Adrian Degenhardt

Adrian Degenhardt is a fictional character on German soap opera Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love). The character is portrayed by actor Klaus Zmorek from January 25, 2007^[1] to March 5, 2009, when the character was written out with the chance of a return.

Character's background

Adrian is a scheming businessman, who does anything to make a good deal and does not seem to know the word morale. Tanja von Anstetten (Miriam Lahnstein) becomes interested in him, when she tries to find a new partner in her a personal war against the Lahnstein Family. Adrian has an old and long history with the family. Once the best friend of Johannes von Lahnstein (Thomas Gumpert), both seemed to betray each other. Johannes on business and Adrian in private affairs, when he started an affair with Johannes' wife Francesca. Their betrayals made them to enemies. Back in Johannes' life, he wants revenge for taking Francesca from him. Adrian is sure, had not Johannes threatened his late wife all this years ago, she would have chosen him instead of Johannes. Together with Tanja, they plan to spoil some business operations for the Lahnstein Holding with the hopefully result of ruin Johannes' legacy. Adrian and Tanja also have a brief affair with each other. But it stopped, when Tanja decides to fake the death of her son Hannes (then played by Daniel & Simon Kuhn) and her own to start a new life somewhere else. Adrian helps Tanja with her flight and she promises him to come back someday, when the time is right. In the following months, Adrian calls Tanja several times to tell her how things go.

Soon after Adrian's arrival, Constantin von Lahnstein (Milan Marcus) finds out that Adrian fathered him. Even through, Adrian shows no real interest in his son, he tries to use him in his vendetta against Johannes. He tells Constantin his side of the story what was really going on back then. How much he loved Francesca and she loved him. Johannes destroyed that love and blackmailed Francesca, that if she would leave him, he would destroy and take the children from her. Constantin starts to believe Adrian, after he meets an old friend of his mother. Adrian has Constantin on his side for now and gets secret business information from him. But when Constantin's betrayal costs Johannes a heart attack, he gets a wake up call. Constantin's mercy for Adrian shows him that this truly is not someone that he wished himself as a son. Adrian tells Constantin about using him and lets him drop down.

After Tanja took off with her son, Ansgar (Wolfram Grandezka), who is Hannes' father, his marriage to Nathalie Käppler (Jenny Winkler) becomes a living nightmare for her, after he believes that she is responsible for Hannes' "death". Ansgar has affairs with other woman and makes no secret out of it that he does not respect Nathalie. Adrian begins to use her too. He hires Olivia Schneider (Kristina Dörfer) to sleep with Ansgar. After that she should alleges that she is pregnant, while he rushes into an affair with Nathalie and supports her alcohol addition. Later, Adrian wants Olivia to fake a miscarriage to remind Ansgar by the lost of Hannes. But Nathalie becomes a problem for Adrian, when she finds an old letter from Francesca. The letter proves that Francesca really seemed to love Adrian and that they share not one but two children together. Leonard (Lars Korten), who is believed to be Johannes' son was fathered by Adrian too. Nathalie cannot keep that a secret, because Leonard is ready to give up his great love Sarah Hofmann (Sina-Valeska Jung), which he believes is his half sister, and marry someone else. But Adrian does not want to use this secret yet and captivates Nathalie. Adrian later breaks the news to Johannes, when Leonard's wedding day has arrived. Johannes is shocked and tries to tell Leonard the truth. But he already married Jana Brandner (Vanessa Jung). After the secret is out, Adrian has no use for Nathalie anymore and tells her to look at herself how messed up she is.

Other than by Constantin, Adrian wants to get to know Leonard. But he does not trust his father and wants to be loyal to Johannes. Adrian is impressed with this behavior and proud that he is not as easy to influence than Constantin. When he sees how impressed Adrian seems to be with Leonard, Constantin feels how much it hurts that he means nothing to his father. But Leonard keeps his distance to Adrian and instead becomes a better brother to Constantin, now that they both share Adrian as a father.

Adrian seeks for other allies in his war against Johannes and is sure that he found this someone in Sebastian von Lahnstein (Joscha Kiefer), Johannes' nephew. After Sebastian's father Ludwig, who was also a good fried of Adrian, died and Johannes seemed to be not interested in this part of the family, Adrian took care of Sebastian and his siblings. He became their father figure and financed them their education. Thankful for that, Sebastian comes to Düsseldorf to work for Adrian. Soon Sebastian also meets his uncle and cousins. Furious how Johannes treated his father, Sebastian seems to be up for revenge. But with old letters that Johannes sent Ludwig, he can prove that he wanted to help him, but Ludwig would not let him. Sebastian is shocked and wants to apologize to Johannes, but it's to late. Johannes is on a business trip, from which he never returns. His plane went down over the Atlantic ocean and Johannes remains as presumed death. Sebastian gets disappointed in Adrian, when he finds out that Tanja is still alive and lives together with Ansgar's son Hannes in Uruguay. Adrian wants Sebastian's forgiveness and brings Tanja under false pretenses back.

With Tanja back in town, he lost her as his partner in crime, thanks to his betrayal. Sebastian moves to Castle Königsbrunn and begins to work for the Lahnstein Holding after Johannes' death, while Adrian takes a moment and remembers his old rival and friend. Even through, he fought against Johannes he seems truly sorry that their feud had to end like this. Ansgar becomes Adrian's new enemy and it does not take the scheming son of Johannes too long, until he can ruin Adrian's reputation. Ansgar hires Camilla von Berneck (Bianca Karsten), an old lover of Adrian, to get in contact with him again to manage a campaign for baby food. But Ansgar tampered the food and poisoned it. He lets the campaign blow of before it gets to sale.

After leaving town for a while, Adrian comes back in January 2009 to offer Tanja and Ansgar a deal they cannot refuse. But Elisabeth (Martina Servatius) finds out about it. She wants to use Adrian's knowing about Tanja and Ansgar's plans to protect the Lahnstein Holding. She offers him a lot of money and Adrian agrees to help her. In the next few weeks, Adrian cannot give Elisabeth much information. When Ansgar wants Adrian to help Tanja with a meeting in South America, he refuses to be there for his foster children Rebecca (Jasmin Lord) and Sebastian. Ansgar begins to question Adrian's motives, when a fax from Tanja goes missing. Adrian stole it, so that Elisabeth and he would have proof against them. But Ansgar knows to early about Adrian's betrayal and can win the fax back in a fight, before Elisabeth and Adrian can use it. After Ansgar knows that Adrian helped Elisabeth, he swears Adrian revenge. Elisabeth warns Adrian to take Ansgar's words seriously and offers him money to leave town for a while. Adrian first refuses and does not want to let Rebecca and Sebastian down again. But after Rebecca talked with Elisabeth, Rebecca begs him to leave town, so that she and Sebastian would know that he is safe. Adrian says goodbye to Rebecca and swears to Ansgar that he will come back, before he leaves town.

Crimes committed

• Kidnapped Sophia von Lahnstein and blackmailed 5,000,000 € for her life.
• Helped Tanja von Anstetten to fake her own death and kidnap her son Hannes.
• Several illegal business deals.
• Hold Nathalie von Lahnstein hostage, when she wanted to tell Leonard that he is Adrian's son.
• Blackmailed Olivia Schneider to sleep with Ansgar von Lahnstein, fake a pregnancy and a miscarriage.

Notes