Günter Meisner

Acting

Günter Meisner

Born April 18, 1926 · Bremen, Germany

Died December 5, 1994 · aged 68

Günter Meisner (18 April 1926 – 5 December 1994) was a German TV and film character actor. He is remembered for his several cinematic portrayals of Adolf Hitler and for his role as Mr. Slugworth in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. He was fluent in four languages and appeared in many English-language, German-language and French-language films.

Known For

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory · 1971
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
7.51971
MovieFamilyFantasy
When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka promises a lifetime supply of sweets and a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky kids, penniless Charlie Bucket seeks the golden ticket that will make him a winner.
The Tin DrumThe Tin Drum · 1979
The Tin Drum
7.01979
MovieDramaHistory
In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.
Bride of the OrientBride of the Orient · 1989
Bride of the Orient
9.51989
MovieDramaRomance
After the death of his mother, a lonely farmer in rural Switzerland considers finally starting a family of his own. Eventually he pays for a bride from Thailand. The couple don't share a language, but being to know each other. However the village neighbors are suspicious of foreigners.
Night CrossingNight Crossing · 1982
Night Crossing
6.21982
MovieAdventureDrama
Two men want to escape from East Germany (under Communist rule) but they will only go if they can take their families with them. Based on a true story.
Voyage of the DamnedVoyage of the Damned · 1976
Voyage of the Damned
6.01976
MovieDramaWar
A luxury liner carries Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany in a desperate fight for survival.
Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning? · 1966
Is Paris Burning?
7.21966
MovieWarDrama
Near the end of World War II, General Dietrich von Choltitz receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he's unable to maintain control of the city. After much contemplation, Choltitz ignores orders, enraging the Germans and giving hope to various resistance factions that the city will be liberated. Choltitz, alongside Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling, helps a leader organise his forces.
The Boys from BrazilThe Boys from Brazil · 1978
The Boys from Brazil
6.71978
MovieDramaMystery
Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman discovers a sinister and bizarre plot, masterminded by Dr. Josef Mengele, to rekindle the Third Reich.
The Odessa FileThe Odessa File · 1974
The Odessa File
6.61974
MovieThriller
Following the suicide of an elderly Jewish man, investigative journalist Peter Miller sets out to hunt down an SS Captain and former concentration camp commander. In doing so he discovers that, despite allegations of war crimes, the former commander has become a man of importance in industry in post-war Germany, protected from prosecution by a powerful organisation of former SS members called Odessa.

Movies

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory · 1971
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
7.51971
MovieFamilyFantasy
When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka promises a lifetime supply of sweets and a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky kids, penniless Charlie Bucket seeks the golden ticket that will make him a winner.
The Tin DrumThe Tin Drum · 1979
The Tin Drum
7.01979
MovieDramaHistory
In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.
Bride of the OrientBride of the Orient · 1989
Bride of the Orient
9.51989
MovieDramaRomance
After the death of his mother, a lonely farmer in rural Switzerland considers finally starting a family of his own. Eventually he pays for a bride from Thailand. The couple don't share a language, but being to know each other. However the village neighbors are suspicious of foreigners.
Night CrossingNight Crossing · 1982
Night Crossing
6.21982
MovieAdventureDrama
Two men want to escape from East Germany (under Communist rule) but they will only go if they can take their families with them. Based on a true story.
Voyage of the DamnedVoyage of the Damned · 1976
Voyage of the Damned
6.01976
MovieDramaWar
A luxury liner carries Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany in a desperate fight for survival.
Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning? · 1966
Is Paris Burning?
7.21966
MovieWarDrama
Near the end of World War II, General Dietrich von Choltitz receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he's unable to maintain control of the city. After much contemplation, Choltitz ignores orders, enraging the Germans and giving hope to various resistance factions that the city will be liberated. Choltitz, alongside Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling, helps a leader organise his forces.
The Boys from BrazilThe Boys from Brazil · 1978
The Boys from Brazil
6.71978
MovieDramaMystery
Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman discovers a sinister and bizarre plot, masterminded by Dr. Josef Mengele, to rekindle the Third Reich.
The Odessa FileThe Odessa File · 1974
The Odessa File
6.61974
MovieThriller
Following the suicide of an elderly Jewish man, investigative journalist Peter Miller sets out to hunt down an SS Captain and former concentration camp commander. In doing so he discovers that, despite allegations of war crimes, the former commander has become a man of importance in industry in post-war Germany, protected from prosecution by a powerful organisation of former SS members called Odessa.
Under the VolcanoUnder the Volcano · 1984
Under the Volcano
6.61984
MovieDrama
Against a background of war breaking out in Europe and the Mexican fiesta Day of Death, we are taken through one day in the life of Geoffrey Firmin, a British consul living in alcoholic disrepair and obscurity in a small southern Mexican town in 1939. The consul's self-destructive behaviour, perhaps a metaphor for a menaced civilization, is a source of perplexity and sadness to his nomadic, idealistic half-brother, Hugh, and his ex-wife, Yvonne, who has returned with hopes of healing Geoffrey and their broken marriage.
The BrothersThe Brothers · 1977
The Brothers
3.01977
MovieRomanceDrama
Sex, violence, and family secrets in the German countryside.
Funeral in BerlinFuneral in Berlin · 1966
Funeral in Berlin
6.41966
MovieThriller
Colonel Stok, a Soviet intelligence officer responsible for security at the Berlin Wall, appears to want to defect but the evidence is contradictory. Stok wants the British to handle his defection and asks for one of their agents, Harry Palmer, to smuggle him out of East Germany.
Flesh of the OrchidFlesh of the Orchid · 1975
Flesh of the Orchid
5.41975
MovieDramaThriller
A disturbed young woman is kept prisoner in a castle by her aunt for her money. The game-keeper, her guardian, tries to rape her but she escapes. In her flight she meets a man also running away, from two killers.
The Bridge at RemagenThe Bridge at Remagen · 1969
The Bridge at Remagen
6.71969
MovieWarAction
In March of 1945, as the War in Europe is coming to a close, fighting erupts between German and American troops at the last remaining bridgehead across the Rhine.
Just a GigoloJust a Gigolo · 1978
Just a Gigolo
5.01978
MovieDrama
After World War I, a war hero returns to Berlin to find that there's no place for him--he has no skills other than what he learned in the army, and can only find menial, low-paying jobs. He decides to become a gigolo to lonely rich women.
Central StationCentral Station · 1990
Central Station
7.01990
MovieCrimeThriller
Alex, a sought-after professional photographer, is involved in a mysterious series of murders that are always carried out in the same circumstances.
Drei gegen dreiDrei gegen drei · 1985
Drei gegen drei
5.61985
MovieComedy
The plan is simple: the three generals Weingarten, Ludovico and Klotz from San Chaco set a hitman on their doubles Stephan, Kralle and Peter, who live in Germany, in order to fake their deaths and also lighten the state coffers by 300 million dollars. But as is the case with simple plans in movies, they usually don't work. This 1980s curiosity was a commercial flop and ultimately led to the break-up of the band Trio.
The Serpent's EggThe Serpent's Egg · 1977
The Serpent's Egg
6.21977
MovieMysteryDrama
In 1923 Berlin, following the suicide of his brother, an American acrobat struggles to survive while facing unemployment, depression, alcoholism, and the social decay of Germany during the Weimar Republic.
Ruby CairoRuby Cairo · 1992
Ruby Cairo
5.01992
MovieMysteryThriller
Baseball cards and a food-aid worker help a woman follow her shady husband's money trail around the world.
Ace of AcesAce of Aces · 1982
Ace of Aces
7.11982
MovieAdventureComedy
In this action comedy the French boxer Jo Cavalier is charmed on the train to Berlin for the Olympics in Hitler's Germany by the little boy Simon Rosenblum who asks his autograph; when it turns out his adorable young fan is a Jewish orphan in danger of persecution, he risks his one shot at Olympic glory to save Simon and his family, helped only by a German officer-gentleman who became his friend in World War I, by an adventurous escape to Switzerland, Nazi troops on their heals and braving impossible odds in roller coaster-style.
Hauser's MemoryHauser's Memory · 1970
Hauser's Memory
6.81970
MovieScience FictionTV Movie
A scientist is persuaded by the government to inject himself with the brain fluid of a dying colleague in order to preserve missile-defense secrets. However, he finds that he is now torn between his own wife and that of his dead colleague, who was a Nazi sympathizer.
Avalanche ExpressAvalanche Express · 1979
Avalanche Express
4.81979
MovieActionThriller
CIA agent Harry Wargrave is sent to aid Gen. Marenkov, a senior Russian official, who is defecting to the west. Wargrave decides they should travel to safety on a train across Europe, the "Atlantic Express". During the journey, they must survive attacks by terrorists and an avalanche, all planned by Russian spy-catcher Nikolai Bunin.
The Man InsideThe Man Inside · 1990
The Man Inside
6.01990
MovieDrama
Gunter Wallraff is a journalist seeking to expose the unethical journalism practiced by The Standard, a very popular and powerful German newspaper. He goes undercover, using forged identity papers and at great personal risk, to join their staff. Once there, he sees how they don't just report the news, but manufacture it to suit the personal political agenda of the paper's leaders.
Borsalino and Co.Borsalino and Co. · 1974
Borsalino and Co.
6.41974
MovieCrimeThriller
Marseille. Heaps of flowers and funeral wreaths... "A man who no longer defends his colors is no longer a man."
The Quiller MemorandumThe Quiller Memorandum · 1966
The Quiller Memorandum
5.91966
MovieThrillerDrama
After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.

TV Shows

Scene of the CrimeScene of the Crime · 1970
Scene of the Crime
6.21970
SeriesDramaCrime
Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland.
GroßstadtrevierGroßstadtrevier · 1986
Großstadtrevier
6.01986
SeriesDramaCrime
Follow the everyday work of a fictional police station on the Kiez of Hamburg.
Das KriminalmuseumDas Kriminalmuseum · 1963
Das Kriminalmuseum
8.01963
SeriesCrime
Das Kriminalmuseum was a German television series. It ran from 1963 to 1970 on ZDF and was one of its first programs. Each episode began with a tracking shot through an unspecified crime museum, stopping at one of the displays, whose story was then told. Each episode was between 60 and 75 minutes long and featured different actors as the criminal commissioner. The best known was Erik Ode, who in 1969 moved to Der Kommissar, appearing in 97 episodes. The theme music of the series was written by German composer Martin Böttcher, who also composed the complete scores for five episodes.
The Winds of WarThe Winds of War · 1983
The Winds of War
7.31983
SeriesDrama
Against the backdrop of world events that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Victor 'Pug' Henry is a career naval officer who, along with his family, learns to navigate the waters of his dangerous times in the late 1930s.
Praxis BülowbogenPraxis Bülowbogen · 1987
Praxis Bülowbogen
5.81987
SeriesDramaFamily
Praxis Bülowbogen is a German television series.
Liebling KreuzbergLiebling Kreuzberg · 1986
Liebling Kreuzberg
5.91986
SeriesDramaComedy
Liebling Kreuzberg was a television series on ARD, which was sent in five seasons with a total of 58 episodes the first time from 1986 to 1998. The scripts of seasons one through three and five were from Jurek, of his friend Manfred Krug wrote the role of idiosyncratic Berlin attorney Robert favorite on the body, the fourth season was written by Ulrich Plenzdorf. Director Heinz Schirk, Werner Masten led and Vera Loebner. Producing Series transmitters were the SFB, the NDR and WDR. The music of the first season was. Hans-Martin Majewski, in the later seasons of Klaus Doldinger.
Hals über KopfHals über Kopf · 1987
Hals über Kopf
6.71987
SeriesFamily
Hals über Kopf is a German television series.
Zwei alte HasenZwei alte Hasen · 1994
Zwei alte Hasen
8.01994
SeriesFamilyComedy
SilasSilas · 1981
Silas
7.91981
SeriesFamilySci-Fi & Fantasy
Silas was a 1981 ZDF Adventure TV mini-series based on the Danish children's book „Silas og den sorte hoppe“ by Cecil Bødker who kept on writing instalments until 2001. The series was Patrick Bach's debut and because the series did so well he also starred the very next year in another adventure series about a young orphan: Jack Holborn Silas was a German production and filmed solely in German. Still it received attention beyond German-speaking countries and consequently the successor Jack Holborn involved international producers and was filmed in English.
Direktion CityDirektion City · 1976
Direktion City
5.01976
SeriesCrime
A Man Arrived in AugustA Man Arrived in August · 1977
A Man Arrived in August
1977
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyFamily
A travelling showman and his troupe arrive in a town and rid it of a rat infestation (which he presumably caused himself). When they refuse to pay his promised reward—to stay free of charge—he punishes the citizens by turning the water red and making time disappear.
Jo GaillardJo Gaillard · 1975
Jo Gaillard
1975
SeriesFamily
Commandant Jo Gaillard, a French Navy officer, and his crew embark on various maritime adventures, often involving international intrigue, mystery, and action.
The Century of SurgeonsThe Century of Surgeons · 1972
The Century of Surgeons
10.01972
SeriesDrama
A special insight into medicine presented on film: sterile operations, hospitals used to be built by the wind, anaesthesia, surgical gloves, similar to the films Sauerbruch or Kneip.
LokalterminLokaltermin · 1973
Lokaltermin
1973
SeriesCrime
Lokaltermin is a German television series.