Gottfried John

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German actor and voice actor

title: "Gottfried John" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1942-births", "2014-deaths", "deaths-from-cancer-in-germany", "male-actors-from-berlin", "german-male-film-actors", "german-male-television-actors", "20th-century-german-male-actors", "21st-century-german-male-actors"] description: "German actor and voice actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_John" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary German actor and voice actor ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameGottfried John
imageGottfried John (Berlinale 2012).jpg
captionGottfried John at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival
birth_date
birth_placeBerlin, Germany
death_date
death_placeUtting am Ammersee, Germany
occupationActor
years_active1962–2014
spouseBrigitte John (2004–2014; his death)
::

| name = Gottfried John | image = Gottfried John (Berlinale 2012).jpg | caption = Gottfried John at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Berlin, Germany | death_date = | death_place = Utting am Ammersee, Germany | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1962–2014 | spouse = Brigitte John (2004–2014; his death) ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/GottfriedJohn.jpg" caption="Gottfried and Brigitte John in 2004"] ::

Gottfried John (; 29 August 1942 – 1 September 2014) was a German stage, screen, and voice actor. A longtime collaborator of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, John appeared in nine of his films between 1975 and 1981, the year before Fassbinder's death, including Eight Hours Don't Make a Day, Mother Küsters' Trip to Heaven, Despair, The Marriage of Maria Braun, and Berlin Alexanderplatz. His distinctive, gaunt appearance saw him frequently cast as villains, and he is best known to audiences for his role as the corrupt General Arkady Ourumov in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye and his comedic turn as Julius Caesar in Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999), for the latter of which he won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life

John was born in Berlin, Germany, on 29 August 1942. During World War II, he and his mother were evacuated to East Prussia; his father, whom he never met, was married to another woman. He grew up with his single-parent mother and in several protectories; John fled from one when he was 15 years old and returned to his mother, who was living in Paris, France.

In Paris, he earned a living as a pavement artist and construction worker, returning to Berlin in 1960.

Career

During the 1970s and early 1980s, John was cast by director Rainer Werner Fassbinder in several of his projects, in particular as Reinhold in the Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) miniseries.

He was internationally known for his portrayal of General Arkady Ourumov in the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995) and Julius Caesar in Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999).

Personal life

For many years, he lived in Kelmis, Belgium, just over the border from Aachen, Germany, until 2008. John then lived with his wife, Brigitte, in Utting am Ammersee, near Munich, Germany, from 2008 until his death.

On 1 September 2014, it was announced that John had died in Utting am Ammersee of cancer aged 72.

Works

Filmography

Audiobooks

Written works

  • Bekenntnisse eines Unerzogenen, autobiography, publisher: Econ, Berlin 2000, .
  • Das fünfte Wort, novel, publisher: Ullstein, Berlin 2003, .

Nominations and awards

References

References

  1. Unlike the common English name ''John'', the German pronunciation begins with a "y" sound.
  2. Frank, Arno. (3 September 2014). "Nachruf auf Gottfried John: Mit "Schlägervisage" zum Fassbinder-Gesicht". [[Der Spiegel]].
  3. (2 September 2014). ""James Bond"-Bösewicht: Schauspieler Gottfried John ist tot". Der Spiegel.
  4. Ravensburg, Munzinger-Archiv GmbH. "Gottfried John – Munzinger Biographie".
  5. Frank, Arno. (3 September 2014). "Nachruf auf Gottfried John: Mit "Schlägervisage" zum Fassbinder-Gesicht". Der Spiegel.
  6. "Panorama".

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1942-births2014-deathsdeaths-from-cancer-in-germanymale-actors-from-berlingerman-male-film-actorsgerman-male-television-actors20th-century-german-male-actors21st-century-german-male-actors