In the title sequence of the TV sitcom Becker, Dr. Becker (played by Ted Danson) walks up the crowded stairs from a metro station in New York. He turns around because apparently, he just walked past a man whose face he seems to recognize. The other man also turns around for a split second and to me, it seems fairly obvious that this man (with the blond hair) is no other than Boris Becker, the former German tennis player.
I have tried to google this left and right, but to no avail: Was this really Boris Bocker, or just a lookalike? Is there a backstory to the filming of this scene?
I was thought because, as he was coming up the stairs, he gets bumped shoulder-to-shoulder, he was looking back to see if the guy was going to apologize or want to fight. Seemed to me to be a typical New York interaction.
Boris Becker would have been in his early 30s when this scene was filmed (around 1998, I assume, when the show started) and he always looked somewhat older than his age (very much so currently, by the way, he hasn’t aged well which has to do with his lifestyle). But here is a picture of Boris Becker that was taken in 1998:
I’d say even the hairstyle is recognizable. There are two problems with the Youtube clip: (1) It is of low quality anyway and (2) the original scene was altered for visual effect. In the early 2000s, Boris Becker planned on taking up residence in New York City. This was after he ended his active career in 1999 and before his divorce.
It’s hard to tell from the youtube clip, due to the poor quality, but the guy in the clip appears to have a pronounced droop on the tip if his nose, which Becker does not have.
It could have been a lookalike, after all, but I’d say the resemblance was intentional. Think about it: The show was simply named: Becker which in the English-speaking is a non descriptive, not very common surname. In 1998, simply mentioning “Becker” would typically have evoked associations with Boris Becker (if at all). It is the very first scene of every episode and immediately after Dr. Becker bumps into the alleged Boris Becker, the title “Becker” appears on the screen.
I’ll probably quit my dayjob, print leaflets explaining my theory and approach random strangers on the street and convince them.
