Friedrich Schoenfelder

Biography

Friedrich Wilhelm Schoenfelder (born October 17, 1916, in Sorau, Lower Lusatia; died August 14, 2011, in Berlin) was a German actor and voice-over artist.

Friedrich Schoenfelder received his acting training under Gustaf Gründgens at the Prussian State Theater in Berlin, where he made his stage debut in 1936. After World War II, he performed at major theaters in Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, and Berlin, later working as a freelance actor at numerous German-language theaters. He became particularly well known for his elegant stage presence in boulevard plays and musicals. Among his greatest theatrical successes was My Fair Lady, in which he appeared approximately 1,200 times over the course of many years.

From the late 1940s onward, Schoenfelder also appeared regularly in film and television productions. He acted in numerous light entertainment films, Edgar Wallace adaptations, and TV series, and participated in projects such as Otto – Der neue Film and, as the narrator, Der Schuh des Manitu. With over 140 film and television roles to his name, he remained one of the defining character actors of German popular cinema and television for decades.

His work as a voice-over artist was also of particular significance. In more than 400 productions, Schoenfelder lent his distinctive voice to international actors such as David Niven, John Gielgud, Rex Harrison, Vincent Price, and Alec Guinness. He also enjoyed a successful career as a radio drama actor, narrator, and radio host, working on projects including Sesame Street, Little Britain, and numerous audio drama productions for the labels Europa and Titania Medien.

Even in his advanced years, Schoenfelder continued to appear regularly on stage; in 1996, he published his memoirs, titled Ich war doch immer ich ("I Was Always Just Me"). He passed away in Berlin in 2011 at the age of 94.