After his death the Wilhelmplatz, a square in Hamburg, Germany, was named after him.
German actor and singer, closely associated with the city of Hamburg.
He has an entry in Jean Tulard's "Dictionnaire du Cinéma/Les Acteurs", published in Paris in 2007 by Robert Laffont/Bouquins, pages. 17-18 (ISBN: 978-2-221-10895-6).
His acting teacher Eugen Burg, father of his girlfriend Hansi, was killed in the concentration camp Theresienstadt (1944).
His most famous song "Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins" (On the Reeperbahn at 12.30 a.m.) is the unofficial anthem of the colorful neighborhood of St. Pauli, which is known for its brothels, music and night clubs.
Stopped working in theater to distance himself from the Hitler regime, but the Nazis forced him to end his relationship with his longtime companion Hansi Burg, who finally emigrated to England via Switzerland. After World War II, they lived together again at Lake Starnberg until his death.
Was drafted in 1915 and served at the Western front in World War I.