The actor Ralf Wolter died in Munich at the age of 95. This is reported by the German Press Agency. It is said that his wife confirmed the death on Friday. Wolter became known mainly thanks to his involvement in numerous Karl May films. There he embodied the characters of Sam Hawkens, the Swabian watch salesman Hasenpfeffer or Hadschi Halef Omar in numerous “Winnetou” strips.
Born in Berlin in 1926, Wolter came from a family of artists and pursued a career as an actor at an early age. In 1951 he starred in the comedy “The Women of Mr. S.” made his first film appearance alongside Paul Hörbiger (1894-1981). Numerous other cinema productions followed before he slipped into the role of Sam Hawkens for the first time in 1962 and subsequently took part in more than a dozen Karl May films.
From 1975 Wolter was mainly seen in TV productions such as “Der Alte”, “Der Fahnder”, “Ein Schloss am Wörthersee” or in “Tatort”. However, he was no longer able to build on his great successes from the Karl May films.
In May 2002, Wolter involuntarily hit the headlines. The then 75-year-old caused a traffic accident with three fatalities after turning his car on a freeway. He then left the scene of the accident. At a later trial, Wolter said that he hadn’t noticed anything and that’s why he walked away. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to a suspended sentence and a fine for, among other things, involuntary manslaughter.
