Actor. Best known in the English-speaking world for his role as Kommandant von Luger, the German commandant of the POW camp in "The Great Escape", he was also a well-known actor in his native Germany. Ironically he had been a POW and escapee in World War II, when as a soldier on the Russian Front, he was captured by Soviet troops, but escaped and returned to Germany on foot. Without any formal training, he managed to find theater work first in Tübingen and then in Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin. His first major film role was in 1956 when he starred with Maria Schell in "Rose Bernd. Other important roles followed including the German production "The Doctor of Stalingrad" and the French movie "Babette Goes to War" with Bridgette Bardot. Hollywood beckoned with the movies "The Great Escape", "Is Paris Burning?", and "The ODESSA File". He also performed in many German television series. Throat cancer in the 1980s due to his heavy smoking ended his performing career.
Actor. Best known in the English-speaking world for his role as Kommandant von Luger, the German commandant of the POW camp in "The Great Escape", he was also a well-known actor in his native Germany. Ironically he had been a POW and escapee in World War II, when as a soldier on the Russian Front, he was captured by Soviet troops, but escaped and returned to Germany on foot. Without any formal training, he managed to find theater work first in Tübingen and then in Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin. His first major film role was in 1956 when he starred with Maria Schell in "Rose Bernd. Other important roles followed including the German production "The Doctor of Stalingrad" and the French movie "Babette Goes to War" with Bridgette Bardot. Hollywood beckoned with the movies "The Great Escape", "Is Paris Burning?", and "The ODESSA File". He also performed in many German television series. Throat cancer in the 1980s due to his heavy smoking ended his performing career.
Bio by: Kenneth Gilbert
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