Hardy Krüger (; born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger; 12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022) was a German actor and author who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increasingly turned to roles in international films such as The One That Got Away (1957), Hatari!, Sundays and Cybèle (both 1962), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), Battle of Neretva, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, The Red Tent (all 1969), Barry Lyndon (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), and The Wild Geese (1978).

Early life

Hardy Krüger was born in Wedding, Berlin, in 1928, the son of Max and Auguste (Meier) Krüger. Krüger's parents were ardent Nazis and he stated in a 2016 interview that he was "raised to love Hitler." From 1941, he attended an elite Adolf Hitler School at the Ordensburg Sonthofen. At the age of 15, Hardy made his film debut in Alfred Weidenmann's The Young Eagles. According to Krüger, it was here that he met the eminent actor Hans Söhnker. Söhnker was a covert anti-Nazi, who gave refuge to those fleeing the regime. Krüger claimed that Söhnke made a point of educating him and that he assisted his friend with delivering messages to fugitives.

In March 1945, Krüger was assigned to the 38th SS Grenadier Division Nibelungen and was drawn into heavy combat. Krüger stated that he, at that time 18 years old, was ordered to shoot at an American squad. Krüger refused and was sentenced to death for cowardice, but another SS officer apparently countermanded the order. Krüger described this experience as his break with Nazism. He afterwards served as a messenger for the SS, but stated that he later escaped and hid out in Tyrol until the end of the war. Hardy was captured and taken prisoner by U.S. forces but attempted to escape three times, the third time successfully. He was a member of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation and frequently spoke publicly against extremism and for democracy, citing his own experiences.

Life and work

thumb|Hardy Krüger at the Locarno film festival in 1955

Krüger continued his acting career after the Second World War with small stage roles. He could not afford to attend an acting school. He established himself as a German film star during the 1950s, appearing in Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach (1953), the German version of The Moon is Blue, directed by Otto Preminger. Krüger sought international roles because he found the German Heimatfilm cinema of the 1950s rather shallow. 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 escape from Allied custody and return to Germany. This prompted a boom in the use of German stars in British films although none matched the success of Kruger.

In 1960, Krüger bought Ngorongoro, a farm in the Tanganyika Territory (now part of Tanzania), which he owned for 13 years. Ngorongoro and the area around it served as the setting for the film Hatari! (1962), directed by Howard Hawks, in which Krüger appeared with John Wayne. He fell in love with the area so much during filming that he decided he wanted to live there. however he thought that "war films were boring and should not be made". Indeed, his own experiences with the war provided enough trauma for him to be against the glorification of it. He also directed a number of European television documentaries In the 1960s and 1970s, Krüger lived at the ranch "Hatari Lodge" (where the film Hatari! was filmed) at the foot of Mount Meru, Tanzania. Around this time that he also retired from acting and was able to spend more time at home.

Selected filmography

Source:

  • ' (Young Eagles) (1944) as Heinz Baum, called "Bäumchen" (little tree)
  • I'll Never Forget That Night (1949) as Eugen Schröter
  • Kätchen für alles (1949) as acting student
  • Das Fräulein und der Vagabund (1949) as Karl
  • The Girl from the South Seas (1950) as Richard Kirbach
  • Insel ohne Moral (1950) as Manfred
  • You Have to Be Beautiful (1951) as Juppi Holunder Jr.
  • My Friend the Thief (1951) as Bimbo
  • My Name is Niki (1952) as Paul
  • I Can't Marry Them All (1952) as Edi
  • Illusion in a Minor Key (1952) as Paul Alsbacher
  • The Moon Is Blue (1953) as Tourist (uncredited)
  • Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach (1953) as Donald Gresham <!--German-laguage version of "The Moon Is Blue"-->
  • As Long as You're Near Me (1953) as Stefan Berger
  • Must We Get Divorced? (1953) as Andreas von Doerr
  • I and You (1953) as Peter Erdmann
  • The Last Summer (1954) as Rikola Valbo
  • The Blue Danube (1955) as König Richard
  • Heaven Is Never Booked Up (1955) as Michael
  • Alibi (1955) as Harald Meinhardt
  • Liane, Jungle Goddess (1956) as Thoren
  • Die Christel von der Post (1956) as Horst Arndt, assistant police detective
  • ' (1957) as Klaus Burkhardt
  • The Fox of Paris (1957) as Capt. Fürstenwerth
  • The One That Got Away (1957) as Franz Von Werra
  • Confess, Doctor Corda (1958) as Dr. Fred Corda
  • Bachelor of Hearts (1958) as Wolf Hauser (final film role)

Writings

Awards

  • 1959 Bravo Otto (bronze)

See also

  • List of people from Berlin

References

  • Biography of Hardy Krüger