Biography

Joachim Kemmer (September 12, 1939 - April 27, 2000) was a German actor, voice actor, singer, and cabaret performer. Born in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, he grew up in Berlin and studied acting at the Fritz Kirchhoff School. He later performed in theaters across Germany and Austria, including the Theater an der Wien, the Theater in der Josefstadt, and the Salzburg Festival. Kemmer appeared in numerous German films and television productions. His notable screen credits include The Vampire Happening (1971), Meier (1986), Otto - Der neue Film (1987), and Dominik Graf’s crime thriller Die Katze (1988), in which he appeared alongside Götz George. He also made guest appearances in popular German television series such as Derrick, Der Alte, Tatort, and Liebling Kreuzberg. He was particularly renowned for his extensive voice acting career, becoming one of Germany’s most recognizable dubbing artists. He provided German voices for international actors including Humphrey Bogart, Al Pacino, Richard Pryor, Anthony Hopkins, Harvey Keitel, and Willem Dafoe. Kemmer also voiced numerous characters in German-language versions of animated films, including Sebastian in The Little Mermaid (1989), Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast (1991), Jafar in Aladdin (1992), Rafiki in The Lion King (1994), Governor Ratcliffe in Pocahontas (1995), and Rasputin in Anastasia (1997). In addition to his film and voice work, he performed in musical theater, notably portraying Gus, Bustopher Jones, and Growltiger in the German-language production of Cats. Kemmer died in Vienna, Austria, on April 27, 2000, at the age of 60.