2024-08-05 10:10:39
Hardly anyone knows his name, but almost everyone knows his eyes: Horst Lettenmayer has been seen in the opening credits of the “Tatort” for almost 54 years. Now the actor has died.
Horst Lettenmayer, whose eyes and legs have been seen in the opening credits of the “Tatort” crime series for more than five decades, has died. The former actor and lighting producer died on July 20, as his daughter Julia-Alina Lettenmayer confirmed to the German Press Agency. He was buried on July 31 at Munich’s North Cemetery – it would have been his 83rd birthday. The Munich “Abendzeitung” was the first to report on this.
With a few exceptions, Lettenmayer has been staring through a slit into German living rooms every Sunday at 8:15 p.m. since the beginning of the “Tatort” series, a white crosshair encircles his left iris before the dramatic music of Klaus Doldinger begins. Lettenmayer received a one-off payment of 400 D-Marks for his appearance – not knowing that the recordings would achieve cult status and be used for decades.
His daughter now says that he has overcome his anger, which he has also expressed publicly, and has concentrated entirely on his lighting company over the last few decades. “No matter what he did, he always gave 1,000 percent, there was no half-heartedness.” Even on the day of his death, he was still working as usual in the company, whose management the 32-year-old has already taken over – but so far still with her active father as the owner at his side.