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Rolf Schimpf - known as "The Old Man" - is dead.
dpa
He was "The Old Man" for around 20 years. Now Rolf Schimpf has died. He was 100 years old.
The actor Rolf Schimpf is dead. He died on Saturday at the age of 100, as his biographer and good friend Detlef Vetten confirmed to the German Press Agency following media reports. Schimpf was best known for his role in the ZDF television series "Der Alte", which he played for around 20 years. He went on the hunt for criminals in Munich as Chief Inspector Leo Kress well into old age, until he called it a day in 2007.
After that, the Berlin-born actor, who had moved to Munich decades ago with his wife, actress Ilse Zielstorff, went quiet. Now Schimpf has died, almost ten years after his wife.
When Schimpf started out as "Der Alte" in 1986, he already had plenty of acting experience behind him. He had been on stage and in front of the camera since the 1950s. He appeared in the ARD crime series "Tatort" as well as in almost 50 episodes of the crime series "SOKO 5113".
He owed a great deal to Munich producer Helmut Ringelmann, who had shaped entertainment television with successful formats such as "Derrick" and "Der Kommissar". In 1984, he brought Schimpf on board for the drama series "Mensch Bachmann", which aired on Saturday nights on ZDF.
22.03.2025, 19:03
22.03.2025, 19:04
