Klaus Lemke, director of films such as “48 Hours to Acapulco”, “Berlin for Heroes” and “Arabian Nights” is dead. He died at the age of 81, as the star learned.
He was a headstrong director, screenwriter – and “bad boy”. Now Klaus Lemke died on Thursday at the age of 81, as the star learned from informed circles.
Lemke, born October 13, 1940 in Landsberg an der Warthe, made films like “Berlin for Heroes” (2012), “Arabic Nights” (1979), “A Call Girl for Ghosts” (2020) and “48 Hours to Acapulco” , his debut film from 1967, for which he won the Bambi for “Most artistically valuable German film” the following year. His 1978 film “Amore” won a Grimme Prize.
Klaus Lemke: anti-intellectual who discovered Iris Berben
Klaus Lemke was considered a headstrong filmmaker who described himself as anti-intellectual. He grew up in Dusseldorf. After graduating from high school, he got by with odd jobs. He dropped out of art history and philosophy studies after six semesters.
The director is also considered the discoverer of Iris Berben. During his life, Lemke was connected to the two cities of Hamburg and Munich for a long time.
His style-defining film “Rocker” from 1972 is particularly popular. In it, an aging petty criminal who has just been released from prison makes the neighborhood unsafe with a motorcycle gang. Today “Rocker” is a cult film in Hamburg.
