List of cultural workers in the GDR

Cultural politicians and institutions

Minister of Culture

Cultural politician

• Alexander Abusch (1902–1982)
• Anton Ackermann (1905–1973)
• Johannes R. Becher (1891–1958) (Minister of Culture 1954–1958)
• Hans Bentzien (1927–2015) (Minister of Culture 1961–1966)
• Klaus Höpcke (* 1933) (Deputy Minister for Culture 1973–1989)
• Kurt Hager (1912–1998)

Institutions

• Ministry of Culture (MfK)
• Academy of Arts of the GDR (AdK)
• PEN Center GDR
• Kulturbund (KB)
• Clubs of intelligence
• Art exhibition of the GDR
• Writers' Association of the GDR
• URANIA - Society for the Dissemination of Scientific Knowledge
• Composers' Association of the GDR
• Culture Fund of the GDR
• Association of Visual Artists of the GDR (VBK)
• District culture academies with the special schools for painting and graphics u. a. Ceramics, textile design

Individual art areas

Theater / cabaret / film

• Frank Beyer (1932-2006), director
• Kurt Böwe (1929–2000), actor
• Heiner Carow (1929–1997), director
• Angelica Domröse (* 1941), actress
• Peter Ensikat (1941–2013), actor and director
• Winfried Glatzeder (* 1945), actor
• Ingolf Gorges (1940–2008), actor
• Eva-Maria Hagen (* 1934), actress
• Rolf Herricht (1927–1981), actor
• Rolf Hoppe (1930–2018), actor
• Henry Hübchen (born 1947), actor
• Uwe-Detlev Jessen (1931–2019), actor
• Ingeborg Krabbe (1931–2017), actress and cabaret artist
• Manfred Krug (1937–2016), actor, singer
• Rolf Ludwig (1925–1999), actor
• Gojko Mitić (* 1940), actor
• Armin Mueller-Stahl (* 1930), actor
• Klaus Piontek (1935–1998), actor
• Ulrich Plenzdorf (1934–2007), screenwriter
• Dean Reed (1938–1986), actor, singer
• Konrad Wolf (1925–1982), director

Artist

theatre

• Karl von Appen (1900–1981), stage designer
• Manja Behrens (1914–2003), actress
• Fritz Bennewitz (1926–1995), director
• Benno Besson (1922–2006), actor, director and theater director
• Hannelore Bey (* 1941), dancer
• Kurt Böwe (1929–2000), actor
• Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), playwright and director
• Barbara Brecht-Schall ( Barbara Berg; 1930–2015), actress
• Hans Bunge (1919–1990), dramaturge and director
• Ernst Busch (1900–1980), actor and singer
• Frank Castorf (* 1951), director
• Adolf Dresen (1935–2001), director
• Peter Ensikat (1941–2013), actor, director
• Christine Gloger (1934–2019), actress
• Ruth Glöss (1928–2014), actress
• Dieter Jaßlauk (1934–2019), actor
• Inge Keller (1923–2017), actress
• Rolf Ludwig (1925–1999), actor
• Gisela May (1924-2016), actress, Diseuse
• Heiner Müller (1929–1995), director
• Hanns Anselm Perten (1917–1985), general manager, director, actor
• Wolfgang Pintzka (1928–2006), director
• Klaus Piontek (1935–1998), actor
• Kurt Radeke (1924–2017), actor
• Ekkehard Schall (1930–2005), actor
• Tom Schilling (* 1928), choreographer and dancer
• Dieter Robert Schoß (* 1937), theater scholar, dramaturge, lecturer, writer
• Peter Sodann (* 1936), actor, director, director
• Hans Teuscher (1937–2015), actor
• BK Tragelehn (* 1936), writer, director
• Jean Weidt (1904–1988), choreographer, dancer
• Helene Weigel (1900–1971), actress
• Manfred Wekwerth (1929–2014), general manager and director

cabaret

• Gunter Böhnke (* 1943), cabaret artist
• Heinz Draehn (1921-2010), cabaret artist
• Peter Ensikat (1941–2013), actor, director
• Helga Hahnemann (1937–1991), cabaret artist, singer
• Jürgen Hart (1942–2002), cabaret artist, singer
• Rolf Herricht (1927–1981) & Hans-Joachim Preil (1923–1999)
• Bernd-Lutz Lange (* 1944), cabaret artist
• Gisela Oechelhaeuser (* 1944), cabaret artist
• Hans-Günther Pölitz (* 1952), cabaret artist, author
• Hansgeorg Stengel (1922–2003), writer, cabaret artist
• Tom Pauls (* 1959), cabaret artist, actor
• Wolfgang Stumph (* 1946), cabaret artist, actor
• Wolfgang Rumpf (* 1948), director of cabaret pincers
• Rainer Otto (* 1939) author, director, director Leipziger Pfeffermühle (1982–1992)

Movie

• Doris Abeßer (1935–2016), actress
• Carmen-Maja Antoni (* 1945), actress
• Liselott Baumgarten (1906–1981), actress
• Peter Bause (* 1941), actor
• Heinz Behrens (* 1932), actor
• Werner Bergmann (1921–1990), cameraman and director
• Frank Beyer (1932-2006), director
• Gerhard Bienert (1898–1986), actor
• Gerd Blahuschek (* 1943), actor
• Renate Blume (* 1944), actress
• Christel Bodenstein (* 1938), actress
• Jürgen Böttcher (* 1931), documentary film director
• Peter Borgelt (1927–1994), actor
• Horst E. Brandt (1923–2009), director
• Carola Braunbock (1924–1978), actress
• Gertrud Brendler (1898–1983), actress
• Annekathrin Bürger (* 1937), actress
• Bruno Carstens (1918–2001), actor
• Carl Heinz Choynski (* 1936), actor
• Norbert Christian (1925–1976), actor
• Heiner Carow (1929–1997), director
• Mathilde Danegger (1903–1988), actress
• Fred Delmare (1922–2009), actor
• Fritz Diez (1901–1979), actor
• Werner Dissel (1912–2003), actor
• Peter Dommisch (1934–1991), actor
• Angelica Domröse (* 1941), actress
• Horst Drinda (1927–2005), actor
• Fred Düren (1928–2015), actor
• Karin Düwel (* 1954), actress
• Gerd Ehlers (1924–1988), actor
• Kaspar Eichel (* 1942), actor
• Eberhard Esche (1933–2006), actor
• Martin Flörchinger (1909–2004), actor
• Dieter Franke (1934–1982), actor
• Erich Franz (1903–1961), actor
• Eckart Friedrichson (1930–1976), actor
• Jürgen Frohriep (1928–1993), actor
• Dorit Gäbler (* 1943), actress
• Erwin Geschonneck (1906–2008), actor
• Winfried Glatzeder (* 1945), actor
• Friedrich Gnaß (1892–1958), actor
• Helga Göring (1922–2010), actress
• Manja Göring (* 1955), actress
• Ingolf Gorges (1940–2008), actor
• Wolfgang Greese (1926–2001), actor
• Herwart Grosse (1908–1982), actor
• Jörg Gudzuhn (* 1945), actor
• Egon Günther (1927–2017), director
• Gert Gütschow (* 1928), actor
• Michael Gwisdek (* 1942), actor, film director
• Cox Habbema (1944-2016), actress
• Eva-Maria Hagen (* 1934), actress
• Hans Hardt-Hardtloff (1906–1974), actor
• Hannjo Hasse (1921–1983), actor
• Ezard Haußmann (1935-2010), actor
• Hagen Henning (* 1964), actor
• Jürgen Heinrich (* 1945), actor
• Rolf Herricht (1927–1981), actor, comedian
• Rolf Hoppe (1930–2018), actor
• Günter Junghans (1941–2014), actor
• Wolf Kaiser (1916–1992), actor
• Manfred Karge (* 1938), actor
• Ursula Karusseit (1939–2019), actress
• Inge Keller (1923–2017), actress
• Marianne Kiefer (1928–2008), actress
• Heide Kipp (* 1938), actress
• Erik S. Klein (1926–2002), actor
• Volkmar Kleinert (* 1938), actor
• Herbert Köfer (* 1921), actor
• Agnes Kraus (1911–1995), actress
• Brigitte Krause (1929–2007), actress
• Marina Krogull (born 1961), actress
• Manfred Krug (1937–2016), actor
• Edgar Külow (1925–2012), actor, director
• Helga Labudda (1935-2014), actress
• Marga Legal (1908–2001), actress
• Walter Lendrich (1912–1999), actor
• Karin Lesch (* 1935), actress
• Stefan Lisewski (1933–2016), actor
• Rolf Ludwig (1925–1999), actor
• Dieter Mann (* 1941), actor
• Otto Mellies (1931-2020), actor
• Hans-Peter Minetti (1926–2006), actor
• Helke Misselwitz (* 1947), director
• Gojko Mitić (* 1940), actor
• Ulrich Mühe (1953–2007), actor
• Alfred Müller (1926-2010), actor
• Armin Mueller-Stahl (* 1930), actor
• Günter Naumann (1925–2009), actor
• Jörg Panknin (* 1944), actor
• Katja Paryla (1940–2013), actress and director
• Christa Pasemann (1935–2018), actress
• Werner Peters (1918–1971), actor
• Helga Piur (* 1939), actress
• Peter Pollatschek (1944–1968), actor
• Kurt Radeke (1924–2017), actor
• Helga Raumer (1924–1997), actress
• Dean Reed (1938–1986), actor
• Hans-Peter Reinecke (1941–2005), actor
• Rolf Richter (1932–1992), film critic
• Dietmar Richter-Reinick (1935–1997), actor
• Walter Richter-Reinick (1911–1984), actor
• Peter Reusse (* 1941), actor
• Lutz Riemann (* 1940), actor
• Gudrun Ritter (* 1936), actress
• Rolf Römer (1935–2000), actor
• Katrin Saß (* 1956), actress, singer
• Gerd E. Schäfer (1923–2001), actor
• Johanna Schall (* 1958), actress
• Frank-Otto Schenk (1943–2020), actor, dubbing actor and dubbing director
• Fritz Schlegel (1901–1971), actor
• Thomas Schmidt (1942–2008), actor
• Walfriede Schmitt (* 1943), actress
• Gunter Schoss (* 1940), actor
• Willi Schrade (* 1935), actor
• Günter Schubert (1938–2008), actor
• Horst Schulze (1921–2018), actor
• Dieter Schumann (* 1953), documentary film director
• Willi Schwabe (1915–1991), actor
• Ernst-Georg Schwill (1939–2020), actor
• Siegfried Seibt (1920–1982), actor and voice actor
• Günther Simon (1925–1972), actor
• Gunter Sonneson (* 1943), actor
• Steffie Spira (1908–1995), actress
• Uwe Steimle (* 1963), actor, cabaret artist
• Erika Stiska (1926–2016), actress
• Alfred Struwe (1927–1998), actor
• Kati Székely (* 1941), actress
• Sabine Thalbach (1932–1966), actress
• Katharina Thalbach (* 1954), actress
• Ulrich Thein (1930–1995), actor
• Klaus-Peter Thiele (1940–2011), actor
• Jochen Thomas (1925–1995), actor
• Werner Tietze (1940–2013), actor
• Werner Toelcke (1930–2017), actor
• Joachim Tomaschewsky (1919–2019), actor
• Martin Trettau (1930–2007), actor
• Jürgen Trott (* 1955), actor
• Karin Ugowski (* 1943), actress
• Ilse Voigt (1905–1990), actress
• Ulrich Voss (* 1938), actor
• Angelika Waller (* 1944), actress, director
• Heidemarie Wenzel (* 1945), actress
• Ursula Werner (* 1943), actress
• Dieter Wien (1934), actor
• Günter Wolf (1930–2014), actor
• Konrad Wolf (1925–1982), director
• Gerry Wolff (1920–2005), actor
• Monika Woytowicz (* 1944), actress
• Marianne Wünscher (1930–1990), actress
• Arno Wyzniewski (1938–1997), actor
• Jürgen Zartmann (* 1941), actor
• Manfred Zetzsche (* 1930), actor
• Simone von Zglinicki (* 1951), actress
• Joachim Zschocke (1928–2003), actor

literature

see: List of GDR writers

Painting, graphics and sculpture

• Hans Georg Anniès (1930-2006)
• Ali Kurt Baumgarten (1914-2009)
• Bruno Bernitz (1915–1987)
• Tom Beyer (1907-1981)
• Dieter Kurt Borchardt (* 1931)
• Hans Brockhage (1925-2009)
• Eckhard Buchholz (* 1941)
• Fritz Cremer (1906–1993)
• Fritz Dähn (1908–1980)
• Heinrich Drake (1903-1994)
• Dieter Dressler (1932–2011)
• Günther Dührkop (1925-2002)
• Albert Ebert (1906–1976)
• Fritz Eisel (1929-2010)
• Gerd Gombert (1935–1993)
• Ulf Göpfert (* 1943)
• Hans Grundig (1901–1958)
• Lea Grundig (1906–1977)
• Waldemar Grzimek (1918–1984)
• Klaus Gumpert (* 1943)
• Ulrich Hachulla (* 1943)
• Harald Hakenbeck (* 1926)
• Volkmar Hammerschmidt (1934–?)
• Ernst Hassebrauk (1905–1974)
• Werner Hazel Grouse (1925-2007)
• John Heartfield (1891-1968)
• Josef Hegenbarth (1884–1962)
• Bernhard Heisig (1925–2011)
• Bert Heller (1912–1970)
• Egbert Herfurth (* 1944)
• Peter Hoppe (1938-2010)
• Werner Klemke (1917–1994)
• Paul Kuhfuss (1883–1960)
• Siegfried Krepp (1930-2013)
• Will Lammert (1892–1957)
• Max Lingner (1888-1959)
• Klaus Magnus (* 1936)
• Wolfgang Mattheuer (1927-2004)
• Ursula Mattheuer-Neustädt (* 1926)
• Elrid Metzkes (1932-2014)
• Harald Metzkes (* 1929)
• Robert Metzkes (* 1954)
• Gerhard Kurt Müller (1926-2019)
• Otto Nagel (1894–1967)
• Willi Neubert (1920–2011)
• Walter Opitz (1929-2003)
• Ronald Paris (* 1933)
• Egmont Schaefer (1908-2004)
• Heinz Scharr (1924-2017)
• Werner Schinko (1929-2016)
• Harald K. Schulze (* 1952)
• Kurt Heinz Sieger (1917–2002)
• Willi Sitte (1921–2013)
• Volker Stelzmann (* 1940)
• Kurt Teubner (1903–1990)
• Werner Tübke (1929-2004)
• Eva Vent (* 1934)
• Hans Vent (1934-2018)
• Klaus Vonderwerth (1935 / 36–2016)
• Claus Weidensdorfer (1931-2020)
• Ursula Wendorff-Weidt (1919–2000)
• Jürgen Wittdorf (1932-2018)
• Klaus Wittkugel (1910–1985)
• Walter Womacka (1925-2010)
• Volkmar Hammerschmidt (1934–?)

Visual arts

• Gerhard Altenbourg (1926–1989), painter
• Erwin Andrä (* 1921), designer
• Hans Georg Anniès (1930–2006), graphic artist and sculptor
• Walter Arnold (1909–1979), sculptor
• Theo Balden (1904–1995), sculptor
• Peter Baumbach (* 1940), architect
• Herbert Behrens-Hangeler (1898–1981), painter and graphic artist
• Rudolf Bergander (1909–1970), painter
• Sibylle Bergemann (1941–2010), photographer
• Thomas Billhardt (* 1937), photographer
• Gudrun Brüne (* 1941), painter and graphic artist
• Hans Brockhage (1925–2009), sculptor and designer
• Carlfriedrich Claus (1930–1998), graphic artist and poet
• Fritz Cremer (1906–1993), sculptor
• Lutz Dammbeck (* 1948), painter and filmmaker
• Ilse Decho (1915–1978), glass and porcelain designer
• Ludwig Deiters (1921–2018), architect and general curator
• Clauss Dietel (* 1934), designer
• Andreas Dress (1943–2019), painter and graphic artist
• Dieter Dressler (1932–2011), painter and graphic artist
• Hans Grundig (1901–1958), painter
• Sighard Gille (* 1941), painter
• Lea Grundig (1906–1977), painter
• Ruthild Hahne (1910–2001), sculptor
• Bernhard Heisig (1925–2011), painter
• John Heartfield (1891–1968), painter, photomontage artist
• Rudolf Horn (* 1929), designer
• Erich John (* 1932), designer
• Heinrich Kiefer (1911–1980), painter and graphic artist
• Gerhard Knabe (1936–2005), painter and graphic artist
• Dorothea Kobs-Lehmann (1930–2014), painter
• Fritz Kühn (1910–1967), blacksmith, photographer and sculptor
• Walter Libuda (* 1950), painter
• Werner Liebmann (* 1951), painter
• Lutz Lipkowski (* 1945), designer
• Wolfgang Mattheuer (1927–2004), painter and sculptor
• Steffen Mertens (* 1943), painter, graphic artist and sculptor
• Harald Metzkes (* 1929), painter
• Hans Mocznay (1906–1996), painter and sculptor
• Christa Petroff-Bohne (* 1934), designer
• Wolfgang Peuker (1945–2001), painter and graphic artist
• Arno Rink (1940–2017), painter and graphic artist
• Dietmar Riemann (* 1950), photographer
• Wolf Röhner (* 1944), designer
• Frank Ruddigkeit (* 1939), painter, graphic artist and sculptor
• Lutz Rudolph (1936–2011), designer
• Harald K. Schulze (* 1952), painter
• Kurt Heinz Sieger (1917–2002), painter
• Willi Sitte (1921–2013), painter
• Werner Stötzer (1931–2010), sculptor
• Strawalde (* 1931), painter
• Werner Tübke (1929–2004), painter
• Kurt Teubner (1903–1990), painter and graphic artist
• Hans Ticha (* 1940), painter, graphic artist and book illustrator.
• Andreas Wachter (* 1951), painter, graphic artist and sculptor
• Ursula Wendorff-Weidt (1919–2000), painter and graphic artist

Cartoons

• Heinz Behling (1920–2003), caricaturist
• Manfred Bofinger (1941–2006), caricaturist
• Henry Büttner (* 1928), cartoonist
• Klaus Gumpert (* 1943), cartoonist
• Barbara Henniger (* 1938), cartoonist
• Heinz Jankofsky (1935–2002), caricaturist
• Werner Klemke (1917–1994), caricaturist
• Willy Moese (1927–2007), caricaturist
• Herbert Sandberg (1908–1991), "The Cheeky Drawing Pen"
• Erich Schmitt (1924–1984), caricaturist

comics

• Horst Alisch (1925–2020), author, draftsman
• Wolfgang Altenburger (1931–2008), author
• Jürgen Günther (1938–2015), author, draftsman
• Hannes Hegen (1925–2014), author, draftsman
• Jürgen Kieser (1921–2019), author, draftsman
• Lona Rietschel (1933–2017), draftsman
• Thomas Schmitt (* 1951), draftsman, singer and songwriter

architecture

• Heinz Graffunder (1926–1994)
• Hermann Henselmann (1905–1995)
• Josef Kaiser (1910–1991)
• Richard Paulick (1903–1979)
• Karl Souradny (1904–1973)

music

see: Portal: Music of the GDR, artists by genre

Mass media

Radio and television

• Lothar Bellag (1930-2001), director
• Urte Blankenstein (* 1943), actress
• Eberhard Cohrs (1921–1999), comedian
• Georg Dannenberg (1931–1999), radio documentarist
• Margot Ebert (1926–2009), actress, presenter
• Gunther Emmerlich (* 1944), opera singer, entertainer
• Antje Garden (1951–1993), TV announcer and presenter
• Helga Göring (1922–2010), actress
• Rolf Gumlich (* 1932), journalist and screenwriter
• Helga Hahnemann (1937–1991), entertainer
• Rolf Herricht (1927–1981), actor, comedian
• Hans Jacobus (1923–2003), journalist
• Joachim Kaps (* 1952), actor, voice actor
• Jürgen Karney (* 1954), moderator
• Peter Kersten ("Zauberpeter"; * 1943), magician
• Ingeborg Krabbe (1931–2017), actress
• Rudi Kurz (* 1921), screenwriter, actor and director
• Beppo Küster (* 1950), singer, entertainer
• Hans-Joachim Leschnitz (* 1944), actor, voice actor
• Wolfgang Lippert (* 1952), presenter, singer
• Luise Mirsch (* 1939), producer
• Heinz-Florian Oertel (* 1927), sports reporter
• Hans-Joachim Preil (1923–1999), author, actor, comedian
• Heinz Quermann (1921–2003), entertainer, talent promoter
• Heinz Rennhack (* 1937), actor
• Gerd E. Schäfer (1923–2001), actor
• Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler (1918–2001), journalist
• Heinz Schröder (1928–2009), puppeteer
• Hans Schroeder (1928–2014), puppeteer
• Willi Schwabe (1915–1991), actor, presenter
• Erich Selbmann (1926–2006), journalist, editor-in-chief for the latest camera
• Alfred Struwe (1927–1998), actor
• Reiner Süß (1930–2015), chamber singer and presenter
• Angelika Unterlauf (* 1946), news spokeswoman
• Bärbel Wachholz (1938–1984), singer, entertainer
• OF Weidling (1924–1985), talk show host and emcee

Alternative art scene

• Jürgen Schweinbraden, Baron von Wichmann-Eichhorn (* 1938) (EP Gallery Jürgen Schweinbraden)

literature

• Art documentation SBZ / GDR 1945–1990, articles - reports - materials, edited by Günter Feist, Eckhard Gillen and Beatrice Vierneisel, Museum Pedagogical Service Berlin in cooperation with the Kulturfonds Foundation, DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne 1996
• GDR manual, ed. from the Federal Ministry for Internal German Relations , Verlag Wissenschaft und Politik, Cologne 1985
• Lothar Lang: Painting and graphics in East Germany . Faber & Faber, Berlin, 2002, ISBN 3-932545-87-7

See also

• History of the GDR
• Cultural worker
• Music of the GDR
• Culture in the GDR
• Culture (GDR) overview
• Commissioned art

Web links

• Made in GDR - The GDR (N) Ostalgie website