Lambert Hamel

Lambert Hamel
Dramatic, three-quarter-profile, colour, publicity headshot of an unsmiling man with designer stubble and short, receding, dark hair. His dark eyes stare earnestly at the camera from under black eyebrows. He appears to be about to speak.
Hamel c. 2000
Born(1940-06-07)7 June 1940
Ludwigshafen, Germany
Died13 February 2026(2026-02-13) (aged 85)
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
EducationSchauspielschule Bochum
OccupationActor
Organizations

Lambert Hamel (7 June 1940 – 13 February 2026) was a German television and film actor. On stage, he worked in Munich from 1968, at the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel and then for 28 years at the Münchner Kammerspiele, often in the roles of villains and buffoons. He played both Martin Luther and Helmut Kohl in television films, and he appeared in many popular television series.

Life and career

Hamel was born in Ludwigshafen[1] on 7 June 1940.[2][3] He grew up with two sisters. He knew early on that he wanted to become an actor, though his father disapproved.[4] He took German studies, philosophy, and theatre studies[1] from 1960 to 1962 at the universities of Heidelberg and Cologne.[2] He then completed acting training at the Schauspielschule Bochum,[1][2] with Hans Schalla.[3] While still in training, director Oscar Fritz Schuh brought him to the Deutsches Schauspielhaus,[1] where he made his debut in 1963 as Thomas Diaforius in Molière's The Imaginary Invalid,[2][5] directed by Fritz Kortner.[2]

In 1964, Hamel moved to the Schauspiel Bochum, then briefly to the Bühnen der Stadt Köln, where he appeared as Artur in Mrozek's Tango.[2] From 1968, he worked for the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel,[1][2] engaged by Helmut Henrichs, who had seen him in Cologne. He made his successful debut there in the title role of Molière's George Dandin.[2]

From 1973 to 2001, Hamel was a permanent ensemble member at the Münchner Kammerspiele. In a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, he played Bottom.[1] He was cast as Bruscon in Thomas Bernhard's Der Theatermacher,[1] regarded as a signature role.[4] He returned to the Staatsschauspiel for the 2001/02 season, where he played Sosias in Kleist's Amphitryon, held the title role in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, and portrayed Estragon in Beckett's Waiting for Godot, both directed by Elmar Goerden. He appeared as Theseus in Racine's Phädra and as Zauberkönig in Horváth's Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald, both directed by Barbara Frey, and in 2010, he played Adam in Kleist's Der zerbrochne Krug, directed by Tina Lanik.[1] In addition, Hamel took part in guest engagements at the Salzburg Festival and at the Burgtheater in Vienna.[1]

Hamel acted in numerous film and television productions. He portrayed the title role in Rainer Wolffhardt's Martin Luther (1983), and he played Helmut Kohl in Hans-Christoph Blumenberg's Deutschlandspiel (2000).[1] He acted in the 2019 film Und tot bist Du!, directed by Marcus O. Rosenmüller.[4] He appeared in popular crime series, including Derrick, Tatort, and Der Alte,[1] often portraying nasty characters.[4] He also appeared in Der Bergdoktor[4] and Pfarrer Braun. He read audio books and dubbed the voices of Philippe Noiret and Charlton Heston, among others.[1]

Hamel died in Munich on 13 February 2026, at the age of 85,[1] after a short illness.[4]

Selected filmography

Film

Films with Hamel include:[6]

List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown
Year Title English title Role
1983 Wagner Betz
1985 Vergeßt Mozart Forget Mozart Voice of Franz Demel[7]
1987 Der Unsichtbare The Invisible Dorfmann
Der Angriff The Aggression Wendt
2007 Mein Führer – Die wirklich wahrste Wahrheit über Adolf Hitler My Führer – The Really Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler Obergruppenführer Rattenhuber

Television

Hamel appeared in television series, including:[8]

List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown
Year Title English title Role Notes
1970–72 Der Kommissar Brassmann 2 episodes
1975–88 Derrick Bruno Wollweber 3 episodes
1980 Auf Achse Commissioner Huber 1 episode
1983 Das Traumschiff The Dream Ship Mr. Gerold 1 episode
Martin Luther Martin Luther Television film
1988/1998 Liebling Kreuzberg Giovanni Lara 2 episodes
1995–2011 Tatort Dr. Herbert / Jochen Rakuscha 2 episodes
1995–2015 Der Alte The Old Fox Various roles 4 episodes
1998–2002 Vater wider Willen Artistic Director Vogt 21 episodes
2000 Deutschlandspiel Helmut Kohl Television film
2001 Stubbe – Von Fall zu Fall Gisbert Gotzkowsky 1 episode
Dr. Stefan Frank – Der Arzt, dem die Frauen vertrauen Paul Krüger 1 episode
2002 Edel & Starck Dr. Schiller 2 episodes
2004 Heiter bis tödlich: München 7 KO Dieter 1 episode
2005 Kanzleramt Chancellery Malte Unger 2 episodes
2013–2015 Der Bergdoktor The Mountain Doctor Dr. Fendrich 13 episodes
2009/2014 Pfarrer Braun Father Brown Abbot Emmeram Stelzenbach / Oskar Wendel 2 episodes
2019 Und tot bist Du! And Dead You Are! Hermann Natterer Television film[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Hintermeier 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Munzinger 2026.
  3. ^ a b Filmhaus 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Spiegel 2026.
  5. ^ Prisma 2026.
  6. ^ Filmportal 2026.
  7. ^ Synchronkartei 2026.
  8. ^ Fernsehserien 2026.

Cited sources

  • Hintermeier, Hannes (18 February 2026). "Poetischer Polterer". FAZ (in German). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  • "Lambert Hamel". Deutsche Synchronkartei (in German). Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  • "Lambert Hamel". Fernsehserien (in German). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  • "Lambert Hamel". Deutsches Filmhaus (in German). Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  • "Lambert Hamel". Filmportal (in German). Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  • "Lambert Hamel". Munzinger-Archiv (in German). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  • "Lambert Hamel – Infos und Filme". Prisma (in German). Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  • "Schauspieler Lambert Hamel ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). dpa. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.

Further reading

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