Fritz Wepper

German actor Fritz Wepper may not be widely recognizable to American audiences, but in other parts of the world, primarily Japan and his native country, he is well known for his role on the German television series "Derrick" as Harry Klein, the trustworthy assistant inspector opposite the title character. Wepper starred on the detective series from 1974 until its cancellation in 1998. At one time his Harry Klein was such a popular character in Japan that most Japanese people thought that every German citizen had his own Harry-like sidekick.

For much of his career, Wepper acted mostly in German-produced television series and films. But in 1972, American audiences got a chance to see Wepper on the big screen when he was cast as Fritz Wendel, a Jewish man who passes himself off as a Christian, in director Bob Fosse's film version of the popular Broadway musical "Cabaret." "Cabaret" was one of Wepper's few American films; he went on to work steadily in supporting roles on German television.