Harald Juhnke

Juhnke was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg. His father was a police officer and his mother came from a family of bakers. He grew up in the working-class district of Gesundbrunnen in Berlin. His first stage appearance was in 1948. In 1950, he was hired by the theater in Neustrelitz. In the following years, he worked in several other theaters, including the Volksbühne in Berlin. Juhnke began appearing on German television after 1977. He played in a number of television series and later hosted the ZDF television show Musik ist Trumpf. He often sang on the shows he hosted, in particular emulating Frank Sinatra. Juhnke went on to record several albums between the years 1968 and 1999. In 1992, Juhnke experienced a comeback as a film actor. He won praise from critics for character parts in the movies Schtonk!, The Parrot, and Der Hauptmann von Köpenick. In 1995, he played the lead role in the movie The Drinker, based on the autobiography of German writer Hans Fallada. His first marriage was to actress and dancer Sybil Werden. The couple had two children: their daughter Barbara was born in 1953 and in 1956, they had a son, Peer. In 1971, Juhnke married actress Susanne Hsiao. They had a son, Oliver Marlon, who was born in 1972. Juhnke suffered from severe alcoholism during most of his adult life, with his dependence repeatedly resulting in detrimental media attention and career setbacks. In February 2005, he was hospitalized with acute dehydration. He died in Rüdersdorf, near Berlin, at the age of 75.

Mit beiden Händen in den Taschen (1968) Aber vor allem würde ich trinken! (1976) Ein Mann für alle Fälle (1979) Harald Juhnke (1981) Schuld sind nur die Frau'n (1982) Goodbye Madame (1983) Barfuß oder Lackschuh (1989) Manchmal ein Clown sein (1992) His Way (1998) That's life (1999)

Tonight Harald (1984) My Way – Das Beste (1995)