Photo of Heinrich Schafmeister
Acting

Heinrich Schafmeister

Profession
Acting
Born
March 2, 1957 · Essen, Germany

Biography

Heinrich Schafmeister is a German actor and presenter. He is the second of three children born to the former President of the State Social Court of Schleswig-Holstein. He attended primary school from 1963 to 1967, followed by the Albert-Einstein-Realschule in Essen until 1973. Subsequently, he completed his *Abitur* (university-entrance diploma) at the St.-Pius-Gymnasium in Coesfeld and went on to study German Studies and Music. He dropped out of his university studies in 1980 to transfer to the Folkwang University of the Arts. There, he was classmates with Armin Rohde and Hansa Czypionka. After graduating, he performed in theater productions in Aachen for six years. He made his cinematic debut in 1984 in the film *Treffer*, directed by Dominik Graf. Schafmeister also frequently appears in television series—for instance, as Didi Denkelmann in *Die Camper*, as Manfred Höch in *Wilsberg*, or as Karl Wolkenfuß in *Wie erziehe ich meine Eltern?*. Schafmeister gained wider public recognition through the film *Comedian Harmonists*, in which he portrayed the singer Erich A. Collin. Schafmeister serves voluntarily as the Treasurer of the *Bundesverband Schauspiel* (BFFS)—the professional union for actors. As a board member, he is also responsible for social and collective bargaining policy. In this capacity, he played a key role in late 2013 in concluding the first collective bargaining agreement for actors in the German film and television industry—an agreement that, among other provisions, established a minimum starting wage for newcomers to the profession. He lives in Cologne and is married to Jutta Schafmeister, an actors' agent. Together with Leonard Lansink, Schafmeister performs in theater productions. During the 2014 European elections, he publicly supported the SPD and its lead candidate, Martin Schulz. From July 23 to December 2018, he co-hosted the program *Live nach Neun* alongside Alina Stiegler.

Known for

Inspector Rex poster
Inspector Rex
Series · 1994 · ★ 7.2
Alarm for Cobra 11: The Motorway Police poster
Alarm for Cobra 11: The Motorway Police
Series · 1996 · ★ 6.6
Scene of the Crime poster
Scene of the Crime
Series · 1970 · ★ 6.2
Maybe... Maybe Not poster
Maybe... Maybe Not
Film · 1994 · ★ 6.3
If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer poster
If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer
Film · 2002 · ★ 6.4
It's Just a Phase, Honeybunny poster
It's Just a Phase, Honeybunny
Film · 2021 · ★ 6.2
Vollidiot poster
Vollidiot
Film · 2007 · ★ 4.6
The Harmonists poster
The Harmonists
Film · 1997 · ★ 6.7
Laura's Star poster
Laura's Star
Film · 2004 · ★ 6.4
The Slurb poster
The Slurb
Film · 2001 · ★ 6.0
Confessions of Felix Krull poster
Confessions of Felix Krull
Film · 2021 · ★ 6.5
The Cat poster
The Cat
Film · 1988 · ★ 6.4

Filmography