Manfred Zapatka was born October 2, 1942, in Bremen. He attended Westfälische Schauspielschule in Bochum from 1962 to 1965 and was an ensemble member of Staatstheater Stuttgart, Kammerspiele Munich (where he caused a stir with his 1979 performance as Leicester in "Maria Stuart") und Schaubühne Berlin.

Since their first collaboration, the radio play "Das Warhead-Oratorium" (1997), Zapatka is closely connected to the work of director Romuald Karmakar and appeared in four of Karmakar"s movies ("Das Frankfurter Kreuz" / Frankfurt – Millennium, 1998, "Manila", 2000, "Das Himmler-Projekt" / The Himmler Project, 2002, where he delivered a three-hour long speech of the former SS commander, and "Die Nacht singt ihre Lieder" / Nightsongs, 2004). Zapatka"s TV appearances include, among many others, a leading role in the TV series "Rivalen der Rennbahn" (1989), the portrayal of former chancellor Helmut Schmidt in "Todesspiel" (1997) or the role of a fictional head of government in "Spiele der Macht" (2005)

© Hanns-Georg Rodek