Rainer Basedow

Rainer Basedow (20 May 1938 – 15 May 2022) was a German film, television, and voice actor.^[1] He is known for having provided the voice of Pumbaa in the German dub of The Lion King franchise,^[2] up until his replacement with Jürgen Kluckert in The Lion Guard. He also dubbed John Belushi as Jake Blues in The Blues Brothers^[3] and Ron Donachie as Sergeant Harley in The Jungle Book.^[4]

Rainer Basedow
Born	20 May 1938 Mühlhausen, Saxony, Prussia, Germany (now Thuringia, Germany)
Died	15 May 2022 (aged 83) Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
Occupation	Actor
Spouse	Mathilde Basedow ​ (m. 1971)​
Children	4

Biography

Born in Mühlhausen, Saxony (now Thuringia),^[3] Basedow graduated from high school in Magdeburg in 1956.^[5] As he was not allowed to study in East Germany due to "political unreliability",^[5][6] he fled to West Germany in 1956.^[7][8] He studied to be a teacher, German and sports at the Pädagogische Hochschule Braunschweig [de].^[9] He went then for a half year to an acting school in Munich.^[7][10] In 1961, he found his first leading role in the Beckett play Waiting for Godot in a small theatre at the Siegestor.^[11][10] Followed by engagements in Bern, Düsseldorf, at the Schaubühne am Halleschen Ufer [de], and again in Munich.^[11] From 1962, he played at the Münchner Volkstheater.^[12]

In 1968, he played a police officer in the cult film Go for It, Baby.^[13] Basedow played the Sergeant Dimpfelmoser in the 1974 children's film The Robber Hotzenplotz [de], based on the fictional character The Robber Hotzenplotz, at the side of Gert Fröbe and Josef Meinrad.^[14][11] Basedow's Dimpfelmoser had a lasting impact on the portrayal of this character, for example on puppet stages.^[15] From 1976 to 1995, he was a permanent member of the Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft.^[5] Dieter Hildebrandt's television cabaret Scheibenwischer hired him for several editions.^[11] Basedow was seen on television in Derrick, Tatort, Der Alte, Der Bulle von Tölz and Küstenwache.^[5]

He was married to Mathilde, whom he met on a set, since 1971.^[2] The couple had four children.^[2]

Death

Basedow died on 15 May 2022 in Salzburg, at the age of 83.^[14][16]

Selected filmography

Source:^[17]

• Wilder Reiter GmbH [de] (1967)^[2]
• Trace of a Girl (1967)
• Hot Pavements of Cologne (1967)
• Jet Generation [de] (1968)^[18]
• With Oak Leaves and Fig Leaf [de] (1968)^[18]
• Go for It, Baby (1968)^[2]
• Death and Diamonds (1968)
• Quartett im Bett [de] (1968)^[18]
• Let It All Hang Out [de] (1969)
• Angels of the Street (1969)
• Why Did I Ever Say Yes Twice? (1969)
• Kuckucksei im Gangsternest [de] (1969)^[18]
• Love, Vampire Style [de] (1970)
• When the Mad Aunts Arrive (1970)
• When You're With Me (1970)
• Aunt Trude from Buxtehude (1971)
• Tiger Gang (1971)
• Ore di terrore / Kreuzfahrt des Grauens (1971)
• Four Times That Night (1971)
• My Daughter, Your Daughter (1972)
• The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of (1972)^[18]
• Three Men in the Snow (1974)
• The Robber Hotzenplotz [de] (1974)^[9]
• Lina Braake (1975)
• The Clown (1976)
• Caipiranha (1998)