Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (March 7, 1902 – October 3, 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th Century and is considered a German film legend. Rühmann is best-known for his comedic "Average Guys" in film comedies such as Die drei von der Tankstelle and Die Feuerzangenbowle. During his later years, he was also a respected character actor in films like Der Hauptmann von Köpenick and It Happened in Broad Daylight. His only English-speaking movie was Ship of Fools in 1964.
Rühmann was born in Essen. His role in the 1930 movie Die Drei von der Tankstelle (Those Three from the Gas Station) led him to film stardom. He remained highly popular as a comedic actor (and sometime singer) throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. He remained in Germany and continued to work during the Nazi period, as did his friend and colleague, Hans Albers.