‘Cabaret’ Star Fritz Wepper Dies at 82
German actor, best known by American audiences from the musical film Cabaret, Fritz Wepper has died. His wife Susanne Kellermann confirmed the news that he passed away at 82 years old from a long illness. He was living at a hospice facility in Munich.
Of course, Wepper was better known in Germany and starred as Detective Sergeant Harry Klein in the long-running series Derrick (1974-1998). Just before he got this role, he starred as Fritz Wendel in Cabaret, the film also starring Lisa Minnelli, Joey Grey, and Michael York. He shined in the emotional scene of Fritz and Natalia (Marisa Berenson) getting married by a rabbi. Reportedly, he remained close friends with Minnelli over the years.
Everett Collection
Wepper appeared in the 2001 CBS TV movie Murder on the Orient Express starring Alfred Molina, Meredith Baxter, Leslie Caron, and Peter Strauss. In Germany, he also appeared in Der Kommissar, High Society Murder, and more. His final role was in 2021 in the show For Heaven’s Sake.
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Wepper is survived by his wife and daughters Sophie and Filippa. He was first married to Angela von Morgen and they had Sophie together. He made headlines when he left von Morgen for Kellermann and had a daughter, Filippa with her. Eventually, he went back to von Morgen and stayed with her until her death in 2019. He wed Kellermann in 2020. Sophie followed in her father’s footsteps and is an actor in Germany.
May he rest in peace. Do you remember him in Cabaret? Let us know if you’ve seen any of his German pieces of work!
1950s Musicals
November 2020
Bright and brassy, toe-tapping musicals from the 1950s
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