Hardy Krüger
Encyclopedia
Hardy Krüger is a German
actor
. He is thought of as one of the greatest German actors of the 1960s. He was born in Wedding
, Berlin
, German Reich. He is arguably the first German actor to have been accepted as a protagonist by Western audiences after World War II
.
. At age 15, Hardy made his film debut in a German picture, "The Young Eagles", but his acting career was interrupted when he was conscripted into the German Infantry in 1944 at age 16. In March 1945, Krüger was drafted into the 38th SS Division Nibelungen
, where he was drawn into heavy fighting before being captured by American
forces. Because of his archetypal Aryan German look, blond hair and blue eyes, Hardy Krüger often performed in roles portraying German soldiers.
He first came to the attention of English language
audiences in the 1957 British war film The One That Got Away, the story of Franz von Werra
, the only German prisoner of war
to successfully escape from Allied custody and return to Germany.
In 1960, Krüger bought Ngorongoro
farm in what is now northern Tanzania
, which he owned for 13 years. Ngorongoro served as the setting for the 1962 film Hatari!
, a Howard Hawks
film, in which Krüger appeared with John Wayne
.
He has worked in numerous Europe
an and American
films such as the original 1965 version of The Flight of the Phoenix
and the German version of The Moon is Blue
. Other films include The Wild Geese
(1978) with Richard Burton
, Stanley Kubrick
's Barry Lyndon
with Ryan O'Neal
and Richard Attenborough
's A Bridge Too Far (sharing a scene with Laurence Olivier
). His daughter Christiane Krüger
and his son, Hardy Krüger, Jr.
are also actors.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actor
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 is thought of as one of the greatest German actors of the 1960s. He was born in Wedding
Wedding (Berlin)
Wedding is a locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany and was a separate borough in the north-western inner city until it was fused with Tiergarten and Mitte in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, German Reich. He is arguably the first German actor to have been accepted as a protagonist by Western audiences after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Life and work
From 1941, Krüger went to a Napola school at the Ordensburg SonthofenOrdensburg Sonthofen
The Generaloberst-Beck-Kaserne are barracks of the armed forces of Germany, the Bundeswehr, in Sonthofen in Oberallgäu.- History :The estate was built in 1934 as NS-Ordensburg Sonthofen by the German Labour Front for the NSDAP.Three NS-Ordensburgen existed:*Ordensburg Krössinsee, in...
. At age 15, Hardy made his film debut in a German picture, "The Young Eagles", but his acting career was interrupted when he was conscripted into the German Infantry in 1944 at age 16. In March 1945, Krüger was drafted into the 38th SS Division Nibelungen
38th SS Division Nibelungen
The 38th SS Division Nibelungen. was formed in March 1945 from the staff and students of the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz.It was first given the title of the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz Division, but was renamed the SS-Division Junkerschule and finally the 38th SS Grenadier Division Nibelungen...
, where he was drawn into heavy fighting before being captured by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces. Because of his archetypal Aryan German look, blond hair and blue eyes, Hardy Krüger often performed in roles portraying German soldiers.
He first came to the attention of English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
audiences in the 1957 British war film The One That Got Away, the story of Franz von Werra
Franz von Werra
Franz Xaver Baron von Werra was a German World War II fighter pilot and flying ace who was shot down over England and captured...
, the only German prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
to successfully escape from Allied custody and return to Germany.
In 1960, Krüger bought Ngorongoro
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a conservation area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. The conservation area is administered by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, an arm of the Tanzanian government, and its boundaries...
farm in what is now northern Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, which he owned for 13 years. Ngorongoro served as the setting for the 1962 film Hatari!
Hatari!
Hatari! is a 1962 American film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne. The title means "danger" in Swahili, which was mentioned in the film as well...
, a Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era...
film, in which Krüger appeared with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
.
He has worked in numerous Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
films such as the original 1965 version of The Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965 film)
The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1965 American film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich and based on the 1964 novel The Flight of the Phoenix by Elleston Trevor...
and the German version of The Moon is Blue
The Moon Is Blue
The Moon Is Blue is a 1953 American comedy film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert, based on his 1951 play of the same title, focuses on a young woman who meets an architect on the observation deck of the Empire State Building and quickly turns his life...
. Other films include The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese is a British 1978 film about a group of mercenaries in Africa. It stars Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger...
(1978) with Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
, Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon is a 1975 British-American period romantic war film produced, written, and directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray which recounts the exploits of an 18th century Irish adventurer...
with Ryan O'Neal
Ryan O'Neal
Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal , better known as Ryan O'Neal, is an American actor best known for his appearances in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and for his roles in such films as Paper Moon , Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon , A Bridge Too Far , and Love Story , for which he received...
and Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
's A Bridge Too Far (sharing a scene with Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
). His daughter Christiane Krüger
Christiane Krüger
Christiane Krüger is a German television actress. She is the daughter of actor Hardy Krüger.-Television:*Soko 5113 - "Spurwechsel" *Unser Charly *Ich schenke dir meinem Mann...
and his son, Hardy Krüger, Jr.
Hardy Krüger junior
Hardy Krüger junior is a German actor. He is the son of the German actor-writer Hardy Krüger and the Italian painter Francesca Marazzi.- Life :...
are also actors.
Awards
- 1959 Bravo Otto (bronze)
- 1960 Bravo Otto (silver)
- 1983 Deutscher FilmpreisDeutscher FilmpreisThe Deutscher Filmpreis is the highest German movie award. From 1951 to 2004 it was awarded by a commission, since 2005 the award has been given by the Deutsche Filmakademie...
- 1986 Goldene KameraVerleihung der Goldenen KameraThe GOLDENE KAMERA is an annual German film and television award, awarded by the television magazine HÖRZU. The gold-plated silver award model was created by Berlin artist Wolfram Beck...
- 2001 Bavarian Film AwardsBayerischer FilmpreisThe Bavarian Film Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the State Government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the German Film Awards, these are the most highly regarded awards for filmmaking achievement in Germany.The Bavarian Film...
Honorary Award http://www.bayern.de/Anlage19170/PreistraegerdesBayerischenFilmpreises-Pierrot.pdf - 2001 Officier de la Légion d’HonneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- 2008 BambiBambi (prize)The Bambi - Deutschlands Wichtigster Medienpreis, often simply called Bambi Awards and stylized as BAMBI, are presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year",...
: Lifetime Achievement Award - 2009 Great Cross of Merit, neck crossBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
Filmography
- Junge Adler (Young Eagles) (1944)
- As Long as You're Near MeAs Long as You're Near MeAs Long as You're Near Me is a 1953 German drama film directed by Harald Braun. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Brigitte Horney - Mona Arendt* O.W...
(1953) - Die Jungfrau auf dem DachDie Jungfrau auf dem DachDie Jungfrau auf dem Dach is a 1954 American comedy film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Carl Zuckmayer is a German language translation of the script for The Moon is Blue by F...
(1954) - The One That Got Away (1957)
- Bachelor of Hearts (1958)
- The Rest Is SilenceThe Rest Is Silence (film)The Rest Is Silence is a 1959 German crime film directed by Helmut Käutner. It was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Hardy Krüger - John H. Claudius* Peter van Eyck - Paul Claudius* Ingrid Andree - Fee von Pohl...
(1959) - Blind DateBlind Date (1959 film)Blind Date is a 1959 murder mystery film. A police inspector investigates a woman's death, with her lover being the prime suspect...
(1959) - Taxi to Tobruk (1960)
- Sundays and CybeleSundays and CybeleSundays and Cybele is a 1962 French film directed by Serge Bourguignon. Its original French title is Les Dimanches de Ville d'Avray , referring to the Ville-d'Avray suburb of Paris. The film tells the tragic story of a 12-year-old French orphan girl who is befriended by an innocent but emotionally...
(Les dimanches de ville d'Avray) (1962) - Hatari!Hatari!Hatari! is a 1962 American film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne. The title means "danger" in Swahili, which was mentioned in the film as well...
(1962) - Three Fables of LoveThree Fables of LoveThree Fables of Love is a 1962 French-Italian-Spanish comedy film starring Anna Karina. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.-Cast:* Manuel Alexandre* Ángel Álvarez...
(1962) - Le Gros coup (1964)
- The Flight of the PhoenixThe Flight of the Phoenix (1965 film)The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1965 American film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich and based on the 1964 novel The Flight of the Phoenix by Elleston Trevor...
(1965) - Le Chant du mondeLe Chant du mondeLe Chant du monde is a 1965 Italian film directed by Marcel Camus. It is based on the novel The Song of the World by French author Jean Giono....
(1965) - The UninhibitedThe UninhibitedThe Uninhibited is a 1965 Spanish film directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and starring Melina Mercouri, James Mason and Hardy Kruger. It was entered into the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1965) - The DefectorThe Defector (film)The Defector is a 1966 thriller film, starring Montgomery Clift, Roddy McDowell and Macha Meril. It was directed by Belgian director/producer Raoul Lévy.-Plot:...
(1966) - La Grande sauterelle (1967)
- Le Franciscain de Bourges (1968)
- The Secret of Santa VittoriaThe Secret of Santa VittoriaThe Secret of Santa Vittoria is a 1969 film made by Stanley Kramer Productions and distributed by United Artists. It was produced and directed by Stanley Kramer and co-produced by George Glass from a screenplay by Ben Maddow and William Rose. It was based on the novel by Robert Crichton...
(1969) - The Battle of NeretvaThe Battle of NeretvaBattle of Neretva is a 1969 Yugoslavian partisan film. The film was written by Stevan Bulajić and Veljko Bulajić, and directed by Veljko Bulajić. It is based on the true events of World War II. The Battle of the Neretva was due to a strategic plan for a combined Axis powers attack in 1943 against...
(1969) - La Monaca di MonzaLa monaca di MonzaLa monaca di Monza is a 1962 Italian film directed by Carmine Gallone. It stars Gabriele Ferzetti, Giovanna Ralli and Mario Feliciani.The film is about a young nobleman who seduces a nun, leading to the death of the man and the internment of the woman....
(1969) - Das Messer (1971)
- The Red TentThe Red Tent (film)The Red Tent is a joint Soviet/Italian 1969 film directed by Mikhail Kalatozov.The film is based on the story of the mission to rescue Umberto Nobile and the other survivors of the crash of the Airship Italia. It features Sean Connery as Roald Amundsen and Peter Finch as Nobile. The script was...
(1971) - Diabólica Malicia (1972)
- Le Solitaire (1973)
- Tod eines Fremden (1973)
- Barry LyndonBarry LyndonBarry Lyndon is a 1975 British-American period romantic war film produced, written, and directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray which recounts the exploits of an 18th century Irish adventurer...
(1975) - Paper TigerPaper Tiger (film)Paper Tiger is a 1975 British film starring David Niven and child actor Ando.-Plot summary:Mr Bradbury , an apparently posh and well-educated, ex-military Englishman is hired as tutor to the son of a Japanese ambassador, Koichi Kagoyama...
(1975) - Potato Fritz (1976)
- A Bridge Too Far (1977)
- À chacun son enfer (1977)
- Blue FinBlue FinBlue Fin is a 1978 family movie that stars Hardy Krüger, Greg Rowe and Elspeth Ballantyne. It is based on an Australian novel written by Colin Thiele and published in 1969.-Plot:...
(1978) - The Wild GeeseThe Wild GeeseThe Wild Geese is a British 1978 film about a group of mercenaries in Africa. It stars Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger...
(1978) - Feine Gesellschaft – beschränkte Haftung (1981)
- Wrong Is RightWrong Is RightWrong Is Right is a black comedy thriller about the theft of two suitcase nukes, featuring the plot conventions of media bias, reality television, government conspiracy, and Islamic terrorism...
(1982) - Slagskämpen (1984)
- War and RemembranceWar and RemembranceWar and Remembrance is a novel by Herman Wouk, published in 1978, which is the sequel to The Winds of War. It continues the story of the extended Henry family and the Jastrow family starting on 15 December 1941 and ending on 6 August 1945. This novel was adapted into a mini-series presented on...
(TV) (1988) - Familiengeheimnisse – Liebe, Schuld und Tod (TV) (2011)