Klausjürgen Wussow

Klausjürgen Wussow
Born(1929-04-30)30 April 1929
Cammin, Weimar Republic
Died19 June 2007(2007-06-19) (aged 78)
Rüdersdorf, Germany
Occupation(s)Stage actor, film actor, television actor
Spouses
  • Jolande Frantz
    ​
    (m. 1951⁠–⁠1960)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1960⁠–⁠1991)​
  • Yvonne Viehöfer
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1992⁠–⁠2003)​
  • Sabine Scholz
    ​
    (m. 2004⁠–⁠2007)​
    (his death)
Children4

Klausjürgen Wussow (30 April 1929 – 19 June 2007) was a German stage, film and television actor.

Early life

Wussow was born in Cammin, Province of Pomerania, Weimar Germany (modern Kamień Pomorski, Poland). His father was a teacher and cantor who died 1939 in the Second World War. Wussow had three brothers, an older and two younger (twins). Wussow served in the German Army in the last days of World War II. His original career choice was to become a doctor. He couldn't become a doctor as he wasn't allowed in the former East Germany. So, his new career choice was to become an actor.

Career

Wussow started with the theatre. From 1964 until 1986, he was a member of the famous theatre Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. Next to his stage work, he appeared in more than 120 film and television productions between 1958 and 2005.

Wussow was best known for his leading role as Professor Brinkmann in the ZDF medical series The Black Forest Clinic, which was one of the most successful German television series of all time. He later played another leading role as a doctor in the series Klinik unter Palmen, which ran between 1996 and 2003. In the years 2004 and 2005, the Black Forest Clinic had a new edition with two television films. In these films, he played the role of Professor Brinkmann last time, these are his last movies. He was also a writer and painter and a voice actor and announcer in radio plays and audio books. He dubbed Judge Claude Frollo in the German-language version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).

Personal life

Wussow was married four times. From 1951 until 1960, he was married to German actress Jolande Frantz. They had one daughter. From 1960 until 1991, he was married to Austrian actress Ida Krottendorf. Together they had two children, a daughter and a son (both are actors too). From 1992 until 2003, he was married to the German journalist Yvonne Viehhöver. They had one son. From 2004 until 2007, he was married to Sabine Scholz, the former wife of the German boxer Bubi Scholz, marriage ended with his death. He had an Austrian honorary citizenship and an Austrian Honorary Professor.

In his last years, he was suffering from dementia after some strokes. He died in Rüdersdorf near Berlin. His grave is located in Berlin on the "Waldfriedhof Heerstrasse" cemetery.

Selected filmography