Unfortunately, we are not wrong…

Winnetous and Old Shatterhand’s best friend on the prairie is dead. Actor Ralf Wolter († 95) fell asleep peacefully in Munich. His wife Edith (married 63 years) confirmed the death.

In addition to Pierre Brice (†86) and Lex Barker (†54), the native Berliner was also a good friend in the wild west tales of our children’s rooms.

As oddball catcher Sam Hawkens (iconic saying: “If I’m not mistaken…hehehe”) with a gray wig (after scalping), Wolter and his friends trampled across the screen in six Winnetou films and five more Karl May films (including Der Schut).

Until 2012 The son of a Berlin family of artists has created more than 200 films and series. Often as a joker. A role he really didn’t like at all. He said: “Young Ralph learned to serve humor. But the art of an actor is to deliver heavy fare without disappointing the audience.

In the cinema, he fought hard along with his companions. Mostly with humor. Wild gunfights actually disgusted him. As a boy, he saw war and lived through days in bombed Berlin.

“Nothing is as cruel as the end, but…” he once said, adding about his fear of death to BILD: “One day it will be at my door. I have been lucky for a long time with my dear wife. Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27. She shot like a rocket and then her life ended.

After the war, Wolter stayed in devastated Berlin and earned money for the drama school “Der Kreis” with smaller productions. Later, the young actor was attracted to the Kurfürstendamm Theater. Billy Wilder († 95) engaged him for the film One, Two, Three (1961) with Lilo Pulver (93). Karl May starred in the Oscar-winning film Cabaret (1972). Dozens of series classics followed (including Tatort, Ein Schloss am Wörthersee).

Later, his love for classical fabrics was often forgotten in favor of entertaining performances. It also helped in old age: “I read Goethe to keep my head in shape, but at the age of 95 I am no more dizzy than now.”

Legendary producers Horst Wendlandt (†80) and Artur Brauner (†100) wanted and could win it for their Winnetou films. The start of a great career for someone who once aspired to act was even addicted to the stage and acting: “I must have pumped it with my mother’s milk. Circus horse or monkey. That’s how long I stayed. To this day, in fact.”

In the early 1970s, Wolter was increasingly drawn to his second home in Munich. He kept an apartment in Berlin. Winnetou’s tissues also stayed with him throughout his life.

Wolter returns to television, 1991. again playing the iconic role at the Karl May Games in Bad Segeberg with Brice and taking care of himself. To stay fit, he always rode his bike around town, “at least half an hour a day and mostly to go shopping. I get a shopping list and off we go.”

He also tried online shopping: “I wanted to create an account on Amazon, but that’s it.

Tragic and a moment that Wolter could not let go completely: a traffic accident in 2002. (3 dead) on the A24 road. The actor turned at the back of the traffic jam. According to the investigation, the maneuver made it clear that he accepted the blame for a serious subsequent accident. Wolter was sentenced to probation and became increasingly withdrawn from society.