Actor Uwe Kockisch, famous for playing Commissario Brunetti in the ARD series 'Donna Leon', died on Monday at the age of 81 in Madrid. His agency confirmed the death citing his wife. Kockisch was an icon of German television with roles in popular crime series.
Uwe Kockisch, born on January 31, 1944, in Cottbus, passed away on Monday in Madrid. His childhood was marked by early losses: His father died in World War II. As a teenager, he attempted to flee the GDR across the Baltic Sea but failed and spent several months in prison. In a 2010 interview with the 'Berliner Morgenpost', he described this period: "It was like a permanent state of shock for me. You just do what you're told and keep your mouth shut. You're no longer a subject; you're an object; you can't make decisions anymore. That made me mature very quickly." Nevertheless, he added: "It doesn't affect me anymore today."
After training at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, Kockisch began his film career in the 1970s. He performed for over two decades at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin and later briefly at the Schaubühne. He gained widespread fame through television roles. From 2003, he portrayed the Venetian Commissario Brunetti in the ARD crime series 'Donna Leon', based on novels by author Donna Leon. He succeeded Joachim Król in the role and continued until 2019. The series, filmed in the picturesque setting of Venice, was popular with audiences. The final episode, 'Donna Leon – Stille Wasser', aired on the first Christmas holiday in 2019 and drew 5.72 million viewers with an 18.8 percent market share, despite competition from the 'Helene Fischer Show'.
Additionally, Kockisch played Stasi officer Hans Kupfer in the series 'Weissensee'. The 24 episodes, broadcast between 2010 and 2018 on ARD's Das Erste, explored the life of an East German family.
