The actor and radio play speaker Hans Peter Hallwachs is dead. He died in Berlin on December 16 and was 84 years old, as the German Press Agency learned from his family. Hallwachs was one of the busiest character actors on German television and played supporting roles in many “Tatort” thrillers.
Hallwachs was born on July 10, 1938 in Jüterbog, Mark Brandenburg. After graduating from high school in Plön and dropping out of law studies, he attended the Fritz Kirchhoff acting school in Berlin.
He made his debut in 1962 at the Stadttheater in Rheydt in Max Frisch’s socially critical play “Andorra”. Even if he appeared on various theater stages again and again, he became known to a wide audience through his numerous television appearances.
However, Hallwax has almost always appeared in supporting roles. He played in 16 “Tatort” crime shows on ARD alone, including the very first episode “Taxi to Leipzig”. Hallwachs had 13 appearances in the ZDF series “Der Alte”. TV viewers also know his face from the ARD series “Mord mit Aussicht”, where he played the father of Sophie Haas (Caroline Peters). He also took part in “The Great Bellheim” (1993). In 2020 he could still be seen in a new case in the ZDF series “Letzte Spur Berlin”.
Popular among radio play fans
He also acted in movies, including Bully Herbig’s “(T)Spaceship Surprise – Period 1”. Hallwachs was considered an artist with an enormous theatrical range, who often appeared in his roles as a cool power man or an unapproachable loner.
Hallwachs’ voice has cult status among radio play fans. Among other things, he can be heard in many Raymond Chandler settings of the 1980s. His leading role in Edward Boyd’s “Five Fingers Make a Hand” from 1969 is also considered a classic of West German crime radio plays.
For concentration, he liked to practice Japanese archery. Hallwachs has been married twice. The committed vegetarian leaves behind two daughters and a son. “For us, he always played leading roles, throughout a long, fulfilling life,” says a family obituary.