Horst Buchholz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Horst Werner Buchholz (1933-12-04)4 December 1933 |
| Died | 3 March 2003(2003-03-03) (aged 69) Berlin,Germany |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1951–2003 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingChristopher Buchholz |
Horst Werner Buchholz (4 December 1933 – 3 March 2003) was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the GermanJames Dean".[1] He is perhaps best known in English-speaking countries for his roles as Chico inThe Magnificent Seven (1960),[2] as a communist inBilly Wilder'sOne, Two, Three (1961), and as Dr. Lessing inLife Is Beautiful (1997).
Horst Buchholz was born in Berlin, the son of Maria Hasenkamp. He never knew his biological father, but took the surname of his stepfather Hugo Buchholz, a shoemaker, whom his mother married in 1938.[3][better source needed] His half-sister Heidi, born in 1941, gave him the nickname Hotte, which he kept for the rest of his life.[3]
DuringWorld War II, he was evacuated toSilesia, and at the end of the war, he found himself in a foster home inCzechoslovakia. He returned to Berlin as soon as he could.[4]
Buchholz barely finished his schooling before seeking theater work, first appearing on stage in 1949. He soon left his childhood home inEast Berlin to work inWest Berlin. He established himself in the theater, notably theSchiller Theater, and on radio.[3]
Buchholz expanded into film work by doing foreign-languagevoice dubbing, for example Lampwick inPinocchio andBen Cooper inJohnny Guitar.[5]
In 1951 he started getting small, uncredited on-screen parts in films likeWarum? (1951) andAdventure in Berlin (1952).[citation needed]
He had a larger role inMarianne of My Youth (1954), directed byJulien Duvivier and was in a TV movieDie Schule der Väter. He was inSky Without Stars (1955) fromHelmut Käutner andRegine (1956).[citation needed]
His youthful good looks next brought him a part inDie Halbstarken (1956), which made him a teen favorite in Germany; an English-dubbed version was released in the US asTeenage Wolfpack, with Buchholz billed as Henry Bookholt and promoted as a newJames Dean.[6]
He was inKing in Shadow (1957) thenThe Girl and the Legend (1957) withRomy Schneider. Full-fledged stardom resulted fromConfessions of Felix Krull (1957), in which he played the lead of a narcissistic high-class conman; it was directed byKurt Hoffmann and based onthe novel byThomas Mann.[7] He made another with Schneider,Monpti (1957), akaLove from Paris.
That year he starred inTwo Worlds (1958),Wet Asphalt (1958), andAuferstehung (1958) akaResurrection.
Buchholz began appearing in English-language films in 1959, when he co-starred in the British productionTiger Bay introducingHayley Mills. It was a notable success.[8] In her autobiography, Mills revealed she had a schoolgirl crush on Buchholz during the filming ofTiger Bay and was saddened when the cast threw him an engagement party.
He returned to Germany forShip of the Dead (1959), then accepted an offer from Hollywood to play a young aspiring gunslinger inThe Magnificent Seven (1960), aremake ofAkira Kurosawa'sSeven Samurai (1954) in which he would play the role originally portrayed byToshiro Mifune in the Japanese version. Arriving in the U.S. with time to spare before filming began, Buchholz lingered in New York and appeared on Broadway in a short-lived adaptation ofCheri (1959) and then continued westward.[citation needed]
AfterThe Magnificent Seven, which went on to become a classic, Buchholz played in the romantic dramaFanny (1961) withLeslie Caron andMaurice Chevalier, and the Berlin-set comedyOne, Two, Three (1961), directed byBilly Wilder and starringJames Cagney. Though filmed in Mexico, France and Germany respectively, these were Hollywood productions and Buchholz had begun a period of residence in Los Angeles. He proved to be popular with American audiences, but several missed opportunities thwarted the upward trajectory of his career and it began to stall. Filming schedule conflicts prevented him from accepting the offered roles of Tony inWest Side Story (1961) and Sherif Ali inLawrence of Arabia (1962), a part that eventually went toOmar Sharif.[citation needed]
Instead he played the lead inNine Hours to Rama (1963) forTwentieth Century Fox andThe Empty Canvas (1963), shot in Italy withBette Davis. He returned to Broadway to appear inAndorra (1963), which had a short run.[citation needed]
On the advice of his agent, like many other actors who were asked, he turned down the starring role inA Fistful of Dollars (1964).[citation needed] He was inMarco the Magnificent (1965) withAnthony Quinn;That Man in Istanbul (1965), a Eurospy film;Johnny Banco (1967), a comedy withYves Allégret; andYoung Rebel (1967), a biopic ofMiguel de Cervantes withGina Lollobrigida. He guest starred onThe Danny Thomas Hour (1968).
Buchholz starred inAstragal (1969),How, When and with Whom (1969),The Dove Must Not Fly (1970), andThe Saviour (1971). He returned to Hollywood lead roles briefly withThe Great Waltz (1971) playingJohann Strauss.
Buchholz starred in...But Johnny! (1973), andThe Catamount Killing (1974). He appeared on German television in shows likeDie Klempner kommen (1976).
Buchholz moved to supporting roles in films likeThe Savage Bees (1976),Raid on Entebbe (1976),Dead of Night (1977), andThe Amazing Captain Nemo (1978). He guest starred on episodes ofLogan's Run,Fantasy Island,Charlie's Angels, andHow the West Was Won and had the lead inWomen in Hospital (1977) and a role inThe French Atlantic Affair (1979).
Buchholz was inFrom Hell to Victory (1979), andAvalanche Express (1979). He had the co lead inBerlin Tunnel 21 (1981) and was top billed inAphrodite (1981). He guest starred several times onDerrick and had a supporting part inSahara (1983).
Buchholz focused on Germany:Funkeln im Auge (1984), andFear of Falling [de] (1984). He went to Hollywood for parts inCode Name: Emerald (1985) andCrossings (1986).
Buchholz's credits includeAffari di famiglia (1986),Die Fräulein von damals (1986), andDer Schatz im Niemandsland (1987). He had the lead inAnd the Violins Stopped Playing (1989) and supporting role inEscape from Paradise (1990).
Buchholz turned up inAces: Iron Eagle III (1992),Touch and Die (1992),Faraway, So Close! (1993),The Cave of the Golden Rose 4 (1995),Tödliches Erbe (1995),Der Clan der Anna Voss (1995),Maître Da Costa, andThe Firebird (1997). He portrayed Dr. Lessing inRoberto Benigni'sLife Is Beautiful (1997).
He was inGeisterstunde – Fahrstuhl ins Jenseits (1997),Der kleine Unterschied (1997),Dunckel (1998) andDer kleine Unterschied (1998), and voiced Fa Zhou in the German dub ofMulan. He returned to America forVoyage of Terror (1998).
Buchholz's last performances includeKinderraub in Rio – Eine Mutter schlägt zurück (1998),Heller als der Mond (2000),The Enemy (2001),Der Club der grünen Witwen (2001),Traumfrau mit Verspätung (2001),Detective Lovelorn and the Revenge of the Pharaoh [de] (2001),Abschnitt 40 (2001),Atlantic Affairs (2002) andIn der Mitte eines Lebens (2003).
In 1958, Buchholz married French actressMyriam Bru and they had two children: sonChristopher, an actor, and daughter Beatrice.[9]
Buchholz explained in a 2000 interview that he and Myriam had a stable and enduring arrangement, with her life centered in Paris and his in Berlin, the city that he loved.[10] In the same interview Buchholz discussed his bisexuality.[11][12][13] Their son Christopher Buchholz, also an actor, produced a feature-length documentaryHorst Buchholz ... Mein Papa (2005)[14] which considered Buchholz's sexuality, as part of a wider exploration of his life.[15] His sexuality had not been publicly known in the 1960s when he had played lead roles in English-language movies.[16]
Buchholz died unexpectedly at the age of 69 on 3 March 2003 atCharité from pneumonia that developed after an operation for a hip fracture.[17][18] Berlin was the city to which his loyalty was consistent, and he was buried there in theFriedhof Heerstraße.
