
Werner Abrolat in a 1977 episode of Tatort
Werner Abrolat (1924-1997) was a German voice actor who dubbed Gonzo on Die Muppet Show and in the films and specials through A Muppet Family Christmas. He also dubbed minor character parts (usually old men) in Jim Hensons beste Geschichten (The StoryTeller).
Abrolat's acting career began after World War II and was initially limited to the provincial stage. In 1949, he began appearing in film, followed by radio in the 1950s. In 1965, he appeared with Clint Eastwood and future Die Muppet Show co-star Kurt Zips in Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western For a Few Dollars More (as outlaw Slim), and acted in Jess Franco's films The Castle of Fu Manchu (featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000) and The Bloody Judge (both with Christopher Lee). He was also a frequent player in the comedies of German filmmaker Helge Schneider.
Abrolat entered dubbing in the late 1960s, working out of Munich. He dubbed Christopher Lloyd in Star Trek IV, William Hickey in Pink Cadillac and One Crazy Summer, David Ketchum in The Main Event, Geoffrey Bayldon in The 10th Man, and parts in Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chan movies. TV dubbing included Davros and others on the original Doctor Who, several guest stars on Columbo and Cheers, and over thirty guests on CHiPs (including Rudy Vallee). Animation roles included Groundskeeper Willie on The Simpsons, Moralelastix in Asterix vs. Caesar, assorted Scooby-Doo suspects, King Harkinian on The Legend of Zelda, and Unicron in Transformers: The Movie. He was part of dubbing director Eberhard Storeck's stock company, heard on Vicky the Viking (Tjure), Maya the Bee, and The Pink Panther Show.
For German television, Abrolat appeared in episodes of Derrick, Tatort, the German Father Brown adaptations, and Das Kriminalmuseum. He also appeared in an episode of the BBC World War II series Colditz as a German farmer.
Muppet dubbing credits[]
- as Gonzo unless otherwise noted
- Die Muppet Show
- Muppet Movie (The Muppet Movie)
- Die Muppets in Hollywood (The Muppets Go Hollywood)
- Ich war frei, ich war glücklich (Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring)
- Der Grosse Muppet Krimi (The Great Muppet Caper)
- Die Muppets gehen ins Kino (The Muppets Go to the Movies)
- Die Fraggles (Fraggle Rock): Marlon Fraggle
- Die Muppets erobern Manhattan (The Muppets Take Manhattan)
- Die fantastische Miss Piggy Show (The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show)
- Die große Muppet-Party (The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years)
- Die Muppets feiern Weihnacht (A Muppet Family Christmas)
- Jim Hensons beste Geschichten (The StoryTeller)
- Priest ("Hans My Hedgehog")
- Miller, Guard ("The Luck Child")
- Page ("A Story Short")
- Tsar ("The Soldier and Death")
External links[]
- Deutsche Synchronkartei- German dubbing credits
- IMDb