Helmut Berger
| Helmut Berger | |
|---|---|
Helmut Berger at his home in Rome in 1972
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| Born |
Helmut Steinberger 29 May 1944 Bad Ischl, Austria |
| Citizenship | Austrian |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Spouse(s) | Francesca Guidato (1994–present) (separated) |
| Partner(s) | Luchino Visconti (1964–1976) |
| Awards | Golden Globe (nominated) David di Donatello 1973 and others (see article) |
Helmut Berger (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛlmuːt ˈbɛʁɡɐ]; born Helmut Steinberger; 29 May 1944) is an Austrian film and television actor. He is most famous for his work with Luchino Visconti, particularly in his performance as King Ludwig II of Bavaria in Ludwig, for which he received a special David di Donatello award, and his performance in The Damned for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
He appears primarily in European cinema, but has also acted in American productions such as The Godfather Part III.
Berger was born in Bad Ischl, Austria, into a family of hoteliers. After receiving his Abitur, Berger initially trained and worked in this field, even though he had no interest in gastronomy or the hospitality industry. At age eighteen, he moved to London, England, where he did odd jobs while taking acting classes. After studying languages at University of Perugia in Italy, Berger moved to Rome, Italy.
He first met the film director Luchino Visconti in 1964. Visconti gave him his first acting role in the film Le streghe (The Witches, 1967) (in the episode "La Strega Bruciata Viva"), but he gained international prominence as the amoral Martin von Essenbeck in Visconti's The Damned (1969). In that film, in what is perhaps his best-known scene, he pretends to be Marlene Dietrich in the film The Blue Angel (1930). It was followed by the title role in the Oscar Wilde adaption Dorian Gray (1970) and a leading role in the Oscar-winning Italian drama film The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970). In Visconti's Ludwig (1972), Berger portrays Ludwig II of Bavaria from his blooming youth to his dissolute final years. This performance got him a David di Donatello award and is perhaps his most famous role. In 1974, Berger starred with Burt Lancaster in Visconti's Conversation Piece. The story of Conversation Piece is often considered as an allegory of the personal relationship between Berger and Visconti. On several occasions Berger mentioned this film as his favorite.
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