Horst 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".He is perhaps best known in English-speaking countries for his roles as Chico inThe Magnificent Seven(1960),as a communist inBilly Wilder'sOne, Two, Three(1961), and as Dr. Lessing inLife Is Beautiful(1997).

Horst Buchholz
Born	Horst Werner Buchholz (1933-12-04)4 December 1933 Berlin,German Reich
Died	3 March 2003(2003-03-03)(aged 69) Berlin,Germany
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1951–2003
Spouse	Myriam Bru ​ (m.1958⁠–⁠2003)​
Children	2, includingChristopher Buchholz

Early life

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.His half-sister Heidi, born in 1941, gave him the nickname Hotte, which he kept for the rest of his life.

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.

Buchholz barely finished his schooling before seeking theater work, first appearing on stage in 1949. He soon left his childhood home inEast Berlinto work inWest Berlin.He established himself in the theater, notably theSchiller Theater,and on radio.

Early film career

Buchholz expanded into film work by doing foreign-languagevoice dubbing,for example Lampwick inPinocchioandBen CooperinJohnny Guitar.

In 1951 he started getting small, uncredited on-screen parts in films likeWarum?(1951) andAdventure in Berlin(1952).

He had a larger role inMarianne of My Youth(1954), directed byJulien Duvivierand was in a TV movieDie Schule der Väter.He was inSky Without Stars(1955) fromHelmut KäutnerandRegine(1956).

Stardom

Horst Buchholz, late 1950s

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.

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 Hoffmannand based onthe novelbyThomas Mann.He made another with Schneider,Monpti(1957), akaLove from Paris.

That year he starred inTwo Worlds(1958),Wet Asphalt(1958), andAuferstehung(1958) akaResurrection.

English-language films

Buchholz's gravestone in Berlin. The word below his name means "actor". Below his birth and death dates it says in German, "Love the world and the world will love you".

Buchholz began appearing in English-language films in 1959, when he co-starred in the British productionTiger BaywithHayley Mills.It was a notable success.In her autobiography, Mills revealed she had a schoolgirl crush on Buchholz during the filming ofTiger Bayand 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), aremakeofAkira Kurosawa'sSeven Samurai(1954) in which he would play the role originally portrayed byToshiro Mifunein 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.

AfterThe Magnificent Seven,which went on to become a classic, Buchholz played in the romantic dramaFanny(1961) withLeslie CaronandMaurice Chevalier,and the Berlin-set comedyOne, Two, Three(1961), directed byBilly Wilderand 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.

Instead he played the lead inNine Hours to Rama(1963) forTwentieth Century FoxandThe Empty Canvas(1963), shot in Italy withBette Davis.He returned to Broadway to appear inAndorra(1963), which had a short run.

International star

On the advice of his agent, like many other actors who were asked, he turned down the starring role inA Fistful of Dollars(1964).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 CervanteswithGina 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).

Supporting actor

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 Wonand 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 onDerrickand had a supporting part inSahara(1983).

Later career

Buchholz focused on Germany:Funkeln im Auge(1984), andFear of Falling(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(2001),Abschnitt 40(2001),Atlantic Affairs(2002) andIn der Mitte eines Lebens(2003).

Personal life and death

In 1958, Buchholz married French actressMyriam Bruand they had two children: sonChristopher,an actor, and daughter Beatrice.

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.In the same interview Buchholz discussed his bisexuality.Their son Christopher Buchholz, also an actor, produced a feature-length documentaryHorst Buchholz... Mein Papa(2005)which considered Buchholz's sexuality, as part of a wider exploration of his life.His sexuality had not been publicly known in the 1960s when he had played lead roles in English-language movies.

Buchholz died unexpectedly at the age of 69 on March 3, 2003 atCharitéfrom pneumonia that developed after an operation for a hip fracture.Berlin was the city to which his loyalty was consistent, and he was buried there in theFriedhof Heerstraße.

Selected filmography

• All Clues Lead to Berlin(1952), as Young Man at the Radio Tower (uncredited)
• Marianne of My Youth(1955), as Vincent Loringer (German version only)
• Sky Without Stars(1955), as Mischa Bjelkin
• Regine(1956), as Karl Winter
• Teenage Wolfpack(1956), as Freddy Borchert
• King in Shadow(1957), asKing Christian
• The Girl and the Legend(1957), as Tom
• Confessions of Felix Krull(1957), asFelix Krull
• Love From Paris(1957), as Monpti (as a young man)
• A Piece of Heaven(1957), as Cabriolet-Driver (uncredited)
• Endstation Liebe(1958), as Mecky Berger
• Nasser Asphalt(1958), as Greg Bachmann
• Resurrection(1958), as Nechljudoff
• Tiger Bay(1959), as Korchinsky
• The Death Ship(1959), as Philip Gale
• The Magnificent Seven(1960), as Chico
• Fanny(1961), as Marius
• One, Two, Three(1961), as Otto Ludwig Piffl
• Nine Hours to Rama(1963), asNathuram Godse
• The Empty Canvas(1963), as Dino
• Marco the Magnificent(1965), asMarco Polo
• That Man in Istanbul(1965), as Tony Mecenas
• Johnny Banco(1967), as Johnny Banco
• Cervantes(1967, in the title role), asMiguel De Cervantes
• L'Astragale(1968), as Julien
• Come, quando, perché(1969), as Alberto
• The Dove Must Not Fly(1970), as Pablo Vallajo
• Le Sauveur(1971), as Claude
• The Great Waltz(1972), asJohann Strauss Jr.
• ...aber Jonny!(1973), as Jonny
• Welcome Stranger(1973)
• The Catamount Killing(1974), as Mark Kalvin
• Derrick
  • Season 3, Episode 11: "Das Superding" (1976), as Gerke
  • Season 5, Episode 8: "Solo für Margarete" (1978), as Alexis
  • Season 7, Episode 8: "Auf einem Gutshof" (1980), as Richard Schulte
  • Season 10, Episode 2: "Die Tote in der Isar" (1983), as Arthur Dissmann
• Raid on Entebbe(1976, TV Movie), asWilfried Böse
• Dead of Night(1977, TV Movie), as Michael
• Women in Hospital(1977), as Dr. Schumann
• Logan's RunSeason 1, Episode 3: "Capture" (1977), as James Borden
• The Return of Captain Nemo(1978), as King Tibor
• Charlie's AngelsSeason 3, Episode 3: Angel Come Home (1978), as Paul Ferrino
• The French Atlantic Affair(1979), as Dr. Chabot
• From Hell to Victory(1979), as Jürgen Dietrich
• Avalanche Express(1979), as Julian Scholten
• Berlin Tunnel 21(1981), as Emerich Weber
• Aphrodite(1982), as Harry Laird
• Sahara(1983), as Von Glessing
• Fear of Falling(1984), as Robert Feldmann
• Code Name: Emerald(1985), as Walter Hoffman
• And the Violins Stopped Playing(1988), as Dymitr Mirga
• Réquiem por Granada(1990), as Muley Hacén
• Aces: Iron Eagle III(1992), as Ernst Leichmann
• Faraway, So Close!(1993), as Tony Baker
• Fantaghirò 4(1994), as Darken
• Ptak ohnivak(1997), as King Jorgen
• Life Is Beautiful(1997), as Dottor Lessing
• Mulan(1998) (German Dub)
• Heller als der Mond(2000), as First Guest
• The Enemy(2001), as Dr. George Ashton
• Detective Lovelorn and the Revenge of the Pharaoh(2002), as Professor Svedenborg

Dubbing roles

• Lampwick–Pinocchio(1951 dub)

External links

• Horst BuchholzatIMDb
• Horst Buchholzat theInternet Broadway Database
• Horst Buchholzat the German Dubbing Card Index