[4] Born in Mühlhausen, Saxony (now Thuringia),[3] Basedow graduated from high school in Magdeburg in 1956.

[7][8] He studied to be a teacher, German and sports at the Pädagogische Hochschule Braunschweig [de].

[7][10] In 1961, he found his first leading role in the Beckett play Waiting for Godot in a small theatre at the Siegestor.

[11][10] Followed by engagements in Bern, Düsseldorf, at the Schaubühne am Halleschen Ufer [de], and again in Munich.

[14][11] Basedow's Dimpfelmoser had a lasting impact on the portrayal of this character, for example on puppet stages.