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" in the German cinema of the 1960s, and became one of the best-known actors by his presence in television series. 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. The family moved to Hamburg after World War II. Director and actor Gustaf Gründgens encouraged the 16-year-old Thomas to become an actor. He trained at an acting school in Hamburg-Pöseldorf for three years. He played his first film role in the 1962 Austrian Julia, Du bist zauberhaft at age 17, alongside Lilli Palmer. He starred opposite Daliah Lavi in Das schwarz-weiß-rote Himmelbett, and became a favourite of teenagers. He was frequently featured as the cover image of the Bravo youth magazine. He played in And So to Bed in 1963, alongside Hildegard Knef. In 1964, he appeared in his only film together with his father, Das hab ich von Papa gelernt. 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. 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. 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 (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. He also starred in the television series Rivalen der Rennbahn (1989). 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. 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. He starred voicing Scar in the German version of The Lion King in 1994, and voiced many other animated lions as well, and Diego, a Smilodon, in Ice Age and sequels, beginning in 2002. In the 2000s, he replaced the late Joachim Kemmer as Lumiere for the "Human Again" DVD feature of Beauty and the Beast. His last role was the narrator in the 2018 children's film Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer, an adaption of Michael Ende's Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver.

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. In 2006, Fritsch revealed he was bisexual. In 2019, it was announced that Fritsch was diagnosed with dementia and was living in an assisted living facility. Fritsch died on 21 April 2021 in Berlin, aged 77. He was given a burial at sea near the island of Sylt.

Films

Actor

Fritsch played in films and television (TV) series, including:

Voice

Fritsch voiced the following productions, among others:

Awards