Heinz Drache

Heinz Drache was a German actor who became the best-known screen detective of post-war German cinema, making his name as Inspector Yates in Das Halstuch, the 1962 Francis Durbridge miniseries. He played quick-witted, cynical investigators in Edgar Wallace thrillers such as The Avenger (1960), The Indian Scarf (1963), Coffin from Hong Kong (1964) and The Monster of Blackwood Castle (1968). Trained on the Berlin stage, he was spotted by Gustaf Gründgens at the Deutsches Theater and given classical roles, and his first screen role came in 1954. He moved between romantic leads and serious drama in Spy for Germany (1956) and The Rest Is Silence (1959). After his contract with Constantin expired, he went back to the theater, and he also dubbed English-speaking stars. He later played Kriminalhauptkommissar Hans Georg Bülow in Tatort (1970) but quit after six episodes. He died in 2002.