Jürgen Holtz facts for kids

Jürgen Holtz (born August 10, 1932 – died June 21, 2020) was a famous German actor. He performed on stage, in movies, and on TV. He was also an artist and a writer.

On stage, he played many important roles. He worked with famous theater groups like the Berliner Ensemble. He acted in classic plays by writers like Shakespeare and Brecht. When he was 86 years old, he even played the main character in Brecht's play Galileo. He also acted in new plays, like the first show of Moritz Tassow.

In movies, he had leading roles too. For example, he played Egon Schultz in the film Made in Israel. Jürgen Holtz won several awards for his acting, including the Theaterpreis Berlin and the Konrad Wolf Prize.

Jürgen Holtz's Life and Career

Jürgen Holtz was born in Berlin, Germany. During World War II, he moved away from Berlin for a while. He went to school in Neustadt bei Coburg from 1943 to 1945. After the war, he returned to Berlin to find his parents.

He continued his schooling in Berlin. In 1949, he moved to East Berlin. There, he finished high school in 1952. After that, he decided to study acting. He went to acting schools in Weimar and Leipzig, finishing his studies in 1955.

Early Acting Jobs

Holtz started his acting career in different cities. He worked in Erfurt from 1955 to 1957. Then he moved to Brandenburg an der Havel (1957–1960) and Greifswald (1960–1964).

Later, he moved to East Berlin. He performed at the Volksbühne theater. From 1966 to 1974, he was at the Deutsches Theater. Some of his important roles during this time included:

• The main character in the first-ever show of Moritz Tassow in 1966.
• Angelo in Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure in 1968.

Moving to West Germany

From 1974, Holtz was a member of the famous Berliner Ensemble theater group. In 1983, he visited West Germany for a show. He decided to stay there. He then worked at theaters in Bochum and Frankfurt.

In 1995, he returned to the Deutsches Theater Berlin. He also performed as a guest actor at the Nationaltheater Mannheim from 2000. Besides theater, he often worked in radio, movies, and television.

Later Years and Other Talents

Jürgen Holtz continued acting for a long time. In 2019, when he was 86 years old, he played the main role in Brecht's play Leben des Galilei. This was a six-hour-long show at the Berliner Ensemble.

Besides acting, Holtz was also an artist. His paintings were shown in art exhibitions. He also wrote a book about his life called He, Geist! Wo geht die Reise hin?, which came out in 2015.

Jürgen Holtz passed away in Berlin on June 21, 2020. He died from cancer.

Film and Television Roles

Jürgen Holtz acted in many movies and TV shows. Here are some of his roles:

Writings

Jürgen Holtz wrote a book about his own life:

• Jürgen Holtz: He, Geist! Wo geht die Reise hin? Reden. Einreden. Widerreden. Published by Theater der Zeit, Berlin in 2015. ISBN: 978-3-95749-011-7.

Art Exhibitions

Jürgen Holtz's drawings and paintings were shown in these exhibitions:

• 2017: Jürgen Holtz. Zeichnungen, Aquarelle, Schriftfiguren. At Galerie Bernet Bertram, Berlin.
• 2020: Kaspar, Puppe, Krokodil. This was a solo exhibition of his satirical drawings and abstract art. It ran from June 13 to August 29, 2020, at Galerie Bernet Bertram, Berlin.

Awards and Honors

Jürgen Holtz received many awards for his acting:

• 1990: Adolf Grimme Prize
• 1993: Actor of the Year [de] (from Theater heute magazine)
• 1993: Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring
• 2004: Hessischer Kulturpreis
• 2013: Theaterpreis Berlin
• 2014: Konrad Wolf Prize