Horst Wendlandt

Career overview

Horst Otto Gregor Wendlandt was a German film producer born on March 15, 1922, in Griewen, Brandenburg, Germany. Over the course of his career spanning from 1956 to 2002, he produced more than 100 films and attained 98 known production credits. He was also known as a writer, with credits including Otto - Der Neue Film, The Devil's Daffodil, and Gorilla Gang. Wendlandt was married to Ilsegard Winter beginning in 1950, and his children, Matthias and Susan Nielebock, began working as producers for Rialto Film in 1987. Wendlandt died on August 30, 2002, in Berlin at the age of 80.

During the 1960s, Wendlandt's production company, Rialto Film, produced films based on the works of Edgar Wallace and Karl May. These productions were mostly directed by Alfred Vohrer or Harald Reinl. In 1971, Wendlandt founded the film distribution company Tobis Film, which was named after the old Tobis Film. Tobis achieved significant success during the 1970s by distributing European films featuring actors such as Jean-Paul Belmondo, Louis de Fun_s, Terence Hill, and Bud Spencer. The company also handled Dino De Laurentiis productions including Death Wish, Mandingo, and King Kong.