Acting
Mar 1, 1957
Essen, Germany
Heinrich Schafmeister
Acting
Biography
Heinrich Schafmeister is a German actor and presenter. He is the second of three children born to the former President of the State Social Court of Schleswig-Holstein. He attended primary school from 1963 to 1967, followed by the Albert-Einstein-Realschule in Essen until 1973. Subsequently, he completed his *Abitur* (university-entrance diploma) at the St.-Pius-Gymnasium in Coesfeld and went on to study German Studies and Music. He dropped out of his university studies in 1980 to transfer to the Folkwang University of the Arts. There, he was classmates with Armin Rohde and Hansa Czypionka. After graduating, he performed in theater productions in Aachen for six years. He made his cinematic debut in 1984 in the film *Treffer*, directed by Dominik Graf. Schafmeister also frequently appears in television series—for instance, as Didi Denkelmann in *Die Camper*, as Manfred Höch in *Wilsberg*, or as Karl Wolkenfuß in *Wie erziehe ich meine Eltern?*. Schafmeister gained wider public recognition through the film *Comedian Harmonists*, in which he portrayed the singer Erich A. Collin. Schafmeister serves voluntarily as the Treasurer of the *Bundesverband Schauspiel* (BFFS)—the professional union for actors. As a board member, he is also responsible for social and collective bargaining policy. In this capacity, he played a key role in late 2013 in concluding the first collective bargaining agreement for actors in the German film and television industry—an agreement that, among other provisions, established a minimum starting wage for newcomers to the profession. He lives in Cologne and is married to Jutta Schafmeister, an actors' agent. Together with Leonard Lansink, Schafmeister performs in theater productions. During the 2014 European elections, he publicly supported the SPD and its lead candidate, Martin Schulz. From July 23 to December 2018, he co-hosted the program *Live nach Neun* alongside Alina Stiegler.
Feature Films (79)
The heterosexual man Axel is thrown out of his girlfriends home for cheating and ends up moving in with a gay man. Axel learns the advantages of living with gay men even though they are attracted to him and when his girlfriend wants him back he must make a tough decision.
Maybe... Maybe Not
Based on Tommy Jaud's bestselling novel, this comedy focuses on a dispassionate clerk and his set-backs in life. 29-year-old Simon works in a phone shop, but his thoughts just circle around finding a new girl-friend after being left by his last one year ago. While his Croatian cleaner tries to procure him, his efforts to chat up women in clubs also fail. However, he finds the woman of his dreams (and mother of their future children) in his most hated coffee shop, although not having a clue how to win her heart...
Vollidiot
Simon, the leader of a police special unit, becomes caught up in a complex scheme involving bribery and money-laundering, as well as an affair with the beautiful wife of a government official investigating organized crime and political corruption. After the official is kidnapped, the chase leads to a dramatic conclusion high in the Bavarian Alps.
The Invincibles
Katja Flint, Hannelore Elsner and Heiner Lauterbach star in this German film about a woman who climbs the social ladder by sleeping with those she encounters on her way to the top. When she's discovered dead in her apartment in 1957, the police try to piece together the clues to find out who murdered her … but to no avail.
A Girl Called Rosemarie
After each new crime, the department store blackmailer Scrooge comes up with a more sophisticated method of handing over money. The Soko is often hot on his heels, checking thousands of traces and countless clues, but he always manages to escape. While the officers led by Chief Inspector Paule Pietsch reap scorn and ridicule, Scrooge becomes a cult gangster in the public eye. But Soko boss Pietsch is certain: even the phantom Scrooge will make a mistake.
Das Phantom
Television & Series (97)
Polizeiruf 110 is a long-running German language detective television series. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic Republic, and after the dissolution of Fernsehen der DDR the series was picked up by ARD. It was originally created as a counterpart to the West German series Tatort, and quickly became a public favorite.
Polizeiruf 110
A team of inspectors investigates murders in and around the small Upper Bavarian town of Rosenheim, and they still have plenty of time to see idyllic landscapes and luxurious pre-alpine villas and enjoy sumptuous Bavarian fare with beer.
Die Rosenheim-Cops
Was nicht passt, wird passend gemacht is a German television series which is based on a 2002 movie with the same name.
