WikiMini

Josef Sommer

Josef Sommer
Born
Maximilian Josef Sommer

(1934-06-26) June 26, 1934 (age 91)[1]
Greifswald, Germany[1]
EducationCarnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Years active1971—2010

Maximilian Josef Sommer (born June 26, 1934) is a German-American retired stage, film and television actor.[1][2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Sommer was born in Greifswald, Germany, and raised in North Carolina, the son of Elisabeth and Clemens Sommer, a professor of art history at the University of North Carolina.[3] He studied theatre at the Carnegie Institute of Technology.[2] Sommer served in the U.S. Army. Afterwards, he trained as an actor at the American Shakespeare Festival in Connecticut.[3]

Career

[edit]
Stage

Sommer made his acting debut in 1943 at the age of nine in the Carolina Playmakers production of Lillian Hellman's 1941 American drama play, Watch on the Rhine.[3]

He performed with the Seattle Repertory Theatre in Washington. In 1970, he made his Broadway debut as Brabantio in Othello. In 1971, Sommer played the Defense in the original production of Friar Daniel Berrigan's The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (1971) based upon the real-life Catonsville Nine. Gregory Peck later produced a 1972 film adaptation, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine based on the play. Also during the 1970s, Sommer's Broadway roles and performances include Dr. Karl Yaeger in Jack Horrigan's thriller Children! Children! directed by Joseph Hardy (1972), Nikolai Skrobotov in Maxim Gorky's play Enemies (1972), Antonio in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice (1973), Schmidt in by Erich Maria Remarque's Full Circle directed by Otto Preminger (1973), Arnold J. Pilger in Peter Ustinov's original comedy Who's Who in Hell (1974), Michael Cristofer's original award-winning drama The Shadow Box (1977), and Francis in the musical play Spokesong (1979). In 1980 he played Clifton A. Feddington in the original musical The 1940's Radio Hour, and Dr. Michael Emerson in the revival of Brian Clark's drama Whose Life is it Anyway? Sommer also played The Reverend Lionel Espy in the original production of Racing Demon (1995).[1][4]

Sommer won Obie Awards for his off-Broadway performances in Lydie Breeze (1982) and Václav Havel's semi-autobiographical play Largo Desolato (1986). He also appeared off-Broadway at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater as Blair in the 1994 revision of Tom Stoppard's play Hapgood.[2] In 1991, Sommer was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his role in Hamlet.[1][4]

Film

Sommer made his film debut in Dirty Harry (1971), followed by roles in The Stepford Wives (1975), The Front (1976), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Reds (1981), and Still of the Night in 1982. That same year, he was the narrator in Sophie's Choice. He appeared in Silkwood (1983), Peter Weir's thriller Witness (1985) opposite Harrison Ford (where he played a dirty cop), and Target (1985). In 1988, Sommer played the lead role opposite Sylvia Kristel, as the film noir-esque detective in the quirky horror comedy Dracula's Widow. He then appeared in Shadows and Fog (1991). In 1992, he played the eponymous role of Gerald Ducksworth in The Mighty Ducks, a kind-hearted benefactor of inner city youth hockey, who sends his best lawyer to coach the team and donates funds for rink time, safe equipment and proper uniforms. In the film, Gerald Ducksworth is the founder of both the fictional District 5 Ducks and NHL Anaheim Ducks teams.[5] He then appeared in Malice (1993), Nobody's Fool (1994), Patch Adams (1998), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).[2][3]

Television

On television Sommer appeared in the role of Roy Mills on The Guiding Light (1974), and played George Barton in the 1983 television adaptation of Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide. He played President Gerald Ford opposite Gena Rowlands in the television film The Betty Ford Story (1987). He had starring roles in the short-lived series, Hothouse (1988) and Under Cover (1991). In 1989, Sommer guest starred on the CBS action drama The Equalizer as master wargame villain Ernest Rasher in the episode "Endgame."

Personal life

[edit]

Sommer has a daughter, Maria.[citation needed]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]

Television

[edit]
Josef Sommer television credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1973–1974 The Doctors Dave Davis 23 episodes
1974 The Guiding Light Roy Mills
1975 Valley Forge Brigadier General 'Dusty' Varnum TV movie
1976 The Adams Chronicles Charles Lee TV miniseries
1983 Sparkling Cyanide George Barton TV movie
1986 Scarecrow and Mrs. King Raoul Nesbitt 1 episode
1989 Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman Charles Estiman TV movie
1989 The Equalizer Ernest Rasher Episode: "Endgame"
1990 The Kennedys of Massachusetts Franklin D. Roosevelt TV miniseries
1992 Citizen Cohn Albert Cohn TV movie
1993 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles President Woodrow Wilson 1 episode
1996 Law & Order Judge Lawrence Hellman Episode: "Corruption"
1997 Early Edition John Dobbs 2 episodes
2000 Law & Order Defence Attorney Patrick Rumsey Episode: "Entitled" Part 1
2000 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Defence Attorney Patrick Rumsey Episode: "Entitled" Part 2
2002 Benjamin Franklin Cotton Mather TV miniseries
2003 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Spencer Durning Episode: "Cold Comfort"
2004 The West Wing Steve Gaines 1 episode

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Josef Sommer". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Fisher, James (June 2011). Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater: 1930-2010. Scarecrow Press. p. 750. ISBN 9780810879508. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Morton, Ray (November 2007). Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Making of Steven Spielberg's Classic Film. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 137. ISBN 9781557837103. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Josef Sommer, Performer: Roles". Playbill. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  5. ^ [1], recruiterwebsites.com. Accessed February 3, 2025.
[edit]