry,as Mr. Winter
• 2002:Führer Ex,as Eduard Kellermann
• 2003:Baltic Storm,as Gehrig
• 2006:I Am the Other Woman,as Bruno
• 2009:The Human Centipede (First Sequence),as Dr. Josef Heiter
• 2010:Greed(TV film), as General Klaus Habenicht
• 2015:The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence),as Bill Boss
• 2017:November,as Baron

External links

• Dieter LaseratIMDb
• Dieter LaseratAllMovie
• Official Facebook site of Dieter Laser