Gottfried John

Gottfried John (German: [ˈjoːn]; 29 August 1942 – 1 September 2014) was a German actor.

John was born in Berlin, Germany on 29 August 1942. His father, whom he never met, was married to another woman. In World War II he and his mother were evacuated to East Prussia. He grew up with his single parent mother and in several protectories, John fled from a protectory when he was 15 years old and returned to his mother, who lived in Paris.

In Paris he earned a living as pavement artist and construction worker and returned to Berlin in 1960.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, John was cast by director Rainer Werner Fassbinder in several of his projects, in particular as Reinhold in the Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) mini-series.

He was internationally known for his portrayal of General Ourumov in the James Bond film GoldenEye and Julius Caesar in Asterix and Obelix take on Caesar.

John lived with his wife, Brigitte, in Utting am Ammersee from 2008 until his death in 2014.

On 1 September 2014, it was announced that John had died in Utting am Ammersee near Munich, Germany of cancer at the age of 72.

• 1982: Großer Hersfeld-Preis for his role as Jago in Othello
• 1999: Bavarian Film Awards, Best Actor [1]
• 2000: Bavarian Film Awards for Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar (Bester Nebendarsteller)
• 2004: Euregio Filmball – Best Euregio-Actor
• 2006: DIVA-Award – European Award (Hall of Fame)