Eddi Arent, a comedian known for his eccentric and self-deprecating nature, initially gained attention through his appearances in a series of quirky Edgar Wallace adaptations in the 1960s.
As Germany's idea of a stereotypical English lord, Arent portrayed characters such as Lord Selwyn Moron in The Strange Countess (1961),a laconic butler in Secret of the Red Orchid (1962),and an obtuse, clumsy second-string Scotland Yard photographer in Dead Eyes of London (1961) and The Door with Seven Locks (1962).
Arent was also reliable as a droll, vaguely effete sidekick and comic relief in westerns and adventure films based on the writings of Karl May. He is fondly remembered as Castlepool, a mild-mannered, bumbling butterfly collector in the 'Winnetou' trilogy, beginning with The Treasure of the Silver Lake (1962).
To confound those who had him perpetually typecast, Arent also donned the black garb of villainy as a murderous monk in The Sinister Monk (1965). He must have enjoyed this change of character, since he repeated the exercise as a human trafficker masquerading as a priest in Der Bucklige von Soho (1966) and as a knife-throwing killer in the English-German co-production Psycho-Circus (1966),which featured the great Christopher Lee in a supporting role.
Unlike most of his peers, Arent had little formal theatrical training, instead beginning his career in cabaret, where he developed the character sketches and personae that would later make his name. He did not have any interest in forging a career on the legitimate stage, and films first saw him as a dramatic actor in minor supporting roles, his natural talent as a comedian not recognized until the end of the 1950s.
After his heyday in the 1960s, Arent's subsequent output was fairly unremarkable, with most of his films being low-brow pop-films. However, in the 1980s, Arent acquired a new following with the television sketch show Harald und Eddi (1987),in conjunction with perennial audience favorite Harald Juhnke. He delighted audiences with his comedic versatility.
Leaving the limelight in the 1990s, Arent then endured a series of financial and personal setbacks. Suffering from depression and increasingly afflicted by dementia, he died in May 2013 at the age of 88.
