Manfred Krug

Though best recognized for his work as a popular German television actor, Manfred Krug also pursued paths as both a film actor and a pop-jazz singer. He entered the world in Duisburg on February 8, 1937, and at age 13 made the move to East Germany in 1949, taking a job at a steel factory that lasted until 1956, when he launched his stage and screen acting career. During the early 1970s he cut several successful pop-jazz albums, frequently collaborating with composer Gunther Fischer, and at the same time began publishing under the pen name Clemens Kerber. Discontent with the political atmosphere in East Germany, where authorities had barred him from performing, he requested and received approval to relocate to the West German portion of Berlin in 1977. After establishing himself there he maintained his acting work while limiting his singing and recording to sporadic occasions, devoting the bulk of his efforts from the 1980s onward through the 1990s and into the 21st century to roles in a range of television productions.