Gottfried John

Gottfried John

1942-08-29 Berlin, Germany 81 Credits

Biography

Gottfried John (German: [ˈjoːn];[1] 29 August 1942 – 1 September 2014) was a German stage, screen, and voice actor. A long-time collaborator of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, John appeared in many of the filmmaker's projects between 1975 and his death in 1982, including Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven, Despair, The Marriage of Maria Braun , and Berlin Alexanderplatz. His distinctive, gaunt appearance saw him he frequently cast as villains, and he is best known to audiences for his role as the corrupt G...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Emerald Green

Emerald Green

2016

as Dr. White (archive footage)

6.9
Acting

Emerald Green is the stunning conclusion to Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red Trilogy, picking up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue...

A World Beyond

A World Beyond

2013

as Dr. Jan Kersebohm

6.2
Acting

Hans and Fridel are a marriage that come to Java fleeing of the pursuit Nazi just before the Second World war comes untied. In this paradise Hans find...

Ruby Red

Ruby Red

2013

as Dr. White

7.0
Acting

On her 16th birthday, Gwendolyn Shepherd finds out that instead of her cousin, she has inherited a rare gene that allows her to travel through time.

Die Löwin

Die Löwin

2012

as Jo

Acting

After many years in Germany, the young doctor Lena returns to South Africa, the place of her childhood, for the first time. Her grandfather Jo, on who...

Life Is Too Long

Life Is Too Long

2010

as Georg Maria Stahl

5.0
Acting

No crisis is as disastrous, overwhelming and unjust as that of Alfi Seliger. The Jewish filmmaker, hypochondriac and family man is up to his neck in p...

Aghet

Aghet

2010

as Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein

8.2
Acting

2010 documentary film on the Armenian Genocide by the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It is based on eyewitness report...

Rumpelstilzchen

Rumpelstilzchen

2009

as König Gustav

7.0
Acting

The king locks the miller’s daughter, Lisa, in a room full of straw to turn into gold in just one night. If she doesn’t succeed she would be executed.

Black Flowers

Black Flowers

2009

as Curtis

4.4
Acting

Following the failure of his last mission, RFG spy Michael Roddick decides to disappear, taking along Elena, the daughter of a Russian spy who died un...

John Rabe

John Rabe

2009

as Dr. Oskar Trautmann

7.1
Acting

A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.

The Papal Council

The Papal Council

2008

as Paolo Naldini

3.0
Acting

An assassination attempt on the highest dignitary of the Catholic Church? According to providence, this is exactly what is supposed to happen on a cer...

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz: A Mega Movie and Its Story

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz: A Mega Movie and Its Story

2007

as Self

Acting

A documentary about the making of the television mini-series by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, including interviewees with the principal actors.

Flood

Flood

2007

as Arthur Moyes

5.3
Acting

Timely yet terrifying, The Flood predicts the unthinkable. When a raging storm coincides with high seas it unleashes a colossal tidal surge, which tra...

Das zweite Leben

2007

as Robert Kreutzer

7.0
Acting
A Pirate's Heart

A Pirate's Heart

2006

as Konrad von Wallenrod

5.3
Acting

The end of the 14th century. Parents send the eldest son Jan to study in Hamburg, and the youngest - Klaus - to the monastery. No sooner had the child...

The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes

The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes

2005

as Dr. Emmanuel Droz

6.2
Acting

Dark fairytale about a demonic doctor who abducts a beautiful opera singer with designs on transforming her into a mechanical nightingale.

Julie, chevalier de Maupin

Julie, chevalier de Maupin

2005

as Henri, duc d'Armagnac

4.0
Acting

Agnès Dormes, a famous opera singer, saves Julie, a baby girl who was about to be sacrificed during a black mass. Twenty years later, the baby has tur...

Cowgirl

Cowgirl

2004

as Hans Krahl

3.5
Acting

Dreamy Paula and her husband Edgar, an insurance salesman, lead a dull, middle-class life in Struvensiel, a fictitious suburb of Hamburg. Paula runs i...

Die schöne Braut in Schwarz

Die schöne Braut in Schwarz

2004

as Aldo Caldini

5.0
Acting

Sylvia Rosch is a woman with dangerous obsessions. Camouflaged by perfectly rehearsed masquerades, she wages a merciless campaign of revenge. Anyone w...

Renzo e Lucia

Renzo e Lucia

2004

as Innominato

Acting

Loose adaptation of Italy's national epic, Alessandro Manzoni's “The Betrothed”. In war-torn 17th century Italy, shady feudal lord Don Rodrigo eyes yo...

Augustus: The First Emperor

Augustus: The First Emperor

2003

as Cicero

Acting

Old and ill, Augustus, the man who changed the fortunes and destiny of an empire by completing Julius Caesar's project, recounts the two most importan...

Sams in Gefahr

Sams in Gefahr

2003

as School Inspector

5.5
Acting

Sams in danger, it is said, when Mr. Taschenbier's son Martin brings the Sams back into the household, which, however, is kidnapped shortly afterwards...

Entrusted

Entrusted

2003

as Thomas von Gall - grandfather

6.7
Acting

Hoping to entrap Maria von Gall, who runs a courageous underground railroad for Jews in France, the Nazis kidnap her son Thomas, a brilliant 11-year-o...

Best Ever Bond

2002

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

5.0
Acting

Roger Moore presents the ten best sequences ever to have appeared in the James Bond series, and cast members recall their favourite moments.

The Gathering Storm

The Gathering Storm

2002

as Friedrich von Schroder

6.6
Acting

A love story offering an intimate look inside the marriage of Winston and Clementine Churchill during a particularly troubled, though little-known, mo...

Der Solist - In eigener Sache

2002

as Martin Krohn

6.0
Acting
Proof of Life

Proof of Life

2000

as Eric Kessler

6.1
Acting

When American engineer Peter Bowman is kidnapped while working in South America, his wife Alice enlists special agent Terry Thorne to help free him. H...

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene

2000

as Erode Antipa

5.6
Acting

Employed as a spy and given the task of investigating the threat posed by John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene is overwhelmed by John's powerful message o...

Balzac: A Life of Passion

Balzac: A Life of Passion

1999

as Count Hanska

5.3
Acting

This is the sprawling saga of Honoré de Balzac, a man who created a great literary oeuvre from the dramas and adventures of his own life - a life that...

Beckmann und Markowski: Gehetzt

1999

as Max Beckmann

Acting
Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar

Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar

1999

as Jules César

6.0
Acting

Set in 50 B.C., Asterix and Obelix are living in a small but well-protected village in Gaul, where a magic potion concocted by Druids turns the townsf...

Die Fremde in meiner Brust

1998

as Richard Keller

3.5
Acting
Am I Beautiful?

Am I Beautiful?

1998

as Herbert

6.8
Acting

Between Munich and Seville, the destinies of sixteen characters intertwine and intersect, missing each other or colliding head-on. They are all, witho...

Life, Love & Celluloid

1998

as Self

5.8
Acting

Documentary musing upon the work of German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Glatteis

1998

as Kurt Wallmann

Acting

Mein zweites Leben

1998

as Richard Keller

Acting
La casa dove abitava Corinne

La casa dove abitava Corinne

1996

as Michele Wolf

Acting

The story of Doriana, a young lawyer, who moves to Rome, because a criminal she convicted has escaped prison and threatens to kill her. But the flat s...

Beckmann und Markowski: Im Zwiespalt der Gefühle

1996

as Kommissar Beckmann

1.0
Acting
The Ogre

The Ogre

1996

as Chief Forester

6.4
Acting

Frenchman Abel Tiffauges is a naive man who lives a simple life working as a mechanic. Falsely accused of being a child abuser, he is recruited as a s...

GoldenEye

GoldenEye

1995

as Colonel Ourumov

6.9
Acting

When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006, a former ally-turned-enemy, only James Bond can save the world...

Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life

Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life

1995

as Herr Benjamenta

7.8
Acting

Jakob arrives at the Institute Benjamenta (run by brother and sister Johannes and Lisa Benjamenta) to learn to become a servant. With seven other men,...

Brüder auf Leben und Tod

1995

as Renato Calvi

Acting

Die Zeit danach

1994

as man from Klagenfurt

Acting

An economics expert from the West is contracted by a large firm to assist in the reorganization of a debt-ridden steel plant in the former Eastern Blo...

Deadly Web

1994

as Kommissar Max Beckmann

Acting

Ein letzter Wille

1994

as Paul Elling

Acting
Abraham

Abraham

1993

as Eliezer

7.0
Acting

Rather than choosing a great leader or king, God chooses Abraham, an elderly shepherd from Mesopotamia, as the way to establish his Covenant with mank...

Das Sahara-Projekt

1993

as Collani

Acting

Greenhouse effect, ozone alarm, climate catastrophe: Scientist Altenburg and his team want to stop this development with a bold solar energy project. ...

Novalis - Die blaue Blume

Novalis - Die blaue Blume

1993

as Sophies Vater

Acting

A romantic fairy tale about love.

The Mistake

The Mistake

1992

as Jacob Alain

4.5
Acting

It is 1988. Jacob, from Hamburg in West Germany, falls in love with Elisabeth in East Germany. When they secretly meet in East Berlin, it seems the St...

Ich schenk’ Dir die Sterne

1991

as Robert Dallburg

Acting

An eccentric pop singer from a dreary social background in a Munich suburb turns men's heads by the dozen and makes an unexpected career when a seriou...

Elfenbein

1991

as Nicholas Messier

Acting
Night of the Fox

Night of the Fox

1990

as Hofer

6.0
Acting

This classic war mini-series stars George Peppard and Michael York in a gripping tale of danger, intrigue, and a deadly secret that could determine th...

Wings of Fame

Wings of Fame

1990

as Zlatogorski

6.4
Acting

A famous movie actor claims that he has written a book. As result, a real author, not a very well known writer, vengefully kills him but then dies as ...

Death Has A Bad Reputation

Death Has A Bad Reputation

1990

as Rodimstev

4.0
Acting

A British agent is chasing after famous terrorist Carlos when he resurfaces in Europe.

Schön war die Zeit

Schön war die Zeit

1988

as Franz Bauer

Acting

Pattberg's Legacy

1987

as Ulrich Vogtmann

Acting

Der Fall Franza

1987

as Captain

Acting
Of Pure Blood

Of Pure Blood

1986

as Paul Bergmann

Acting

A mother investigating her son's mysterious death finds much more than she bargained for. Casting director Alicia Browning (Remick) takes leave of her...

Mata Hari

Mata Hari

1985

as Wolff

4.0
Acting

Based loosely on the real-life story of the World War I spy. The exotic dancer uses her contacts in European high society, along with her seductive ch...

Otto - The Movie

Otto - The Movie

1985

as Sonnemann

6.5
Acting

East Friesian Otto moves to the big city Hamburg. There he gets into trouble with a loan shark and needs to find a way to impress his love interest Si...

Die Mitläufer

Die Mitläufer

1985

as Brocke

Acting

Verworrene Bilanzen

1985

as Karl M. Kronen

Acting
Bartolome oder Die Rückkehr der weißen Götter

Bartolome oder Die Rückkehr der weißen Götter

1985

as Bartolomé de las Casas

5.0
Acting
Chinese Boxes

Chinese Boxes

1984

as Zwemmer

6.0
Acting

An American in West Berlin finds himself caught up in murder and intrigue after his associate is killed and a diplomat's daughter is found dead in his...

Super

Super

1984

6.2
Acting

The Earth shortly before its end. The houses in the cities are deserted, the streets smashed. The sky shimmers dark gray.

Die Matrosen von Kronstadt

1983

as Petritschenko

Acting
Lili Marleen

Lili Marleen

1981

as Aaron

6.4
Acting

The story of a German singer named Willie who while working in Switzerland falls in love with a Jewish composer named Robert whose family is helping p...

Theodor Chindler - Die Geschichte einer deutschen Familie

1979

as Clemens Koch

Acting
The Marriage of Maria Braun

The Marriage of Maria Braun

1979

as Willi Klenze

7.4
Acting

Maria marries a young soldier in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. She must rely on her beauty and ambition to nav...

Die Ratten

1979

as Bruno Mechelke

Acting

Wo die Liebe hinfällt

1979

6.5
Acting
In a Year with 13 Moons

In a Year with 13 Moons

1978

as Anton Saitz

6.7
Acting

Elvira Weishaupt, once a burly working-class butcher, has made an enormous sacrifice for love. She has undergone a sex change for a romantic interest ...

1982: Gutenbach

1978

as Peter Kessel

5.0
Acting

After many years away, development aid worker Peter Kessel returns to his home town of Gutenbach in 1982. He is astonished to discover that a lot has ...

Despair

Despair

1978

as Perebrodov

6.5
Acting

Berlin, 1930, during the rise of Nazism. Hermann Hermann, a Russian emigrant and chocolate manufacturer, married to the capricious Lydia, loses his te...

Marija

1978

as Filipp

Acting
Fedora

Fedora

1978

as Kritos

6.7
Acting

An ambitious Hollywood hustler becomes involved with a reclusive female star, whom he tries to lure out of retirement.

The Stationmaster’s Wife

The Stationmaster’s Wife

1977

as Finkelberger

5.4
Acting

The lackluster and plodding Bolweiser has the (mis)fortune to be married to the town’s siren; his trusting nature leads him into serious trouble when ...

The Stationmaster’s Wife

The Stationmaster’s Wife

1977

5.4
Acting

The lackluster and plodding Bolweiser has the (mis)fortune to be married to the town’s siren; his trusting nature leads him into serious trouble when ...

Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven

Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven

1975

as Jörg Niemeyer

7.8
Acting

After a worker kills a superior and commits suicide, each of his family members attempts to forge a path forward in life.

Carlos

Carlos

1971

as Carlos

Acting

In the Southwest of 1915 Carlos backs an intended uprising of the common countymen against his father Phillip, a despotic landowner who exploits the r...

Jaider, the Lonely Hunter

Jaider, the Lonely Hunter

1971

as Jaider

Acting

When Jaider has to illegally poach in order to feed the citizens of a poor Alpine town, he gets into a blood-soaked conflict with the German authoriti...

Café Oriental

1962

4.5
Acting