His first major role on stage was
Götz von Berlichingen at which he played next to
Ellen Schwiers as Adelheid at the Jagsthausen festival. On television, he is mostly known for his roles in filmed theatrical adaptations:
Der Richter und sein Henker (1957) by
Friedrich Dürrenmatt,
Der Schlaf der Gerechten (1962) by Albrecht Goes and
Mirandolina (1963) by
Carlo Goldoni. Suspected of
espionage due to his editorial relations, he was arrested by the
Gestapo in 1941, and imprisoned for a month, during which time he protested his innocence. He was eventually freed after his case was expedited. This episode was repeated in a number of his
plays. With
Paths in Twilight in 1948, he made his cinematic debut under the direction of
Gustav Fröhlich. In 1960, he was in one of the first films by
Edgar Wallace after the war:
Der Rächer. In the same year, he was in
Es ist soweit. In 1966, he acted alongside
Heinz Reincke in one of the first German colour television series,
Adrian der Tulpendieb. After acting in 1962 in
Max the Pickpocket with
Heinz Rühmann, in 1964 he played the role of a doctor in '''', a film which started a long series of films based on plane crashes. Benno Sterzenbach found most success in the role of General Winston Woodrov Wamsler in
Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion. After this, he was invited to series such as ''
, Derrick and The Old Fox''. In France, he is best known for his role as Major Achbach in
La Grande Vadrouille with
Louis de Funès and
Bourvil. It was released under the title ''Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!'' in the United Kingdom and United States. Benno Sterzenbach also wrote a number of books. == Filmography ==