Biography:

Alfred Müller was born on July 4, 1926 in Berlin. Prior to the outbreak of WWII, he completed an apprenticeship as a mechanic. Before joining the Academy for Performing Arts in Berlin-Schöneweide, he also studied music. Müller then worked at the theater in Senftenberg for four years, before joining the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin, where he performed on stage until 1982.

In 1960, director Kurt Jung-Alsen discovered Alfred Müller for his film adaptation of Franz Fühmann’s Die heute über 40 sind. He starred in more than a dozen Jung-Alsen literary adaptations and thrillers in all. In these movies he proved himself to be a particularly versatile and flexible character actor, who was equally adept at playing serious and comic roles, as either the villain or a regular guy.

But Müller is best known for his leading role as the double agent in János Veiczi’s for eyes only – streng geheim. As a result of this role he was given the nickname “the James Bond of the East.” Müller also appeared in Veiczi’s Die gefrorenen Blitze and Anflug Alpha 1. His work in film was not unaffected by East German censorship: he played the opportunistic judge in Kurt Maetzig’s socially critical film, Das Kaninchen bin ich, which was banned in 1965 and not released until 1990.

In addition to his work on stage and screen, Müller also played in over 100 television series and films, including in Frank Beyer’s Nikolaikirche and episodes of the crime series Polizeiruf 110 and Tatort. He also often appeared in literary, musical and cabaret programs, as well as making guest appearances in revues and musicals. Alfred Müller died on December 2, 2010 in Berlin.

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