Günther Ballier

Biography

Born in Berlin on 18-10-1900, Günther Ballier attended a drama school in his hometown while working as a bank clerk at the same time to finance his studies. This situation lasted until 1923 when the young man started getting regular commitments at theaters in Potsdam, Neuss, Hanover, Augsburg and of course Berlin. He complemented these activities with appearances in films - most often in small or even bit parts (a reporter, an army officer, a steward on a ship, a civil servant, a headwaiter...) In 1945, he resumed his stage career in various Berlin theaters and even taught drama for a while at Shauspielakademie Fritz Kirchhoff. Then a citizen of the GDR, he was again seen from 1949 on the big screen in DEFA or DFF-produced movies. He was also a regular on TV and on the radio. His voice could furthermore be heard as the dubber of a great number of foreign performers in the post-synchronized version of their films. Günther Ballier did not retire before the age of 75 and died five years later on 20-4-1980.