Bruno Ganz

Bruno Ganz (; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Francis Ford Coppola, Theo Angelopoulos and Wim Wenders, earning widespread recognition with his roles as Jonathan Zimmerman in The American Friend, Jonathan Harker in Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) and Damiel the Angel in Wings of Desire (1987). He also had roles in several English-language films, including The Boys from Brazil (1978), Strapless (1989), The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), Luther (2003), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Reader (2008), Unknown (2011), The Counselor (2013) and Remember (2015). On stage, Ganz portrayed Dr. Heinrich Faust in Peter Stein's staging of Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two in 2000.

Early life Ganz was born on 22 March 1941 in Zürich to a Swiss-German factory-worker father and a northern Italian mother. He had decided to pursue an acting career by the time he entered university. He was equally drawn to stage and screen but initially enjoyed greater success on the stage.

Career Stage career Ganz made his theatrical debut in 1961 and devoted himself mainly to the stage for almost the next two decades. In 1970, he helped found the Berliner Schaubühne ensemble and two years later performed in the Salzburg Festival premiere of Thomas Bernhard's Der Ignorant und der Wahnsinnige, under the direction of Claus Peymann. The German magazine Theater heute solidified Ganz's reputation as a stage actor by pronouncing him Schauspieler des Jahres (Actor of the Year) in 1973. He also served as a speaker in classical music works, including a 1993 recording of Luigi Nono's Il canto sospeso with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Film career In 1960 Ganz landed his first film role, in Der Herr mit der schwarzen Melone (The Man in the Black Derby). Despite the support of the lead actor, Gustav Knuth, Ganz's cinematic debut was not particularly successful and it was only many years later that his career in film got off the ground.

Ganz made his film breakthrough in a major part in the 1976 film ,

Ganz portrayed Adolf Hitler in Der Untergang (Downfall) (2004) after four months of researching the role. His performance was widely acclaimed by critics; Rob Mackie, writing for The Guardian, described Ganz as "the most convincing screen Hitler yet: an old, bent, sick dictator with the shaking hands of someone with Parkinson's, alternating between rage and despair in his last days in the bunker". His performance has inspired many parodies on YouTube, using video and audio from the film with humorous subtitles.

Personal life and death Ganz was married to Sabine from 1965 until his death, although they were separated for a long time; their son, Daniel, was born in 1972. In the early 1970s, Ganz had a year-long romantic relationship with actress Romy Schneider.

In February 2018, doctors in Salzburg found that Ganz was suffering from intestinal cancer, and he immediately began chemotherapy. Ganz died on 16 February 2019 at his home in the village of Au, in Wädenswil, Switzerland, at the age of 77. He was attended by his partner, the theatrical photographer , and his son Daniel.

Awards and honors

1973: "Actor of the Year" in German magazine Theater heute

2000: Swiss Film Prize

2006: Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

2010: Star on the in Berlin

2011: Pardo alla Carriera at Locarno International Film Festival 2015: Special Golden Camera 300 for lifetime achievement, Manaki Brothers Film Festival

Filmography Ganz appeared in the following films:

The Man in the Black Derby (1960), as Bellboy (1961) Es Dach überem Chopf (1962), as Fred Weber The Smooth Career (1967), as Barnhard Kral Eine große Familie (1970, TV Movie), as Heinz Hallasch (Sommergäste, 1976), as Jakov Shalimov Lumière (1976), as Heinrich Grün The Marquise of O... (1976), as Der Graf Die Wildente (The Wild Duck, 1976), as Gregers The American Friend (Der Amerikanische Freund, 1977), as Jonathan Zimmermann Die linkshändige Frau (The Left-Handed Woman, 1978), as Bruno The Boys from Brazil (1978), as Professor Bruckner Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte (1978, TV Movie), as Thomas Rosemund Messer im Kopf (Knife in the Head, 1978), as Dr. Berthold Hoffmann Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu the Vampyre, 1979), as Jonathan Harker Retour à la bien-aimée (Return to the Beloved, 1979), as Dr. Stephan Kern Oggetti smarriti (Lost and Found / Lost Objects / An Italian Woman, 1980), as Werner 5% de risque (1980), as David Polenta (1980), as Jules, the Narrator Der Erfinder (The Inventor, 1980), as Jakob Nüssli La provinciale (1980), as Remy Etwas wird sichtbar (1981) La Dame aux camélias (The Lady of the Camellias, 1981), as Count Perregaux Ręce do góry (Hands Up!, 1981) Die Fälschung (Circle of Deceit, 1981), as Georg Laschen Logik des Gefühls (The Logic of Emotion, 1982) Krieg und Frieden (War and Peace, 1982) Dans la ville blanche (In the White City, 1983), as Paul (System ohne Schatten, 1983), as Faber Killer aus Florida (Killer from Florida, 1983, Short) De ijssalon (Private Resistance, 1985), as Gustav El río de oro (1986), as Peter Der Pendler (1986) Väter und Söhne – Eine deutsche Tragödie (1986, TV Mini-Series), as Heinrich Beck Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire, 1987), as Damiel Un amore di donna (1988), as Franco Bassani Von Zeit zu Zeit (1989), as Jumbo Bankomatt (1989), as Bruno Strapless (1989), as Raymond Forbes The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway (1989), as Ezra Pound Tassilo (1991, TV Series), as Tassilo Erfolg (Success, 1991), as Jacques Tüverlin Children of Nature (1991), as Engill La Domenica specialmente (Especially on Sunday, 1991), as Vittorio (segment "La domenica specialmente") Prague (1992), as Josef (Night on Fire, 1992), as Peter Keller L'Absence (The Absence, 1992), as Player The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), as J.P. In weiter Ferne, so nah! (Faraway, So Close!, 1993), as Damiel Heller Tag (1994), as Georg Diario senza date (1995) Tödliches Schweigen (Deadly Silence, 1996, TV Movie), as Hans Plache Saint-Ex (1997), as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Daybreak, 1998, TV Movie), as Fehleisen Mia aioniotita kai mia mera (Eternity and a Day, 1998), as Alexandros You Can't Go Home Again (1999), as Narrator (voice) WerAngstWolf (2000) Pane e Tulipani (Bread and Tulips, 2000), as Fernando Girasole Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Faust (2001, TV Movie), as Faust La forza del passato (The Power of the Past, 2002), as Bogliasco (Epstein's Night, 2002), as Adam Rose Behind Me (2002), as Himself Luther (2003), as Johann von Staupitz The Manchurian Candidate (2004), as Delp Der Untergang (Downfall, 2004), as Adolf Hitler Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II (2005, TV Movie), as Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski Vitus (2006), as Grandfather Baruto no Gakuen (バルトの楽園; Ode an die Freude, 2006), as Kurt Heinrich Youth Without Youth (2007), as Prof. Roman Stanciulescu Stairway to Nowhere (2008), as Brot Darsteller Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex, 2008), as Horst Herold Η Σκόνη του Χρόνου (The Dust of Time, 2008), as Jacob The Reader (2008), as Professor Rohl Giulias Verschwinden (2009), as John (2010), as Kater Taxiphone: El Mektoub (2010) (Colors in the Dark, 2010), as Fred Das Ende ist mein Anfang (The End Is My Beginning, 2010), as Tiziano Terzani Unknown (2011), as Ernst Jürgen Sport de filles (2011), as Franz Mann Night Train to Lisbon (2013), as Older Jorge O'Kelly Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas (2013), as The Governor The Counselor (2013), as the Diamond Dealer In Order of Disappearance (2014), as Papa Amnesia (2015), as Bruno, Jo's grandfather Remember (2015), as Rudy Kurlander #1 Heidi (2015), as Alpöhi, Heidi's grandfather Un Juif pour l'exemple (2016), as Arthur Bloch The Party (2017), as Gottfried In Times of Fading Light (2017), as Wilhelm Powileit Fortuna (2018), as Brother Jean The House That Jack Built (2018), as Verge (2018), as Sigmund Freud The Witness (2018), as Nikola Radin A Hidden Life (2019), as Judge Lueben Winter Journey (2019), as Gunther Goldschmidt (final film role)