Kurt Kreuger
Encyclopedia
Kurt Kreuger was a Swiss-reared German
actor
. Kreuger once was the third most requested male actor at 20th Century Fox. He starred with, among others, Ingrid Bergman
and Humphrey Bogart
.
, Germany
but grew up in St. Moritz, Switzerland
. He attended the London School of Economics
and enrolled in Columbia University
(New York City) to study medicine. Soon, Kreuger dropped out of Columbia to pursue a career in acting. Kreuger's father, a successful businessman, cut off his son's allowance after he embarked seriously on an acting career.
In 1943 during the filming of Sahara, he was almost killed in a dramatic scene because the director almost forgot to say "cut". He was quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle
Kreuger's first major film credit was in Mademoiselle Fifi
, a 1944
release that is set in the Franco-Prussian War
. Kreuger was primarily offered roles in World War II
movies as a German officer, prompting him to complain about being typecast as a Nazi. One of Kreuger's few opportunities to play a non-Nazi role was in 1948
's Unfaithfully Yours
, in which he played Rex Harrison
's personal assistant. When Kreuger asked Darryl F. Zanuck
for better roles, Zanuck reportedly replied: "What's your hurry? With your looks, you'll be good at 50."
Kreuger was once the third most-requested male pinup at 20th Century Fox
, after Tyrone Power
and John Payne
.
Kurt Kreuger briefly returned to Europe and starred in several German
movies. He returned to the United States in 1950 after being injured in a car accident.
His last movie was The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
in 1967
. He also had a number of roles in television in the 1950s and 1960s.
Kreuger was a successful real estate investor, primarily in properties in Beverly Hills, California
. He lived in Beverly Hills and had a second home in Aspen, Colorado
. He enjoyed skiing and participated in that sport until he was 87.
On 12 July 2006, he died just a few days before his ninetieth birthday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
in Los Angeles
of an age-related stroke
.
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...
. Kreuger once was the third most requested male actor at 20th Century Fox. He starred with, among others, Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
and Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
.
Life and career
Kreuger was born in MichendorfMichendorf
Michendorf is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:The municipality is composed by Michendorf itself and 5 civil parishes . Statistics of population are as of December 31, 2009...
, Germany
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...
but grew up in St. Moritz, Switzerland
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
. He attended the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
and enrolled in Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(New York City) to study medicine. Soon, Kreuger dropped out of Columbia to pursue a career in acting. Kreuger's father, a successful businessman, cut off his son's allowance after he embarked seriously on an acting career.
In 1943 during the filming of Sahara, he was almost killed in a dramatic scene because the director almost forgot to say "cut". He was quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
I was running across the dunes when Tambul jumped on top of me and pressed my head into the sand to suffocate me. Only Zoltán forgot to yell cut, and Ingram was so emotionally caught up in the scene that he kept pressing my face harder and harder.
Finally, I went unconscious. Nobody knew this. Even the crew was transfixed, watching this dramatic ‘killing.' If Zoltán hadn't finally said cut, as an afterthought, it would have been all over for me.
Mademoiselle Fifi (film)
Mademoiselle Fifi is a 1944 RKO period film directed by Robert Wise, in his solo directorial debut. It was written by Josef Mischel and Peter Ruric based on two short stories by Guy de Maupassant, "Mademoiselle Fifi" and "Boule de Suif"...
, a 1944
1944 in film
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
release that is set in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. Kreuger was primarily offered roles in 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...
movies as a German officer, prompting him to complain about being typecast as a Nazi. One of Kreuger's few opportunities to play a non-Nazi role was in 1948
1948 in film
The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
's Unfaithfully Yours
Unfaithfully Yours
Unfaithfully Yours is a 1948 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Rudy Vallee and Barbara Lawrence. The film is a black comedy about a man's failed attempt to murder his wife, who he believes has been unfaithful to him...
, in which he played Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
's personal assistant. When Kreuger asked Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
for better roles, Zanuck reportedly replied: "What's your hurry? With your looks, you'll be good at 50."
Kreuger was once the third most-requested male pinup at 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, after Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
and John Payne
John Payne (actor)
John Payne was an American film actor who is mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century Fox musical films, and for his leading roles in Miracle on 34th Street and the NBC western television series The Restless Gun.-Background:Payne was born in Roanoke, Virginia...
.
Kurt Kreuger briefly returned to Europe and starred in several German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
movies. He returned to the United States in 1950 after being injured in a car accident.
His last movie was The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (film)
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is a 1967 gangster film based on the 1929 Chicago mass murder of seven members of the Northside gang, directed against George "Bugs" Moran by Al Capone...
in 1967
1967 in film
The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
. He also had a number of roles in television in the 1950s and 1960s.
Kreuger was a successful real estate investor, primarily in properties in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. He lived in Beverly Hills and had a second home in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
. He enjoyed skiing and participated in that sport until he was 87.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Originally established as Kaspare Cohn Hospital in 1902, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, tertiary 958-bed hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre located in Los Angeles, California, US. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
of an age-related stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
.
Selected filmography
- Edge of Darkness (1943) with Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn
- Sahara (1943) with Humphrey Bogart
- Mademoiselle FifiMademoiselle Fifi (film)Mademoiselle Fifi is a 1944 RKO period film directed by Robert Wise, in his solo directorial debut. It was written by Josef Mischel and Peter Ruric based on two short stories by Guy de Maupassant, "Mademoiselle Fifi" and "Boule de Suif"...
(1944) - Hotel BerlinHotel BerlinHotel Berlin is a film set in Berlin near the close of the Second World War, made by Warner Brothers in late 1944 - early 1945. The film was released in March, 1945....
(1945) with Fay Emerson and Peter Lorre - The Dark CornerThe Dark CornerThe Dark Corner is a 1946 film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Lucille Ball, Mark Stevens and Clifton Webb. The film is an example of a classic film noir and features a rare dramatic role for Ball.-Plot:...
(1946) - Unfaithfully YoursUnfaithfully YoursUnfaithfully Yours is a 1948 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Rudy Vallee and Barbara Lawrence. The film is a black comedy about a man's failed attempt to murder his wife, who he believes has been unfaithful to him...
(1948) with Rex Harrison - Herzen im Sturm (1951) in Germany
- Die Blaue Stunde (1953) in Germany with Harald Juhnke
- La PauraLa PauraLa Paura is a 1954 drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring his wife Ingrid Bergman. It is based on the Stefan Zweig novel Angst. It was filmed in Munich and was shot simultaneously in German and English...
(Fear) (1954) with Ingrid Bergmann - The Enemy BelowThe Enemy BelowThe 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...
(1957) with Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens - Legion of the Doomed (1958)
- The St. Valentine's Day MassacreThe St. Valentine's Day Massacre (film)The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is a 1967 gangster film based on the 1929 Chicago mass murder of seven members of the Northside gang, directed against George "Bugs" Moran by Al Capone...
(1967)
Television
- 77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
(multiple episodes 1958-63) - Route 66Route 66 (TV series)Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
(1961) - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
(1964) - Mission: ImpossibleMission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
(1967)