Walter Heinrich was born in Teplitz in 1934. Following his graduation in mechanical engineering, he studied performing arts at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He worked as an actor, dramatic advisor and stage director for the theatre for many years and wrote for radio and television. In 1984, the feature film ›Das Wagnis des Arnold Janssen‹, written and directed by Walter Heinrich, was released in cinemas. Walter Heinrich had originally intended to make a film about the life of Maximilian Kolbe as well – but the project turned into a novel which was first published, under the pseudonym of Henri Walter, in 1987.