Overview
- Götz George died in June 2016 at age 77 after a short, serious illness that he kept private, and coverage on the tenth anniversary reflects on his career rather than reporting new facts about his death.
- His best‑known role, Horst Schimanski, first appeared in 1981 and George played the character across 29 WDR Tatort episodes through 2013, plus two cinema films and a later Schimanski series.
- Schimanski broke public‑service TV conventions by being loud, physical and openly profane, a shift that sources say changed how German screen detectives were written and performed.
- The actor’s memory is most visible in Duisburg, where a Horst‑Schimanski‑Gasse, a bronze bust, a restored Citroën and location tours keep the character alive while formal honors in Berlin remain limited.
- Beyond Schimanski, George built a wide, award‑winning career that included a Venice acting prize for Der Totmacher and a 2013 portrayal of his father Heinrich George that confronted his family’s Nazi‑era legacy.