Ulrich Mühe, star of 'Lives of Others', dies aged 54

Millions of cinema goers will remember him simply as Gerd Wiesler, the chillingly ruthless yet ultimately conscience-wracked Stasi police captain who spies on Communism's enemies as the central character in the Oscar-winning German film The Lives of Others.

Germany was shocked and saddened to learn yesterday that Ulrich Mühe, the award-winning actor behind Wiesler's brilliant portrayal, died of cancer on Sunday at his home in the eastern state of Saxony Anhalt aged only 54.

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The actor's sudden death came almost as a complete surprise. A fortnight ago Mühe, who leaves a wife and five children, publicly revealed for the first time that he had been suffering from stomach cancer and declared that he would be spending "much time" with his family.

Tributes were paid to the actor from throughout Germany yesterday. Klaus Wowereit, the mayor of Berlin, where The Lives of Others was shot in the former Communist east, said Mühe's performance in the film was unforgettable. "He was a great artist and Berlin mourns his passing," he said.

Off the stage, Mühe's life was as marked by Communism as that of his character, Wiesler. His first confrontation with the reality of East Germany's totalitarian regime was compulsory national service as a border guard at the Berlin Wall. The guards who manned the watchtowers were ordered to shoot anyone trying to escape to the West on sight. The experience gave Mühe stomach ulcers. Several commentators said that it also marked the beginnings of his cancer.

Mühe trained as an actor and soon found sanctuary in East Germany's state-run theatre system, where he rapidly achieved celebrity status. In reunified Germany he was showered with awards for performances.

However, last year his East German past caught up with him when he was involved in an acrimonious court case with Jenny Grollmann, a former East German actress and his ex-wife, whom he accused of being a Stasi agent. Grollmann died of cancer last year after winning the case, and the dispute lost Mühe friends.

He was already critically ill at the Oscar prize-giving in Los Angeles in April. The actor flew back to Germany for an urgent stomach operation only hours after his film was awarded the coveted prize.