Entertainer. Known as Germany's answer to Frank Sinatra, he was born Harry Heinz Herbert Juhnke in Berlin-Wedding, Germany, at the height of the depression, the son of a policeman; while still a kid he lived through the Third Reich, WWII bombing and the 4-way divided/occupied city and rose to become a versatile artist who was eventually regarded as a German phenomenom. He was one of Germany's most popular actors as well as a singer who recorded some 30 albums and was famed for performing Frank Sinatra songs in German, calling the album "His Way." The tracks included "Berlin, Berlin," his version of "New York, New York." Juhnke had his own television shows including "Musik ist Trumpf" and "Wie waer's heut mit Revue" in the late 1970s and 1980s. He first appeared on the German stage in 1948 as a young officer in "Haus der Kultur der Sowjetunion" and returned to the same theater in 1996 when he played (to sellout audiences) the leading role in Carl Zuckmayer's stage comedy, "der Hauptmann von (The Captain of) Koepenick," at Berlin's Maxim Gorki Theater. Excelled in his role in Schtonk, a 1992 film on the forgery of Adolf Hitler's diaries. He appeared in some 115 films and most recently appeared in a TV film "vor Sonnenuntergang" ("Before Sunset") in 2000. Recognized with 10 entertainment prizes including the Golden Camera in 1981 and most recently the "Telestar 96" by German television for his life's work. Cause of death: effects of chronic alcoholism, near Berlin, Germany.
Entertainer. Known as Germany's answer to Frank Sinatra, he was born Harry Heinz Herbert Juhnke in Berlin-Wedding, Germany, at the height of the depression, the son of a policeman; while still a kid he lived through the Third Reich, WWII bombing and the 4-way divided/occupied city and rose to become a versatile artist who was eventually regarded as a German phenomenom. He was one of Germany's most popular actors as well as a singer who recorded some 30 albums and was famed for performing Frank Sinatra songs in German, calling the album "His Way." The tracks included "Berlin, Berlin," his version of "New York, New York." Juhnke had his own television shows including "Musik ist Trumpf" and "Wie waer's heut mit Revue" in the late 1970s and 1980s. He first appeared on the German stage in 1948 as a young officer in "Haus der Kultur der Sowjetunion" and returned to the same theater in 1996 when he played (to sellout audiences) the leading role in Carl Zuckmayer's stage comedy, "der Hauptmann von (The Captain of) Koepenick," at Berlin's Maxim Gorki Theater. Excelled in his role in Schtonk, a 1992 film on the forgery of Adolf Hitler's diaries. He appeared in some 115 films and most recently appeared in a TV film "vor Sonnenuntergang" ("Before Sunset") in 2000. Recognized with 10 entertainment prizes including the Golden Camera in 1981 and most recently the "Telestar 96" by German television for his life's work. Cause of death: effects of chronic alcoholism, near Berlin, Germany.
Bio by: Fred Beisser
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