Oliver Grimm (1948-2017) was Germany's favourite child star for more than a decade. He made 17 films between 1952 and 1963.
German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden (Westf.), no. F 16. Photo: Constantin (Looschen). Publicity still for Kleiner Mann - ganz gross/Little Man on Top (Hans Grimm, 1957).
German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. F 32. Photo: Niczky.
German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK-29. Photo: Arthur Grimm / Ufa.
Oliver Grimm was born in Munich, Germany, in 1948 as the son of film director Hans Grimm and Ufa-actress Hansi Wendler. He already made his film debut in 1951 in the comedy Ich heiße Nicki/My name Is Nicki (Rudolf Jugert, 1952) starring Paul Hörbiger.
The following years more parts followed in Vater braucht eine Frau/Father Needs a Woman (Harald Braun, 1952) starring Dieter Borsche and Ruth Leuwerik, Moselfahrt aus Liebeskummer/A Boat Trip On the Mosel Because of Lovesickness (Kurt Hoffmann, 1953), Morgengrauen/Dawn (Viktor Tourjansky, 1954) and Frühlingslied/Springtime Song (Hans Albin, 1954).
It was his leading role in Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne/Like Father Like Son (Hans Quest, 1955) that made him one of the most famous child stars in Germany. In this film, he co-starred as the son of a musical clown played by Heinz Rühmann.
Other family films with the handsome boy actor in the lead role soon followed as Griff nach den Sternen/Reaching for the Stars (Carl-Heinz Schroth, 1955), Mein Vater, der Schauspieler/May father, the Actor (Robert Siodmak, 1956) opposite O.W. Fischer, and Das schöne Abenteuer/Beautiful Adventure (Kurt Hoffmann, 1959) starring Liselotte Pulver.
He often appeared in films directed by his father, including Kleiner Mann: ganz groß/Little Man on Top (Hans Grimm, 1957) and Der schwarze Blitz/The Black Blitz (Hans Grimm, 1958) starring ski champion Toni Sailer.
German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin, no. A 1220 Photo: NF / Lilo. Publicity still for Morgengrauen/Dawn (Viktor Tourjansky, 1954).
German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin, no. 1279. Photo: Albin-Film / Deutsche London / Roeder. Publicity still for Frühlingslied/Springtime Song (Hans Albin, 1954).
German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden/Westf., no. 2000. Photo: H. / Fü.
Internationally, Oliver Grimm may be best remembered for the role of a blind boy in two episodes of the television show Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (Georg Tressler, 1962) opposite Karlheinz Böhm.
One of his best performances was in the British World War II drama Reach for Glory (Philip Leacock, 1962). A group of boys, evacuated from London to a coastal town, form a gang and play war games. Grimm played a Jewish evacuee from Austria who runs off during a fight. The youths decide to give him a fake court-martial and he is killed by accident.
Grimm’s film career was over in 1963 when he was 14 years of age. He only provided the voice of Kimba the young lion in the German version of the Japanese animated series Janguru taitei/Kimba the White Lion (Eiichi Yamamoto, 1965-1967). After leaving school Grimm studied three semesters to become a civil engineer. Then he decided on the acting profession and took acting classes in Berlin.
As an adult, he was not able to establish himself in the film business again, but since the 1970s he worked steadily as a voice actor and played at theatres in Berlin, Munich, and Zurich. He also regularly works behind the camera. In 1975 he made a guest appearance on TV in the popular Krimi-series Derrick. After 38 years Oliver Grimm returned to the big screen as a teacher in the German comedy Schule/No More School (Marco Petry, 2000) starring Daniel Brühl.
His last screen appearances were interviews in the documentaries René Deltgen: Der sanfte Rebell/René Deltgen: The Gentle Rebel (Michael Wenk, 2004) and Heinz Rühmann - Der Schauspieler/Heinz Rühmann – The Actor (Michael Strauven, 2007) in the TV series Hitlers nützliche Idole/Hitler’s Useful Idols (2007). Oliver Grimm suffered from throat cancer for several years and died from it in 2017 in Passau at the age of 69.
German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. 231. Photo: Berolina / Constantin-Film.
German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. 152. Photo: Constantin / Bokelberg.
Italian postcard in the series 'Piccoli Uomini nel Cinema' by Ed. Villagio del Fanciullo, Bologna. Photo: Titanus. Publicity still for Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne/If the Father and the Son (Hans Quest, 1955) with Waltraut Haas and Robert Freytag.
Trailer for Vater braucht eine Frau/Father Needs a Woman (Harald Braun, 1952). Source: TrailerTrackerClassic (YouTube).
Scene from Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne/Like Father Like Son (Hans Quest, 1955). Source: Ronny Ackermann (YouTube).
Sources: Stephanie D’heil (Steffi-line - German), Karl Williams (AllMovie - page now defunct), CVMC, Wikipedia (German), and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 16 July 2024.
German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden (Westf.), no. F 16. Photo: Constantin (Looschen). Publicity still for Kleiner Mann - ganz gross/Little Man on Top (Hans Grimm, 1957).
German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. F 32. Photo: Niczky.
German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK-29. Photo: Arthur Grimm / Ufa.
Handsome boy actor
Oliver Grimm was born in Munich, Germany, in 1948 as the son of film director Hans Grimm and Ufa-actress Hansi Wendler. He already made his film debut in 1951 in the comedy Ich heiße Nicki/My name Is Nicki (Rudolf Jugert, 1952) starring Paul Hörbiger.
The following years more parts followed in Vater braucht eine Frau/Father Needs a Woman (Harald Braun, 1952) starring Dieter Borsche and Ruth Leuwerik, Moselfahrt aus Liebeskummer/A Boat Trip On the Mosel Because of Lovesickness (Kurt Hoffmann, 1953), Morgengrauen/Dawn (Viktor Tourjansky, 1954) and Frühlingslied/Springtime Song (Hans Albin, 1954).
It was his leading role in Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne/Like Father Like Son (Hans Quest, 1955) that made him one of the most famous child stars in Germany. In this film, he co-starred as the son of a musical clown played by Heinz Rühmann.
Other family films with the handsome boy actor in the lead role soon followed as Griff nach den Sternen/Reaching for the Stars (Carl-Heinz Schroth, 1955), Mein Vater, der Schauspieler/May father, the Actor (Robert Siodmak, 1956) opposite O.W. Fischer, and Das schöne Abenteuer/Beautiful Adventure (Kurt Hoffmann, 1959) starring Liselotte Pulver.
He often appeared in films directed by his father, including Kleiner Mann: ganz groß/Little Man on Top (Hans Grimm, 1957) and Der schwarze Blitz/The Black Blitz (Hans Grimm, 1958) starring ski champion Toni Sailer.
German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin, no. A 1220 Photo: NF / Lilo. Publicity still for Morgengrauen/Dawn (Viktor Tourjansky, 1954).
German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin, no. 1279. Photo: Albin-Film / Deutsche London / Roeder. Publicity still for Frühlingslied/Springtime Song (Hans Albin, 1954).
German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden/Westf., no. 2000. Photo: H. / Fü.
Walt Disney
Internationally, Oliver Grimm may be best remembered for the role of a blind boy in two episodes of the television show Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (Georg Tressler, 1962) opposite Karlheinz Böhm.
One of his best performances was in the British World War II drama Reach for Glory (Philip Leacock, 1962). A group of boys, evacuated from London to a coastal town, form a gang and play war games. Grimm played a Jewish evacuee from Austria who runs off during a fight. The youths decide to give him a fake court-martial and he is killed by accident.
Grimm’s film career was over in 1963 when he was 14 years of age. He only provided the voice of Kimba the young lion in the German version of the Japanese animated series Janguru taitei/Kimba the White Lion (Eiichi Yamamoto, 1965-1967). After leaving school Grimm studied three semesters to become a civil engineer. Then he decided on the acting profession and took acting classes in Berlin.
As an adult, he was not able to establish himself in the film business again, but since the 1970s he worked steadily as a voice actor and played at theatres in Berlin, Munich, and Zurich. He also regularly works behind the camera. In 1975 he made a guest appearance on TV in the popular Krimi-series Derrick. After 38 years Oliver Grimm returned to the big screen as a teacher in the German comedy Schule/No More School (Marco Petry, 2000) starring Daniel Brühl.
His last screen appearances were interviews in the documentaries René Deltgen: Der sanfte Rebell/René Deltgen: The Gentle Rebel (Michael Wenk, 2004) and Heinz Rühmann - Der Schauspieler/Heinz Rühmann – The Actor (Michael Strauven, 2007) in the TV series Hitlers nützliche Idole/Hitler’s Useful Idols (2007). Oliver Grimm suffered from throat cancer for several years and died from it in 2017 in Passau at the age of 69.
German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. 231. Photo: Berolina / Constantin-Film.
German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. 152. Photo: Constantin / Bokelberg.
Italian postcard in the series 'Piccoli Uomini nel Cinema' by Ed. Villagio del Fanciullo, Bologna. Photo: Titanus. Publicity still for Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne/If the Father and the Son (Hans Quest, 1955) with Waltraut Haas and Robert Freytag.
Trailer for Vater braucht eine Frau/Father Needs a Woman (Harald Braun, 1952). Source: TrailerTrackerClassic (YouTube).
Scene from Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne/Like Father Like Son (Hans Quest, 1955). Source: Ronny Ackermann (YouTube).
Sources: Stephanie D’heil (Steffi-line - German), Karl Williams (AllMovie - page now defunct), CVMC, Wikipedia (German), and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 16 July 2024.
No comments:
Post a Comment