The renowned actor, Drache, rose to fame as the most sought-after screen cop in post-war German cinema. His breakthrough role was as the charismatic Inspector Yates in the miniseries "Das Halstuch" (1962),which garnered an impressive 80% in TV ratings.
Drache's subsequent performances in Edgar Wallace's crime thrillers, such as "The Avenger" (1960),"The Indian Scarf" (1963),"Coffin from Hong Kong" (1964),"Again the Ringer" (1965),and "The Horror of Blackwood Castle" (1968),cemented his status as a master of the genre.
Following his contract with Constantin Filmverleih, Drache took a hiatus from the screen and returned to the stage. His passion for the performing arts began in childhood, where he could recite Goethe's "Faust" by heart at the age of fourteen. He started acting on stage as an extra in his senior year at high school and later trained at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin.
Gustaf Gründgens spotted Drache and gave him a key role in the comic fantasy "Der Schatten" ("The Shadow"),which became a substantial hit. This led to further character roles under Gründgens' direction in classics such as "Danton's Death", "Candida", and "Othello".
Drache made his film debut in 1954 and alternated between youthful romantic leads and more challenging assignments in serious drama, such as "Spy for Germany" (1956) and "The Rest Is Silence" (1959). His archetypal crime-fighting image was established with "Der Rächer" and solidified with "Das Halstuch". Audiences adored his easy-going approach and quick-witted, often cynical repartee as his screen detectives.
Drache also made good use of his distinctive, sonorous voice, frequently synchronizing for English-speaking stars like Sean Connery, Christopher Lee, Kirk Douglas, and Richard Widmark.
On the stage, Drache was able to escape typecasting and occasionally portrayed less wholesome characters. However, the screen rarely permitted him to showcase his acting range. After a period of relative absence, he returned in 1970 as Kriminalhauptkommissar Hans Georg Bülow in TV's top crime series "Tatort". However, the era for anachronistic gentlemen sleuths had passed, and a mixed critical reception prompted Drache to quit the show after just six episodes.
Drache quietly faded from the spotlight and passed away in Berlin in April 2002 at the age of 79.
