Folker Bohnet


Folker Bohnet was a German actor, theatre director and playwright. He played in the 1959 film Die Brücke directed by Bernhard Wicki while still a student in Berlin. Later, he focused on comedy for the stage, as actor, director and author of plays, touring internationally. He was a regular director and actor at the Ohnsorg-Theater in Hamburg.
WWW spielstoff.de

Life and career

Born as Folker Bohnet-Waldraff in Berlin, he moved with his family to Düsseldorf where he completed school with the Abitur. He studied law at the University of Cologne, but dropped out after four semesters in favour of attending the UFA junior student studio in Berlin where he was trained by.
While still a student, he took part in three films in quick succession, including the world success Die Brücke directed by Bernhard Wicki in 1959. He played Hans Scholten, the most level-headed of seven boys who are to defend a bridge at the end of the Second World War. His other films include , Schloß Hubertus and Visconti's drama Ludwig, in which he played the actor Josef Kainz who was adored by Ludwig II of Bavaria. Bohnet also appeared in numerous television productions until the 1990s, but he spent most of his career on the theatre stage.
His success with Die Brücke was followed by permanent engagements and guest performances at theatres such as Thalia-Theater, Ernst Deutsch Theater and the Hamburger Kammerspiele, all in Hamburg, Renaissance Theater and Volksbühne in Berlin, Schauspiel Frankfurt, Residenz Theatre in Munich, Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna, and Bühnen der Stadt Köln. He played at festivals such as Bad Hersfelder Festspiele and in touring productions. In addition to his work as an actor, Bohnet regularly directed theatre productions. From 1977, Bohnet authored numerous comedies, which were performed throughout the German-speaking world and beyond. He toured with his In anderen Umständen for 13 years.
Bohnet's first direction job of 17 at the Hamburg Ohnsorg-Theater was Lustfahrt ins Paradies in 2002, his last Dinner für Spinner. It was his trademark to stage a scene after the last curtain fall. He was regarded as a master of timing in comedies, and able to present classical plays from a different angle, such as Kleist's Der zerbrochne Krug in low German as Dat Schörengericht. He was still working as a stage actor and director at the age of 80, for example playing Mephisto at Kleines Theater im Park in Bad Godesberg in 2019.
Bohnet was married to the actress, and the couple had a son, the physicist and writer. Bohnet has another son, the actor Markus Lorenz-Bohnet. In 2001, he entered into a registered partnership with Alexander Alexy, dentist and partner in many of his plays, with whom he had been associated since the 1980s.
Bohnet died during the night from 5 to 6 October 2020 at his home at the age of 83 of lung cancer.

Filmography

Bohnet played in the following films:
  • 1958: '
  • 1959: Die Brücke
  • 1960: '
  • 1960: Das Haus voller Gäste
  • 1960: Der Geizige
  • 1965: Winter in Ischia
  • 1965: Im Schlaraffenland
  • 1967: '
  • 1967: Der Zauberberg
  • 1968: Nationalkomitee "Freies Deutschland"
  • 1968: Der Kaufmann von Venedig
  • 1970: '
  • 1970: Friedrich III....gestorben als Kaiser
  • 1971: Der Babutz
  • 1973: Ludwig
  • 1973: Schloß Hubertus
  • 1977: Kaspar Laris Abenteuer,, ARD series
  • 1981: Die Laurents,, ARD series
  • 1992: Salzburger Nockerln, RTL series
  • 1992: Freunde fürs Leben, ZDF series
  • 1995: Serienstars einmal anders – der Landarzt lässt die Sau raus
  • 1995: Die Partner, RTL series
  • 1997: Parkhotel Stern, Sat1 series

Plays directed by Bohnet

  • 1963: Les Caprices de Marianne
  • 1981: Gyges und sein Ring
  • 1986: Kuckucksei
  • 2001: Lustfahrt ins Paradies
  • 2005: Pension Schöller
  • 2006: The Queen of Quäkenbüttel
  • 2006: Alles auf Anfang
  • 2008: Dree Mann an ne Küst
  • 2009: Geld verdirbt den Charakter
  • 2010: Alles auf Krankenschein
  • 2013: Lügen haben junge Beine
  • 2013: De spaansche Fleeg
  • 2017: ''Die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht''

Plays written by Bohnet

  • 1977: Meine Mutter tut das nicht!
  • 1993: Erbe verpflichtet
  • 1996: Unsere Mutter wird 'ne Diva
  • 1996: In anderen Umständen: eine Klamödie
  • 1997: Jeder nach seiner Fasson
  • 2001: Alles Böse zum Geburtstag
  • 2008: Liebeslänglich
  • 2013: Der Froschkönig
  • 2017: Tango unterm Regenbogen
  • 2020: ''Oscar dla Emily''