Jürgen Prochnow

can already look back on an impressive career, with great successes in Hollywood and all over the world. Not only in Germany does everyone know his name, fans of the former submarine captain lieutenant (Das Boot 1981) are piling up all over the world.

 

But not from the beginning Prochnow’s life was so filled with lightness and joy. He was born on June 10, 1941 in Berlin, from where his family had to flee to relatives in Dresden due to bombing raids in the wake of World War II. These own experiences of flight were later one of the reasons for Prochnow’s decision to take on the role of Konrad in the refugee drama “A Handful of Water”, in order to give a voice to those who today find themselves in a similar situation as he did back then.

 

Prochnow’s acting career began with appearances at various theaters and increasing television productions. His big breakthrough came in 1981 with his role as submarin Captain Lieutenant Lehmann-Willenbrock in “Das Boot,” which brought him international fame and paved the way to Hollywood.

Prochnow was quickly able to make a name for himself here as well, taking on important roles in major productions such as director David Lynch’s “Dune” (1984). This was followed by other major roles for Prochnow, including in “Beverly Hills Cop 2” (1987), “Air Force One” (1997) and “The Da Vinci Code” (2006). He has also won many awards for his numerous films: in 1985 he was awarded the Golden Camera in the category of best actor for “Das Boot”, received the Bavarian Film Award as best actor for “Der Bulle und das Mädchen” in 1985 and the Bambi in 1988.

 

Following his international successes, the world star is now returning to German cinemas. He can currently be seen in the feature film “A Handful of Water”, the directorial debut of Jakob Zapf. In it, he takes on the role of the cantankerous Konrad and brings it to life with a lot of feeling and great talent. What attracted him to participate in the story about the young refugee girl from Yemen and the stubborn old man seems obvious when looking at the Hollywood star’s past. It is the reason why Prochnow is able to put himself in the shoes of those who seek refuge with us today and why it seems important to him to draw attention to the fates of refugees: “I think,” says Prochnow about “A Handful of Water,” “this is a story that is worth telling.