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Ralf Richter
Acting
Biography
Ralf Richter (August 17, 1957 - September 15, 2026) was a German film, television, and stage actor. Born in Essen, he grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Bochum. After completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, he studied acting at the Westphalian Drama School in Bochum and began his career on stage.
He gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Chief Petty Officer Frenssen in Wolfgang Petersen’s acclaimed war film Das Boot (1981). The role established him as one of Germany’s most recognizable character actors, particularly known for portraying tough, outspoken, and often eccentric figures.
His notable film credits include Die Katze (1988), Manta - Der Film (1991), Superst…
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Ralf Richter (August 17, 1957 - September 15, 2026) was a German film, television, and stage actor. Born in Essen, he grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Bochum. After completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, he studied acting at the Westphalian Drama School in Bochum and began his career on stage. He gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Chief Petty Officer Frenssen in Wolfgang Petersen’s acclaimed war film Das Boot (1981). The role established him as one of Germany’s most recognizable character actors, particularly known for portraying tough, outspoken, and often eccentric figures. His notable film credits include Die Katze (1988), Manta - Der Film (1991), Superstau (1991), and Fußball ist unser Leben (2000). He achieved cult status with his portrayal of the hot-tempered criminal Kalle Grabowski in Peter Thorwarth’s crime comedy Bang Boom Bang (1999). Richter continued his collaboration with Thorwarth in Was nicht passt, wird passend gemacht (2002) and Goldene Zeiten (2006). Together, these three films became known as the Unna Trilogy. His later film appearances included Vorstadtkrokodile (2009), Nicht mein Tag (2014), Radio Heimat (2016), Enfant Terrible (2020), and Bad Director (2023). In addition to his film career, he appeared in numerous German television series, including Tatort, Der Fahnder, Alarm für Cobra 11, Ein Fall für zwei, and Heldt. Richter was particularly associated with the Ruhr region and became known for his distinctive voice, direct manner, and memorable portrayals of working-class characters and small-time criminals. He died in Cologne in September 2026 at the age of 69.
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BODY OF WORK
Ralf Richter's Filmography
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Our Darkness
Fresh
Bad Director
as Compagnon Sommerwind
Die Passion
as Barabbas
Das Boot Revisited: An Underwater Success Story
as Self - Das Boot Actor
Sky Sharks
as Joseph Langner
Enfant Terrible
as Blumenpeter
Lebendig skalpiert
The Last Cop
as Schore Siggi
Stories of the Dead
Breakdown Forest
as Hans Joachim (HaJo) Jendriczek
Radio Home
as Onkel Josef
1000 Mexicans
Im Winter, so schön
as Butcher
Das fehlende Grau
Half Brothers
as Barmann Zum Leuchtturm
Baggerführer Bob
Not My Day
as Langer
No Poster
Nachtwalzer
as Wirt
No Poster
The Devil loves Rock N Roll
as Kalle Grabowski
Ohne Gnade
as Tarzan
Turbo & Tacho
as Charly Wischollek
Und weg bist Du
as Receptionist
Vater aus heiterem Himmel
as Jenninger
Fahr zur Hölle
No Poster
Zeche is nich - Sieben Blicke auf das Ruhrgebiet 2010
as Eddi
Village People - Auf der Jagd nach dem Nazigold
as Hehler
Kopf oder Zahl
as Ron
Chaostage - We Are Punks!
as Herr Krupp
The Crocodiles
as Chief Police Officer
Finnischer Tango
as Sexshop-Besitzer
Spiel mir das Lied und du bist tot!
as Grandpa St. John
Streets of Rio
as Horst
Out of Bounds
as Harald "Bullet Harry" Grabowski
Mondmann
as General
Urmel aus dem Eis
as Dr. Zwengelmann
Cowgirl
as Peter Blessing
Dirty Sky
as Tankwart
Mädchen Nr. 1
as Ilia
If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer
as Kalle
No Poster
Ladies and Gentleman
Suck My Dick
as Hyde
No Poster
Planet Alex
as Barkeeper
Eine Hochzeit und (K)ein Todesfall
as Richie
Marmor, Stein & Eisen
Football Rules Ok
as Mike
Bang, Boom, Bang
as Karl-Heinz 'Kalle' Grabowski
No Poster
The Cry of the Butterfly
as Tom
Männer aus zweiter Hand
as Dario
The Polar Bear
as Zivilpolizist
No Poster
Liebe mich bis in den Tod
as Krause
No Poster
Gomez: Heads or Tails
Ein Bär für alle Fälle
as Axel
If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer
as Karl Heinz Kaminski
Mafia, Pizza, Razzia
as Bulle #1
Eine fast perfekte Liebe
as Haucke
Peanuts - Die Bank zahlt alles
as Mario
Happy Weekend
as Engel
Die Katze von Kensington
as Reynolds
Der Trip - Die nackte Gitarre 0,5
Eine mörderische Liebe
as Jan Becker
Der schwarze Fluch
as Gangster
No Poster
Fatale Mutterliebe
as Hoffmann
Cosimas Lexikon
as Klaus Borgmann
No Poster
Es wäre gut, daß ein Mensch würde umbracht für das Volk
as Petrus
Manta - Der Film
as Polizist Wolle
Superstau
as Hermann Pacholke
Alles im Griff
as Günter 'Bolle' Bolkowski
Seven Minutes
as SA-Führer
Ausgeklinkt
as Pfleger Detlef
The Cat
as Britz
The Crack Connection
as Sandrowski
Verlierer
as Richy
No Poster
Wöhlunds Rache
Zielscheiben
as Strotzki
Out of Order
as Otto
Decoder
as Jaeger's Assistant
Das Boot
as Frenssen