He was seen as the oldest working actor in the world in 2016.
Beginning in the 1950s, he was successful especially on German television.
He continued to work steadily for over 70 years.
After he saw Schiller's The Robbers at grammar school in Basel, he aspired to be an actor.
Between 1967 and 1977 he achieved great popularity in his most famous role in the German detective series Graf Yoster, where he played the main part of the same name.