Curd Jürgens
Encyclopedia
Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (1915–1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor
. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens.
, Kingdom of Bavaria
, German Empire
. His father was a trader from Hamburg and his mother a French teacher. He began his working career as a journalist
before becoming an actor at the urging of his actress wife, Louise Basler. He spent much of his early acting career on the stage in Vienna.
Jürgens was critical of the Nazis
in his native Germany. In 1944 he was sent to a concentration camp
in Hungary as a "political unreliable".
Jürgens became an Austrian citizen after the war.
. His breakthrough screen role came in Des Teufels General
(1955, The Devil's General) and he came to Hollywood following his appearance in the sensational 1956 Roger Vadim
directed French
film Et Dieu... créa la femme (And God Created Woman
) starring Brigitte Bardot
. In 1957, Jürgens made his first Hollywood film, The Enemy Below
, where he portrayed a German U-boat commander. Jürgens became an international film star. He eventually gained the role of the villain in Roger Moore
's favourite James Bond
film in The Spy Who Loved Me
as Karl Stromberg
, a sociopathic
industrialist
seeking to transform the world into an ocean paradise. His last film appearance was as Maître Legraine, beside Alain Delon
and Claude Jade
in the spy-thriller Teheran 43
in 1981. He played Chancellor Otto von Bismarck
in several episodes of the 1974 BBC TV
series Fall of Eagles
. He appeared as General Vladimir in the BBC TV
series Smiley's People
in 1982.
Although he appeared in over 100 films, Jürgens considered himself primarily a stage actor. His last stage appearance was in 1980 as Bassa Selim in Mozart
's opera
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
touring Japan with the Vienna State Opera
. He also directed a few films with limited success, and wrote screenplay
s.
Showing his sense of humor, he titled his 1976 autobiography
… und kein bißchen weise (And not a Bit Wise).
on 18 June 1982. He was interred in the city's Zentralfriedhof
. Jürgens had suffered a heart attack several years before. During this he had a near-death experience where he claimed he died and went to Hell.
He was a tall man, standing 1.92 metre tall. Brigitte Bardot nicknamed him "the Norman
Wardrobe
" during their work for Et Dieu… créa la femme.
Jürgens was married to:
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens.
Early life
Jürgens was born on 13 December 1915 in the Munich borough of SollnThalkirchen-Obersendling-Forstenried-Fürstenried-Solln
Thalkirchen-Obersendling-Forstenried-Fürstenried-Solln is the 19th borough of Munich, Germany, comprising the extreme southern part of the city on the left back of the river Isar. After the administrative reform, the boroughs Thalkirchen-Obersendling-Forstenried and Solln were incorporated, thus...
, Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
, German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. His father was a trader from Hamburg and his mother a French teacher. He began his working career as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
before becoming an actor at the urging of his actress wife, Louise Basler. He spent much of his early acting career on the stage in Vienna.
Jürgens was critical of the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
in his native Germany. In 1944 he was sent to a concentration camp
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
in Hungary as a "political unreliable".
Jürgens became an Austrian citizen after the war.
Career
Like many multilingual German-speaking actors, Jürgens went on to play soldiers in innumerable war movies. Notable performances in this vein include a meditative officer in the epic The Longest DayThe Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
. His breakthrough screen role came in Des Teufels General
Des Teufels General
Des Teufels General is a 1946 play written by German author and playwright Carl Zuckmayer, translated as The Devil's General. The title character of the play, General Harras, is based on the ace Ernst Udet. The play is based upon his struggles during the war, simultaneously working under and...
(1955, The Devil's General) and he came to Hollywood following his appearance in the sensational 1956 Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.-Early life:...
directed French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
film Et Dieu... créa la femme (And God Created Woman
And God Created Woman (1956 film)
And God Created Woman is a French drama film directed by Roger Vadim and starring Brigitte Bardot. Though by no means her first film, it is widely recognized as the vehicle that launched Bardot into the public spotlight and immediately created her "sex kitten" persona, making her an overnight...
) starring Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
. In 1957, Jürgens made his first Hollywood film, The Enemy Below
The Enemy Below
The Enemy Below is a 1957 war film which tells the story of the battle between the captain of an American destroyer escort and the commander of a German U-boat during World War II. It stars Robert Mitchum, Curt Jürgens, David Hedison and Theodore Bikel. The movie was directed and produced by Dick...
, where he portrayed a German U-boat commander. Jürgens became an international film star. He eventually gained the role of the villain in Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
's favourite James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film in The Spy Who Loved Me
The Spy Who Loved Me (film)
The Spy Who Loved Me is a spy film, the tenth film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum...
as Karl Stromberg
Karl Stromberg
Karl Sigmund Stromberg is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. Stromberg was portrayed by the late German-born, Austrian actor Curt Jurgens. The character Stromberg was created specifically for the film by writer Christopher Wood...
, a sociopathic
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
industrialist
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
seeking to transform the world into an ocean paradise. His last film appearance was as Maître Legraine, beside Alain Delon
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon is a French actor. He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 was already being compared to French actors such as Gérard Philipe and Jean Marais, as well as American actor James Dean. He was even called the male Brigitte Bardot...
and Claude Jade
Claude Jade
Claude Marcelle Jorré, better known as Claude Jade , was a French actress, known for starring as Christine in François Truffaut's three films Stolen Kisses , Bed and Board and Love on the Run . Jade acted in theatre, film and television...
in the spy-thriller Teheran 43
Teheran 43
Teheran 43 is a 1981 USSR-France-Switzerland film made by Mosfilm, Mediterraneo Cine and Pro Dis Film, directed by Aleksandr Alov and Vladimir Naumov.The film was the leader of Soviet distribution in 1981 and had 47.5 million viewers...
in 1981. He played Chancellor Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
in several episodes of the 1974 BBC TV
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
series Fall of Eagles
Fall of Eagles
Fall of Eagles is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge....
. He appeared as General Vladimir in the BBC TV
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
series Smiley's People
Smiley's People
Smiley's People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979. Featuring British master-spy George Smiley, it is the third and final novel of the "Karla Trilogy", following Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy...
in 1982.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner with adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie...
touring Japan with the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
. He also directed a few films with limited success, and wrote screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s.
Showing his sense of humor, he titled his 1976 autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
… und kein bißchen weise (And not a Bit Wise).
Personal life
Jürgens maintained a home in France, but frequently returned to Vienna to perform on stage and that was where he died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 18 June 1982. He was interred in the city's Zentralfriedhof
Zentralfriedhof
The Zentralfriedhof is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, largest by number of interred in Europe and most famous cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries.-Name and location:...
. Jürgens had suffered a heart attack several years before. During this he had a near-death experience where he claimed he died and went to Hell.
He was a tall man, standing 1.92 metre tall. Brigitte Bardot nicknamed him "the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Wardrobe
Wardrobe
A Wardrobe is a cabinet used for storing clothes.Wardrobe may also refer to:* Wardrobe , a full set of multiple clothing items* Wardrobe , part of royal administration in medieval England...
" during their work for Et Dieu… créa la femme.
Jürgens was married to:
- Lulu Basler, actor (15 June 1937 – 8 October 1947) (divorced)
- Judith HolzmeisterJudith HolzmeisterJudith Maria Holzmeister was an Austrian actress. Her performances included Kunigunde opposite Ewald Balser in Franz Grillparzer's König Ottokars Glück und Ende at the reopening of the famed Vienna Burgtheater in 1955....
(16 October 1947–1955) (divorced) - Eva BartokEva BartokEva Bartok , born Eva Ivanova Szöke, was an actress born in Budapest, Hungary. She began acting in films in 1950 and her last credited appearance was in 1966...
(13 August 1955–1957) (divorced) - Simone Bicheron (14 September 1958–1977) (divorced)
- Margie Schmitz (21 March 1978 – 18 June 1982) (till his death)
Partial filmography
|
The Longest Day (film) The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II.... (1962) I Don Giovanni della Costa Azzurra I Don Giovanni della Costa Azzurra is a 1962 Italian film, directed by Vittorio Sala. It stars actor Gabriele Ferzetti.- Cast :*Curd Jürgens - Mr... (1962) Miracle of the White Stallions Miracle of the White Stallions is a 1963 film released by Walt Disney starring Robert Taylor , Lilli Palmer, and Eddie Albert. It is the story of the evacuation of the Lipizzaner horses from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna during World War II.Major parts of the movie were shot in the... (1963) Lord Jim (1965 film) Lord Jim is a 1965 adventure film made by Columbia Pictures. It was produced and directed by Richard Brooks with Jules Buck and Peter O'Toole as associate producers, from a screenplay by Brooks... (1965) Target for Killing Target for Killing is a 1966 German crime film directed by Manfred R. Köhler and starring Stewart Granger.-Cast:* Stewart Granger — James Vine* Karin Dor — Sandra Perkins* Rupert Davies — Kommissar Saadi* Curd Jürgens — Gérard van Looch / Giant... (1966) Dirty Heroes Dirty Heroes, also known as From Hell to Victory and Heroes Five , is a 1967 Italian "macaroni combat" war film directed by Alberto De Martino and starring Frederick Stafford.-Cast:* Frederick Stafford - Joe Mortimer, Sesame... (1967) The Karate Killers The Karate Killers is a 1967 film based on the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. The film was based on the two-part episode of the series 'The Five Daughters Affair' which aired in April 1967 by NBC.-Synopsis:... (1967) Battle of Britain (film) Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain... (1969) The Assassination Bureau The Assassination Bureau Limited is a black comedy film made in 1969 based on an unfinished novel, The Assassination Bureau, Ltd by Jack London... (1969) The Invincible Six The Invincible Six is a 1970 American-Iranian adventure film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Stuart Whitman, Elke Sommer, Curd Jürgens and Ian Ogilvy... (1970) The Mephisto Waltz (film) The Mephisto Waltz is a 1971 American horror film about an occult-murder mystery. It was directed by Paul Wendkos and starred Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Parkins, Bradford Dillman and Curt Jürgens... (1971) The Vault of Horror (film) The Vault of Horror is a British portmanteau horror film made in 1973 by Amicus Productions. Like its predecessor, Tales from the Crypt, it is based on stories from the EC Comics series written by Al Feldstein and Bill Gaines... (1974) Fall of Eagles Fall of Eagles is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge.... (BBC TV BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television... ) (1974) Derrick (TV series) Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a... – Season 2, episode 4: "Madeira" (1975) The Twist (film) The Twist is a 1976 film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. Its title in French is Folies bourgeoises .-Plot:... (1976) The Spy Who Loved Me (film) The Spy Who Loved Me is a spy film, the tenth film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum... (1977) Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo is a 1978 film directed by David Hemmings and starring David Bowie. Set in post-World War I Berlin, it also featured Sydne Rome, Kim Novak and, in her last screen appearance, Marlene Dietrich... (1978) Teheran 43 Teheran 43 is a 1981 USSR-France-Switzerland film made by Mosfilm, Mediterraneo Cine and Pro Dis Film, directed by Aleksandr Alov and Vladimir Naumov.The film was the leader of Soviet distribution in 1981 and had 47.5 million viewers... (1981) Smiley's People Smiley's People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979. Featuring British master-spy George Smiley, it is the third and final novel of the "Karla Trilogy", following Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy... (BBC TV) (1982) |