The actor died at the age of 79 following a serious heart attack.
Elmar Wepper has died. As it became known from his closest family circle, the actor and brother of Fritz Wepper suffered an instantly fatal heart attack on Tuesday morning. The BILD newspaper was the first to report. Wepper was 79 years old.
The character actor, who last made a film in the summer (remake of “Found Food”), became known to a large television audience as the crime master in the crime series “The Inspector”. Here he replaced his brother in the leading role in 1974.
Elmar Wepper was born on April 16, 1944 in Augsburg. He began his acting career in the cinema in the 1950s. Before that, at the age of 14, he had already been on a theater stage and worked on radio productions. Originally it was all just a hobby; Wepper was planning a career in medicine. But cinema and TV offered him numerous opportunities to exploit his talents.
Famous and popular also as a voice actor
In addition to other crime roles after “Commissioner” (from 1974-1976), especially in “Police Inspectorate 1”, Wepper worked successfully as a voice actor, voicing Mel Gibson, John Heard, Dudley Moore, Gene Wilder and Ryan O’Neal the German film versions.
His introverted acting enabled the actor to play many different roles. From 1997 onwards, he was remembered by TV audiences primarily as the charismatic co-host of “Schubecks”, a cooking show by Alfons Schubeck.
Numerous awards, including many from his native Bavaria, were the reward for a career in film and television, which culminated in 2008 with his moving portrayal of a grieving widower in “Cherry Blossoms – Hanami” by director Dorris Dörrie. Wepper received the German Film Prize for this and was also nominated for the European Film Prize. In 2019, he completed his work on the big screen with the film’s sequel, Cherry Blossoms & Demons.
Elmar Wepper had a deep and intimate relationship with his brother Fritz, as he confirmed in numerous interviews. His intense concern for him after a serious cancer operation was widely acknowledged in the tabloid media. The actor also made a name for himself as a quiet everyday hero with charitable projects.
After more than six decades in front of the camera, Elmar Wepper now leaves behind a wife, a son and two grandchildren.