Has died Helmut Bergeractor of Austrian descent known for his close collaboration with the Italian filmmaker Lucino Visconti and for having been a star of European cinema during the 1960s and 1970s. Berger, from 78 yearshad announced that he was retiring from the cinema in November 2019. His death, according to his agent, was “peaceful and however unexpected“. Although, he adds, “he thoroughly enjoyed the sweet life throughout its existence”, and remembers something that Berger used to say to him: “I have lived three lives and in four languages! Je ne regrette rien!“.
Born in badischl, Austria, in 1944, Berger began in the cinema as an extra, until Visconti discovered him in 1964. Three years later he offered her to participate in The witchesdirected to six hands with Mauro Bolognini and Franco Rossiand come 1969 Berger had an important role in The fall of the gods. This monumental drama about Nazism would precede another collaboration between Visconti and Berger for Ludwig II of Bavaria, the mad king: Here Berger would have a leading role. His relationship with Visconti was also sentimental, to the point of defining himself as “Visconti’s Widower” once he passed away in 1976.
Beyond the work of this filmmaker, in 1970 Berger was able to work with another titan of Italian cinema, Victory of Sicain The Finzi-Contini garden. It was the same year that he led the adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray attacked by Massimo Dallamno. After collaborating for the last time with Visconti in confidencesBerger starred in kitty salon for Red Brassand in 1980 he placed himself under the command of Claude Chabrol for the series of Fantômas, starring himself. At that time Berger had already made the occasional appearance in Spanish cinema.
In this way, the Austrian interpreter would star in the trilogy of Victory!of Antonio Ribasbetween 1983 and 1984, shortly after collaborating with Jesus Franco in predators of the night. arrived 1990 Francis Ford Coppola gave him a small role in The Godfather. Part III, Berger playing the unfortunate Frederick Keinszig, a Vatican accountant. Berger also appeared in a few episodes of Dynastyand in his last years he did not lack work either.
In 2014 Bertrand Bonello He proposed to appear in st laurent, biopic of the homonymous French designer who starred Gaspard Ulieland his last fiction feature film was commanded by the Spanish Albert Serrafor I released 2019. Around those years, two documentaries about his life were produced: Helmut Berger, actor and Helmut Berger, my mother and I.
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