Mourning for Eckart Dux

Dubbing voice of Gandalf and Hannibal dead

Ian McKellan as Gandalf in the film "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"

(Bild: ©Warner Bros / Everett Collection / picturedesk.com)

He was the German voice of world stars such as Anthony Perkins, Steve Martin and Fred Astaire: Eckart Dux, one of the most important dubbing actors in the German-speaking world, has died. "We are shocked and saddened," radio play director Heikedine Körting from audio label Europa told the German Press Agency on Thursday. According to the family, Dux fell asleep peacefully.

"Such a long career - he couldn't offer the world more than he gave," said Körting, who worked with Dux on the radio play series "Die drei ???" and "TKKG", among others. There had previously been reports of his death on social media. Dux was 97 years old and lived in Sassenburg near Gifhorn in Lower Saxony.

Distinctive sonorous voice
Dux's distinctive sonorous voice has accompanied German-speaking moviegoers for almost 80 years. He was the regular voice actor for Anthony Perkins, for example in his role as Norman Bates in the horror classic "Psycho" (1960), and also frequently dubbed Steve Martin, for example in "Solo for 2" (1984).

In the 80s action series "The A-Team", he was the voice of US actor George Peppard, alias "Hannibal". Millions of TV viewers are likely to remember his frequent phrase "I love it when a plan works". The dubbing for Jerry Stiller as curmudgeon Arthur in the US sitcom "King of Queens" was a striking work of old age. In the "Hobbit" films, Dux spoke the Gandalf actor Ian McKellen. He was still in the recording studio in 2023.

Eckart Dux

(Bild: Foto: Viennareport / gbrci / Future Image)

Cult status among radio play fans
Compared to his omnipresence as a dubbing voice, Dux's prominent appearances as an actor were rather rare. Born in Berlin, he first appeared in Defa cinema productions after his debut at the Renaissance Theater, for example in the fairytale film "Das singende, klingende Bäumchen" (1957). One of his best-known television roles was as detective superintendent Schlüter in the West German series "Polizeifunk ruft" (1966-1970) and in the follow-up series "Hamburg Transit" (1970-1974) from NDR. In the street sweeper "Das Halstuch" (WDR) based on Francis Durbridge, he played Sergeant Jeffreys in 1962.

Dux has cult status among radio play fans. He appeared several times in "Die drei ???". Dux was also regularly heard in the "Gruselkabinett" series (Titania Medien). When he appeared in Berlin in 2019 at the release party for the 200th episode of "Die drei ???", he was celebrated like a Hollywood star by thousands of fans in the RBB broadcasting hall.