German
television,
movie
and
theater
actor,
Herbert
Köfer,
finally
bowed
out
of
the
spotlight
at
100-years-old
on
Saturday,
July
24,
2021.
The
man
who
could
not
stop
acting
has
finally
passed
away
after
taking
part
in
around
200
TV
shows,
movies
and
theater
productions.
The
news
was
announced
on
Sunday
by
his
wife,
Heike
Köfer.
How
Did
Herbert
Köfer
Come
To
Fame?
Herbert
Köfer
was
born
in
the
Berlin
district
of
Prenzlauer
Berg
on
February
27,
1921
and
quickly
rose
to
prominence
as
an
actor
in
Communist
East
Germany
after
World
War
II.
His
expert
performances
in
theater
catapulted
him
into
the
new
world
of
television
where
he
helped
build
up
the
fledgling
GDR
shows.
Köfer
will
probably
best
be
remembered
for
his
role
as
a
grandfather
in
the
GDR
television
series
Rentner
Haben
Niemals
Zeit
(Retirees
Never
Have
Time).
In
ironic
twist,
he
never
retired,
continuing
to
appear
in
TV
shows,
theater
productions
and
movies
right
until
his
100th
birthday
in
2021.
"The
(actor's)
profession
is
tied
with
beauty
and
even
strenuous
work
is
tied
with
fulfillment," Köfer
famously
said.
Köfer
showed
no
signs
of
slowing
down
after
the
Berlin
Wall
fell
in
1989.
He
built
up
his
reputation
on
the
western
side
of
the
former
divide,
taking
part
in
numerous
TV
series
like
In
Aller
Freundschaft,
SOKO
Leipzig
or
Ein
Starkes
Team.
He
also
managed
to
balance
his
film
and
TV
roles
with
his
work
in
drama.
"A
nice
role
in
a
movie
is
fun,
but
on
stage
it's
completely
different,
the
stage
is
is
my
podium," he
once
said.
Energetic
and
robust,
Köfer
walked
a
lot
and
professed
that
his
work
was
keeping
him
young.
He
would
not
be
left
behind
by
technology
either,
running
his
own
Facebook
page
and
Youtube
channel
right
until
his
100th
birthday.
"I
think
it's
good
that
you
can
express
yourself
via
the
social
media,"
he
said
at
around
99
years
old.
Looking
back
on
his
career,
Köfer
said
he
"wanted
to
do
something
that
would
attract
attention".
Millions
of
his
fans
will
attest
to
the
fact
he
definitely
achieved
that.