Dieter Wedel made television history with miniseries such as "The King of St. Pauli" and "The Great Bellheim". But then allegations of abuse overshadow the life's work of the director. Shortly before the court decides on the charges, the filmmaker dies.
Director Dieter Wedel has died at the age of 82. This was announced by the district court of Munich I. Criminal proceedings against Wedel were pending there because he is said to have raped an actress almost 25 years ago. According to the announcement, the filmmaker died in Hamburg on July 13. The court actually wanted to announce this Wednesday whether there would be a trial against Wedel. The case against him is now closed.
The Munich I public prosecutor had accused Wedel in March 2021 of an allegation from the summer of 1996. The actress Jany Tempel states that Wedel forced her to have sex in a luxury hotel in Munich. At that time, at the age of 27, she wanted to audition for a role.
The allegations became known in early 2018. At that time, three actresses accused Wedel in "Zeit-Magazin" of having sexually harassed them in the 90s. The case became the most famous in the German
Wedel was one of the most successful German directors. With miniseries such as "The Great Bellheim" (1993), "The King of St. Pauli" (1998) and "The Semmeling Affair" he delighted an audience of millions and wrote television history. Before the allegations of rape against him became known, Wedel was director of the Bad Hersfeld Festival. At the open-air theater festival, the doctorate in theater studies set audience records and ensured that many celebrities walked the red carpet at the opening.
There were contradictory statements about Wedel's date of birth during his lifetime. According to current information from the Munich court, he was born on November 12, 1939. His private life was turbulent. Wedel leaves behind six children by six women, including a son with actress Hannelore Elsner, who died in 2019.
