Diether Krebs

Diether Krebs (11 August 1947 - 4 January 2000) was a German actor, cabaret artist and comedian. He was born in Essen, the son of a stationery shop owner, and his godfather was Diether Posser, a lawyer and SPD politician. Krebs gained his first theatre experience at the Humboldt Gymnasium in Essen and took acting lessons at the renowned Folkwangschule school of performing arts before taking on his first role at the theatre in Oberhausen.

From 1973, Krebs became famous for his role as "Michael Graf" in the comedy series Ein Herz und eine Seele, the German version of Till Death Us Do Part, though he left the series in 1974 due to differences with the producers. From 1978 to 1986 he played chief detective "Dieter Herrle" in the series SOKO 5113 and made guest appearances in Tatort, Polizeiruf 110 and Der Alte. He achieved cult status as a cabaret artist and comedian, appearing on Rudis Tagesshow with Rudi Carrell from 1981 and starring in his own comedy series Sketchup from 1985 to 1987, in which he played a wide range of characters.

Krebs also worked as an actor, singer and television presenter, appearing in Helmut Dietl's series Kir Royal and the comedy Go Trabi Go. In 1991 he entered the German music charts as the character "Martin." The last years of his life were marked by dwindling success and serious illness, as he suffered from lung cancer. His final role was in the 1999 action comedy Bang Boom Bang, which some critics acclaimed as his best ever part, and he died of lung cancer in 2000.