- Smoking prosecutor gets off at Münster "crime scene"
The woman with a cigarette in her hand and a distinctive deep voice says "Goodbye": Mechthild Großmann, who has been a state prosecutor in the Münster "Tatort" on ARD for over 22 years, will retire in 2025, as announced by Westdeutscher Rundfunk.
As the boss of Chief Inspector Thiel and forensic pathologist Professor Boerne, the actress will still be seen in three new episodes, after which she plans to take on new challenges, the station quotes Großmann. In the ARD ratings success, she plays the role of prosecutor Wilhelmine Klemm.
"When the last Münster 'Tatort' with me is broadcast at the end of 2025, I will be 77 years old, and I have no intention of stopping working. I will continue to act in theater and give readings, preferably with music - and if WDR is ever looking for someone to play a villainous murderer, I would be there immediately," says Großmann, according to the WDR statement.
Born in Münster in 1948, Großmann has been part of the Münster "Tatort" cast since the first episode in 2002. Before her, only Friederike Kempter had left the long-standing ensemble, playing the role of Boerne's assistant Nadesha Krusenstern.
Großmann's career began in 1963 at the Theater Bremen. She first worked with dancer and choreographer Pina Pausch in 1976. From 1977 to 1979, she had an engagement at the Schauspielhaus Bochum before achieving worldwide success with the Tanztheater Pina Bausch in Wuppertal. However, she emphasizes on her own homepage that this was not as a dancer. She has also acted in films with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Caroline Link, and taught dance history and acting at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen.
"It was an honor and a pleasure to play with Christine Urspruch and Bjoern Meyer, many years with Friederike Kempter and the wonderful Vadder - Claus D. Clausnitzer - and of course with Axel Prahl and Jan Josef Liefers for so long - 23 years. Thank you," says the actress, according to the statement.
The 46th Münster "Tatort" titled "Man stirbt nur zweimal" - still with Großmann - is scheduled to be broadcast in the fourth quarter of 2024.
WDR statement
In her farewell message, Mechthild Großmann expressed her enthusiasm for potential future roles with WDR, mentioning her interest in playing a villainous murderer. During her illustrious career, WDR had also provided opportunities for her to act in theater and give readings, as well as in films with renowned directors like Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
