Roger Steinmann
Writer, Producer & Director
Entrepreneur
`Survival Adventurer`
"Born Not To Bore"
• I am a Filmmaker since the tender age of 8, thus for 56 years.
• I`ve worked in Hollywood for 12 years and created the film Illusion Infinity.
• I am also in Theater, as Writer, Producer and Director, for 44 years.
• I am for 42 years a CEO and Chairman - since I was 22.
• I`ve prevailed in a German TV-Quiz Show in front of 15 million spectators.
• My Invention was patented 41 years ago.
• I manage part-timely my cozy Boutique Hotel in Phuket, for 17 years.
Photographing at 5 years
from 1966 onwards
After I was born on November 6, 1961, in Zurich, my life started to Rock N`Roll...
...well at least, asper records, when I was 5: Because then, I started to use father`s classic still camera. And soon after I developed my photos in black-and-white – a doing I`ve learnt auto didactive at home.
The newspaper clip from Switzerland`s largest outlet BLICK refers to my Photo of the Week, and its remuneration of a, at that time, modern photo camera (1976).
Super-8 Films
from 1969 onwards
When my uncle borrowed me his Super-8 camera,
I shot - at 8 years and all by myself - my first film, a documentary (ZÜRICH; 1969).
Another around 30 short films in different genres followed, among them DIE TÜRE (1975) and
DIE FLUTKATASTROPHE (1977), both awarded and aired, along interviews with me, in Swiss National TV.
And the latter was subject of a half-page article in Switzerland`s larges newspaper (pictured), and made it even to Wikipedia.
Watch DIE FLUTKATASTROPHE in full length.
Feature Film Project Krebs!
1978/1979
With my early success with shorts, I was encouraged to undertake the full-length feature KREBS! of my original screenplay of a woman whose breast cancer threatens her life, while her husband, head of the police forces, must fight a monstrous crab threatening the city.
Zurich newspapers supported this thrilling venture, what created quite a stir.
Though after a two-year effort, this special effects laden high budgeted project proved not to be feasible.
Well, after all, I`ve just turned 17 during that time, and absolved a `solid` education at the KV Zurich Business School until 1981.
Theater Activities
1982 - 1988
BESCHTI REFERENZE (aka `Buchhalter Nötzli; 1982). I produced and directed this Swiss premiere of the comedy by Hans Schubert with amateurs in Zurich.
But my production caught the attention of popular Swiss actor Walter Roderer - and became his greatest success on stage and film.
ACHTUNG-FERTIG-LOS (1987). I wrote and produced this unusual concepted farce-comedy, again with amateurs, in Zurich; the play was directed by my longtime collaborator Markus Imthurn.
SCHELMEREIE (1988). The well established amateur theater in Oberentfelden (50km from Zurich) hired me as Director for their production of this comedy play.
The 10 performances were visited by an astonishing number of close to 10`000 spectators.
Winner in TV-Quiz Show
1983, August 2
I`ve participated in the German quiz show Alles oder Nichts about the life of Marilyn Monroe - in front of a 15-million life-TV audience - winning DM 10`000 (about USD 7`000), by defeating 73 contestants - as the only Swiss.
The picture shows me with the Moderator Max Schautzer in the ARD studio in Hamburg right after the show.
Patented Invention
1983
After having detected the practical issue of constantly opening and closing bottles manually, I´ve invented an automated closure what got the Patent in Europe, Canada and Australia, in 1985.
This bottle stopper, branded Rotsch` (aka my nickname), went into manufacturing and distribution (see article below).
I also produced an Infomercial (informative TV-spot) with popular comedian Ursula Schaeppi in an unique dual role.
Chairman, CEO &
Head of Sales
1984 to date
I`ve founded ROTSCH AG to manufacture and distribute my invention of the namesake bottle stopper, along with other household articles. At 22, I became so the youngest Chairman of the Board of a stock holder cooperation in Swiss history. Since , I was never employed - though being an employer.
Until 2019, I continually presided and managed Greeting Card Publishing companies simultaneously to my international film activity - and not to least to finance them.
I also was their CEO, created some of the companies` luxury assortments and acted as head of international sales with market exposure at exhibitions in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, New York, or Birmingham (see article).
In 1995, I`ve also founded a film production company in Los Angeles which was moved 2003 to Switzerland where it continued to develop and produce films and, since 2021, also theater.
Directing Military Maneuver Documentary
1988, October
During my regular yearly Swiss military service as an assistant doctor, I was asked to create a documentary film of the first maneuver at the Zurich airport. No less than 6´000 of military personnel, but also the head of the Swiss Military Department, council-minister Arnold Koller, were in front of my totally 14 cameras and 4 camera helicopters - not too bad, since after all I only was in the rank of a simple soldier – who was uniquely allowed in doing the service mostly in civilian clothing.
Btw: The picture stands only as reference - as my entire mission was naturally top secret.
Hollywood
1991 - 2003
Over 12 years, I stayed mostly in Hollywood where I wrote and developed several screenplays for full length feature projects.
In the beginning, I was in Various Jobs in Film - from co- and ghost-writer to assistant producer to assistant director to script doctor.
Meeting my Mentor
Billy Wilder
1993, April
Nobody else than my idol and mentor, six times Academy Award winner writer-director, Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot) welcomed me to a two-hour face-to-face meeting in his Beverly Hills office.
Hollywood Film
ILLUSION INFINITY
1997 - 2003
ILLUSION INFINITY (aka Paradise) became my most important cinematic output as writer, director and producer, and features:
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Dee Wallace (multiple award-recipient; lead in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial)
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Mickey Rooney (two time Academy Award winner; The Night in the Museum)
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Timothy Bottoms (Golden Globe nominee; Rollercoaster)
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Barbara Carrera (two time Golden Globe nominee; Never Say Never Again)
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Martin Kove (multiple awards; Karate Kid)
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Theresa Saldana (Golden Globe nominee; Raging Bull)
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Lilyan Chauvin (two time Emmy nominee; Catch Me If You Can)
Illusion Infinity had its World-Premiere at the Cannes Film Market, and its Asian Premiere at the not less prestigious Shanghai Film Festival.
Boutique Hotel in Phuket
2009 to date
I`ve relocated in 2004 from California to my self-imposed `exile` on the tropical island of Phuket, commuting from there to Switzerland since.
Five years later, I`ve bought a villa at the beach in Karon and remodeled it into the four-star Boutique Hotel OASIS VILLA with seven rooms. This business I also do manage, at the side.
Philosophical Studies
2004 to 2013
During my about 10 years hiatus from active filmmaking, I`ve developed the philosophical theory ‘Form versus Content’, the analysis of superficiality and pretense versus integrity and truth.
This study added to my autodidactic thaught general knowledge in psychology, history, law and medicine – next the seventh art.
Re-Activation in Films
2014 to date
My coincidental meeting with Thai celebrity, actor and singer,
Mike Angelo in June 2014 proved a pivotal turning point in my life, as - with Mike being enthusiastic about taking the lead and co-producing THE PARTY KILLERS - it heralded my return to film activities.
I subsequently tailored another original screwball-comedy, LADIES FIRST, especially to Mike`s talent. In a dual role, he`d acted as a beach-boy who falls for a young girl and as a female nightclub-singer, the girl`s father falls for him. My mentor`s Some Like it Hot echoes not truly coincidentally.
At one point were Bruce Willis, Gerard Depardieu and Melanie Griffith attached.
However, with Mike`s intensifying engagements in China, both projects became of little avail - as of now.
Film Venture PhonY
2016 - 2020
For more than four years, I`ve dealt with the international feature PhonY, a farce about the worldwide (ab-)use of cell phones - as usual as writer, producer, and director.
`Dealt`, because this film is only to 65% in the can - after having shot at the shores of Phuket and in the snow-mountains of Switzerland, next to documentary scenes at 30 world-destinations between Monaco, Dubai and Hong Kong.
The scheduled filming in Hollywood with Burt Reynolds (no less than the world`s most bankable star over 5 years!) didn't happen due to his untimely death, but as well the Corona-panic prevented further filming, and - above all - the American Co-Producers embezzled our production funds, thus I became a witness with the FBI aiding to convict the two crooks to 15 and 13 years prison, respectively (!).
Find more thrilling details about the tragic un-making of PhonY.
Renewed Theater Activities
2020 to date
During the filming-inactive Covid-Panic, I re-started to write stage plays, after a 34 years hiatus.
Since, I`ve creted six plays - all original, full-length, and as sole writer - three of them I also adapted to English.
These works range from a one- to an eleven-person play, and from three satires to one comedy to one drama to one crime-comedy - see Stage Plays.
Protagonist in TV-Doc
2022, January & September
Europe`s largest TV-station RTL chose me as represent of an expat in their series DIE ALLTAGSKÄMPFER / DIE AUSWANDERER (Everyday Fighter / The Expats) - as the only Swiss within Germans and Austrians protagonists.
Filming took place at my hotel-villa and its surroundings in Phuket in January 2022, and was aired during the following September in 3 episodes - watch them here.
Btw: My current life in Phuket is quite accurately portrayed :)
Theater Production
WIN = WIN in Zurich
2022, April to November
As soon as the restrictions of theater in Switzerland eased up, I pushed my two-character stage play WIN = WIN into production - having prepared it well ahead from Phuket.
The comedy-satire addresses the arbitrarily imposed social distancing-regulations during the two long years of panic - which seem already satirical by themselves.
The World Premiere took place in Zurich on October 7, 2022; the play run until November 5.
Find details, along the title song with music-video, here.
Fun Fact: Two years before the premiere, WIN = WIN made headlines on Switzerland`s biggest news outlet. since German comedian star Karl Dall contemplated my project as his very last.
Theater Production
RUTHLESS in London
2025, January to June
Another stage play, this time the `One-Women-Trauma` RUTHLESS - the tragic Survival of Ruth Madoff, wife of 65 billion Wall-Street-fraudster Bernard Madoff, premiered in London on June 3, 2025 - with me again in the directors- and producers-seat - and with the fulminant Emily Swain in the title-role.
Listen to the live interview with BBC London.
This drama is currently evaluated for a respective premiere in the USA, Germany, and even China.
Theater Project
OUT OF ORDER
2026 to date
Currently, I am in preparation of the political `correct` theater-satire OUT OF ORDER, a three person play with a Marie-Antoinette-Imelda Marcos-Melania Trump-like main protagonist. Disguised in beauty, her strong influence on her corrupt dictator-husband is widely underestimated - well, until…
The broad social media marketing of this project has already started. Its results will be decisive of where the production eventually will be taken place.
