Christian Quadflieg played around 200 roles on television – but for many viewers he has always remained the “country doctor”.
Between 1986 and 1992, Quadflieg played the title hero Dr. Karsten Mattiesen, who takes care of the little and big needs of the villagers in the fictitious Schleswig-Holstein Deekelsen with heart and mind.
Quadflieg wrote TV history with the crime scene “Maturity Certificate”.
But the artist also made TV history back in 1977: with Wolfgang Petersen’s then spectacular “Tatort: Reifezeugnis”, in which he, as a teacher, seduced one of his students, played by Nastassja Kinski.
A film scene from the legendary “Tatort” thriller “Reifezeugnis” shows Nastassja Kinski as the student Sina and Christian Quadflieg as her teacher Helmut Fichte. | Image: Klar/dpa
After a long and serious illness, Christian Quadflieg died in Hamburg at the age of 78. “The family mourns the loss of a loved one and great artist,” said Sandra Quadflieg, wife of Christian Quadflieg’s nephew, on behalf of the family.
Lately it had become quieter around him: the language enthusiast still appeared above all with readings from the works of great authors. Early in his career, he had to contend with a myth: his legendary father, Will Quadflieg (1914-2003). He belonged to the top guard of his profession and excelled as “Faust” in Gründgens’ unforgettable production.
Engagements in Oberhausen, Wuppertal and Basel
At the age of twelve, Christian Quadflieg accompanied his father to the Hamburg Schauspielhaus to admire him on stage: “I saw all 36 performances of Schiller’s “Don Carlos” with Gustaf Gründgens as King Philipp and my father as Marquis Posa,” said Quadflieg on his 70th birthday from the German Press Agency dpa. There was no doubt in his mind that he also wanted to be an actor.
Although the famous father had warned him: “On stage you are alone. It’s no use to you that you’re my son.”
That couldn’t stop him: the son, born on April 11, 1945 in Växjö (Sweden) as one of five children of stage height, applied to the Bochum drama school after school in Hamburg. When he initially failed the entrance exam, his world collapsed. Then it still worked. After engagements in Oberhausen, Wuppertal and Basel, the young man set up his own business and, from 1974 onwards, he was soon playing major classic roles at important houses in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Vienna.
Appearances in series such as “Der Alte”, “Derrick” and “Das Traumschiff”
The director Fritz Umgelter, with whom Quadflieg shot a total of 16 films, discovered him for television and absolutely wanted him for the leading role in the four-part series “The Involuntary Travels of Moritz August Benjowski”. On television he appeared in series and films such as “Der Alte”, “Derrick” and “Das Traumschiff”. Between 1995 and 2002 he played the title role of the conductor Oldendorf in the ARD family series “Vater reluctant”.
Christian Quadflieg as conductor Max Oldendorf with his film daughters Marlene (Silvie Gerold), Gitti (Anna Schmidt) and Beatrice (Ulrike Panse) | Image: Ursula Düren, dpa
In recent years, Quadflieg, who has been married to his colleague Renate Reger since 1974, has concentrated on his more than 30 literary programmes. He gave guest performances with them and read audio books. This included poetry by Erich Kästner, Heinrich Heine and Eduard Mörike, as well as Bible stories.
With his father Will Quadflieg he published an audio book on the correspondence between Thomas and Klaus Mann. Both received the German Record Critics’ Prize in 1996. The writer and book artist Roswitha Quadflieg (born 1949, “KönigsSohn”) is a sister of the actor. (dpa)