Hein Riess (11 September 1913 – September 1993) was a German actor and folk singer.
Riess was born in Hamburg-Eilbek. He was previously a sailor who began work as a cabin boy on ships and then became a professional singer, mainly of sea shanties. An LP of his recordings was released and a single on Polydor Records entitled The Story of the Pale Mary.[1]
As an actor, he made appearances on several German television productions and in German films including the 1963 Werner Jacobs directed drama Homesick for St. Pauli (German: Heimweh nach St. Pauli), but he is best known internationally for his performance as Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring in the film Battle of Britain (1969). According to a booklet publicising the movie, he had allegedly once met Göring himself during the war.[2] Former fighter ace Adolf Galland who worked as a technical consultant on the film had known Göring and was impressed with his performance[3] and said his voice was exactly like Göring's.
Riess died of heart failure at age 79.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Homesick for St. Pauli | Kuddel | ||
| 1967 | Hotel Clausewitz | Boxer | ||
| 1969 | Battle of Britain |