Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz (German: [ˈbruːno ˈɡant͡s] ( listen); born
22 March 1941) is a Swiss actor who has been a prominent figure in
German language
German language film and television for over fifty years. He has
collaborated several times with filmmaker Wim Wenders, first as
Jonathan Zimmerman in
The American Friend
The American Friend (1977) and again as Damiel
the Angel in both
Wings of Desire
Wings of Desire (1987) and Faraway, So Close!
(1993).
Ganz is internationally renowned for portraying
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler in the
Academy Award-nominated film Downfall (2004). He has also had roles in
several
English language
English language films, including The Boys From Brazil (1978),
Strapless
Strapless (1989), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Reader (2008),
Unknown (2011) and Remember (2015).
On stage, Ganz portrayed Dr. Heinrich Faust in Peter Stein's staging
of
Faust, Part One
Faust, Part One and
Faust, Part Two
Faust, Part Two in 2000.[1]
Ganz is the current holder of the Iffland-Ring, which is passed from
actor to actor as being judged the "most significant and most worthy
actor of the German-speaking theatre".
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Der Untergang
3 Personal life
4 Awards
5 Filmography
6 References
7 External links
Early life[edit]
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz was born in
Zürich
Zürich to a Swiss mechanic father and a
northern Italian mother.[2][3] 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.[4][5]
Career[edit]
Ganz at the German Film Festival in Tokyo, 11 June 2005
In 1960, Ganz landed his first film role, in Der Herr mit der
schwarzen Melone (The Gentleman in the Black Derby). Despite the
support of 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 theatrical debut the
following year and devoted himself primarily to the stage for almost
two decades thereafter. In 1970, he helped found the Berliner
Schaubühne ensemble and two years later performed in the Salzburg
Festival premier of Thomas Bernhard's Der Ignorant und der
Wahnsinnige, under the direction of Claus Peymann.
The German magazine Theater heute (Theater Today) solidified Ganz’s
reputation as a stage actor by pronouncing him Schauspieler des Jahres
(
Actor
Actor of the Year) in 1973. One of Ganz's most physically demanding
stage portrayals was the title character in Peter Stein’s 2000
production of
Goethe's Faust
Goethe's Faust (Parts I and II), as he suffered injuries
during rehearsals and his assumption of the role was delayed.[6]
Ganz made his film breakthrough in a major part in the 1976 film
Sommergäste, launching a widely recognized film career in both Europe
and the U.S. He has worked with directors Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders,
Éric Rohmer, and Francis Ford Coppola, among others. In 1977, he
co-starred with
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper in Wenders's American Friend, an
adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel Ripley's Game. In 1979, he
starred opposite
Klaus Kinski
.jpg)
Klaus Kinski in Herzog’s Nosferatu: Phantom der
Nacht (Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night). In 2017 he was in Sally
Potter's The Party.
Ganz played a professor opposite Sir
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier in the thriller
The Boys from Brazil (1978), about
Nazi
Nazi fugitives.
In 1987, Ganz first played the role of the angel Damiel in Wim
Wenders's Wings of Desire. He reprised the role in Wenders' film
Faraway, So Close!
Faraway, So Close! in 1993.
Der Untergang[edit]
Ganz portrayed
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler in Der Untergang (Downfall) (2004).[7]
Ganz did four months of research on Hitler in preparation for the
role.[8] His performance, which was widely critically acclaimed,
became the basis for a series of "Hitler Rant" parody videos on
YouTube. In 2014, popular culture website
Watchmojo.com named his
performance as the best portrayal of a real-life 'bad guy' of all
time, beating out competition from
Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker and Charlize
Theron's Oscar-winning portrayals of
Idi Amin
,_R23930288.jpg/500px-Idi_Amin_-Archives_New_Zealand_AAWV_23583,_KIRK1,_5(B),_R23930288.jpg)
Idi Amin and Aileen Wuornos,
respectively.[9]
Ganz appeared in The Reader and Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, which were
both nominated for the 81st
Academy Awards
Academy Awards (Best Picture and Best
Foreign Language Film).
Ganz has also served as a speaker in classical music works, including
a recording of Luigi Nono's
Il canto sospeso
.jpg/440px-Luigi_Nono_(1979).jpg)
Il canto sospeso with the Berlin
Philharmonic Orchestra.[10]
Personal life[edit]
Ganz is separated from his wife Sabine, whom he married in 1965; they
have a son named Daniel.[11]
Awards[edit]
1973 "
Actor
Actor of the Year" in German magazine Theater heute (Theatre
Today)
1976 German Film Awards in gold for dramatic performances in The
Marquise of O
1979 Deutscher Darstellerpreis (Chaplin-Shoe)
1991 Hans-Reinhart-Ring, given by the Swiss Society for Theatre
Culture
1996 Iffland-Ring
1998: Officier of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
1999:
Grimme-Preis
Grimme-Preis for Towards the End of the Night
1999: Bremer Filmpreis
2000 Swiss Film Prize
2000: Chevalier of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
2000
David di Donatello
David di Donatello Award for Bread and Tulips
2001 Berliner Filmpreis (Berlin Film Awards)
2001: Swiss Film Prize
2004: Bambi for Downfall
2004: SwissAward Division culture
2004: European Film Award
2004: Bavarian Film Awards, Best Actor
2005: Goldener Gong for Downfall
2005: Jupiter Prize for Downfall
2005: Austrian Decoration for Science and Art[12]
2006: Kunstpreis der Stadt Zürich
2006
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstorden
der Bundesrepublik Deutschland)
2006: Prize of Honour at the FilmArtFestival Mecklenburg-Pomerania
2007: Knight of the
Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur (France)
2008: 22nd International FilmFest Braunschweig – European Theatre
Prize "Europa"
2010: Star on the Boulevard of the Stars in Berlin
2010: European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award
2011: Pardo alla Carriera at Locarno International Film Festival
2013: Actors award at the Festival des deutschen Films, Ludwigshafen
2014: Lifetime Achievement Award, Goldene Kamera[13]
2015:
Special
Special Golden Camera 300 for lifetime achievement- Manaki
Brothers Film Festival [14]
Filmography[edit]
Der Herr mit der schwarzen Melone (de) (The Man in the Black
Derby) (1960) as Hotelpage
Es Dach überem Chopf (1962) as Fred Weber
Chikita (1964)
The Smooth Career (1967) as Barnhard Kral
Sommergäste (Summer Guests) (1976) as Jakov Shalimov
Lumière (1976) as Heinrich Grün
Die Marquise von O... (The Marquise of O...) (1976) as Der Graf
Die Wildente (de) (The Wild Duck) (1976) as Gregers
Der Amerikanische Freund
Der Amerikanische Freund (The American Friend) (1977) as Jonathan
Zimmermann
Die linkshändige Frau (The Left-Handed Woman) (1978) as Bruno
Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte (1978) as Thomas Rosemund
The Boys from Brazil (1978) as Professor Bruckner
Messer im Kopf
Messer im Kopf (Knife in the Head) (1978) as Hoffmann
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (
Nosferatu
Nosferatu the Vampyre) (1979) as
Jonathan Harker
Retour à la bien-aimée (Return to the Beloved) (1979) as Dr. Stephan
Kern
Oggetti smarriti
Oggetti smarriti (Lost and Found / Lost Objects / An Italian Woman)
(1980) as Werner
5% de risque (1980) as David
La provinciale (1981) as Remy
Etwas wird sichtbar (1981)
La Dame aux camélias (The Lady of the Camellias) (1980) as Count
Perregaux
Hands Up! (1981)
Die Fälschung
Die Fälschung (Circle of Deceit) (1981) as Georg Laschen
Der Erfinder (The Inventor) (1981) as Jakob Nüssli
Logik des Gefühls (1982)
Polenta (1982) as Jules, le narrateur
Krieg und Frieden (War and Peace) (1982)
Dans la ville blanche (In the White City) (1983) as Paul
System ohne Schatten (de) (1983) as Faber
De ijssalon (Private Resistance) (1985) as Gustav
Killer aus Florida (Killer from Florida) (1983)
El río de oro (1986) as Peter
Väter und Söhne – Eine deutsche Tragödie (1986) (TV miniseries)
as Heinrich Beck
Der Pendler (1986)
Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire) (1987) as Damiel
Un amore di donna (1988) as Franco Bassani
Bankomatt
Bankomatt (1989) as Bruno
Strapless
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 Engill
La Domenica specialmente (Especially on Sunday) (1991) as Vittorio
(segment "La domenica specialmente")
Prague (1992) as Josef
L'Absence (The Absence) (1992) as Player
The Last Days of Chez Nous
The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992) as J.P.
In weiter Ferne, so nah! (Faraway, So Close!) (1993) as Damiel
Brandnacht (Night on Fire) (1992) as Peter Keller
Heller Tag (1994) as Georg
Diario senza date (1995)
Saint-Ex
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Saint-Ex (1997) as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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) as Faust
La forza del passato (The Power of the Past) (2002) as Bogliasco
Epsteins Nacht (de) (Epstein's Night) (2002) as Adam Rose
Behind Me –
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz (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) 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
Der grosse Kater (2010) as Kater
Taxiphone: El Mektoub (2010)
Satte Farben vor Schwarz (de) (Colours 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
Sport de filles (2011) as Franz Mann
Night Train to Lisbon (2013) as Older Jorge O'Kelly
Michael Kohlhaas (2013) as The Governor
The Counselor (2013) as Diamond Dealer
In Order of Disappearance (2014) as Papa
Amnesia (2015) as Bruno – le grand-père de Jo
Remember (2015) as Rudy Kurlander #1
Heidi (2015) as Alpöhi
Un Juif pour l'exemple (2016)[15] as Arthur Bloch
The Party (2017) as Gottfried
In Times of Fading Light (2017) as Wilhelm Powileit
Radegund (2017)
References[edit]
^ Germany's Classic of Classics, All 21 Hours
^ "Born: 22 March 1941 in Zurich, Switzerland". Retrieved
2011-04-26.
^ "Born 1941 to a Swiss worker and his Northern Italian wife".
Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
^ "Swiss-born actor
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz established himself in Germany, first
as co-founder of the Schaubuhne Theatre company, then as a romantic
lead in films". Retrieved 2011-04-26.
^ "he got his first film role with 19... ...but his absolute break
through he has with in a play by Peter Zadek in Bremen". Retrieved
2011-04-26.
^ John Rockwell (4 January 2001). "With Pivotal
Actor
Actor Back, Marathon
Faust Gets Another Look". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
^ Rob Mackie (16 September 2005). "Downfall". The Guardian. Retrieved
2009-02-01.
^ Krysia Diver and Stephen Moss (25 March 2005). "Desperately seeking
Adolf". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
^ http://www.watchmojo.com/video/id/11954
^ John Rockwell (24 October 1993). "After Karajan In Berlin, No Deluge
Yet". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
^ "Spouse: Sabine Ganz (1965 – present) (separated) 1 child".
Retrieved 2011-04-26.
^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (pdf) (in German). p. 1713.
Retrieved 1 November 2012.
^ "Prize Winner
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz –
Category "National Lifetime Achievement
Award"". HÖRZU. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved
24 May 2014.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved
2015-09-12.
^ Un Juif pour l'exemple on IMDb
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruno Ganz.
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz on IMDb
theartsdesk Q&A:
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz on Playing Hitler (5 December 2010)
v
t
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Bearers of the Iffland-Ring
Founder: August Wilhelm Iffland
Ludwig Devrient
Emil Devrient
Theodor Döring
Friedrich Haase
Albert Bassermann
Werner Krauss
Josef Meinrad
Bruno Ganz
Awards for Bruno Ganz
v
t
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European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award
Ingmar Bergman
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Marcello Mastroianni
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Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini (1989)
Andrzej Wajda
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Andrzej Wajda (1990)
Alexandre Trauner (1991)
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder (1992)
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni (1993)
Robert Bresson (1994)
Marcel Carné
Marcel Carné (1995)
Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness (1996)
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau (1997)
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (1999)
Richard Harris
Richard Harris (2000)
Monty Python
Monty Python (2001)
Tonino Guerra
Tonino Guerra (2002)
Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol (2003)
Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura (2004)
Sean Connery
Sean Connery (2005)
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski (2006)
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard (2007)
Judi Dench
Judi Dench (2008)
Ken Loach
Ken Loach (2009)
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz (2010)
Stephen Frears
.jpg/440px-Stephen_Frears_OIFF_2014-07-12_113913_(cropped).jpg)
Stephen Frears (2011)
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci (2012)
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve (2013)
Agnès Varda
Agnès Varda (2014)
Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling (2015)
Jean-Claude Carrière
Jean-Claude Carrière (2016)
Alexander Sokurov
Alexander Sokurov (2017)
v
t
e
David di Donatello
David di Donatello Award for Best Actor
Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio De Sica (1956)
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman /
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (1960)
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (1961)
Raf Vallone
Raf Vallone (1962)
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (1963)
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni (1964)
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman /
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni (1965)
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (1966)
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman /
Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi (1967)
Franco Nero
Franco Nero (1968)
Nino Manfredi
Nino Manfredi /
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (1969)
Nino Manfredi
Nino Manfredi /
Gian Maria Volontè
Gian Maria Volontè (1970)
Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi (1971)
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini /
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (1972)
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (1973)
Nino Manfredi
Nino Manfredi (1974)
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (1975)
Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi (1976)
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi (1977)
Nino Manfredi
Nino Manfredi (1978)
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (1979)
Adriano Celentano
Adriano Celentano (1980)
Massimo Troisi
Massimo Troisi (1981)
Carlo Verdone
Carlo Verdone (1982)
Francesco Nuti
Francesco Nuti (1983)
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini (1984)
Francesco Nuti
Francesco Nuti (1985)
Marcello Mastroianni
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Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (1987)
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni (1988)
Roberto Benigni
Roberto Benigni (1989)
Paolo Villaggio
Paolo Villaggio /
Gian Maria Volontè
Gian Maria Volontè (1990)
Nanni Moretti
Nanni Moretti (1991)
Carlo Verdone
Carlo Verdone (1992)
Sergio Castellitto
Sergio Castellitto (1993)
Giulio Scarpati
Giulio Scarpati (1994)
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni (1995)
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini (1996)
Fabrizio Bentivoglio
Fabrizio Bentivoglio (1997)
Roberto Benigni
Roberto Benigni (1998)
Stefano Accorsi
Stefano Accorsi (1999)
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz (2000)
Luigi Lo Cascio
Luigi Lo Cascio (2001)
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini (2002)
Massimo Girotti
Massimo Girotti (2003)
Sergio Castellitto
Sergio Castellitto (2004)
Toni Servillo
Toni Servillo (2005)
Silvio Orlando
Silvio Orlando (2006)
Elio Germano
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Toni Servillo
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Valerio Mastandrea
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Elio Germano
Elio Germano (2011)
Michel Piccoli
Michel Piccoli (2012)
Valerio Mastandrea
Valerio Mastandrea (2013)
Toni Servillo
Toni Servillo (2014)
Elio Germano
Elio Germano (2015)
Claudio Santamaria
Claudio Santamaria (2016)
Stefano Accorsi
Stefano Accorsi (2017)
v
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London Film Critics' Circle Award for
Actor
Actor of the Year
Philippe Noiret
Philippe Noiret (1990)
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Depardieu (1991)
Robert Downey Jr.
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Robert Downey Jr. (1992)
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins (1993)
John Travolta
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John Travolta (1994)
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp (1995)
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman (1996)
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush (1997)
Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson (1998)
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey (1999)
Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe (2000)
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton (2001)
Michael Caine
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Michael Caine (2002)
Sean Penn
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Sean Penn (2003)
Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx (2004)
Bruno Ganz
Bruno Ganz (2005)
Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker (2006)
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis (2007)
Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke (2008)
Christoph Waltz
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Christoph Waltz (2009)
Colin Firth
Colin Firth (2010)
Jean Dujardin
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Jean Dujardin ( 2011)
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix (2012)
Chiwetel Ejiofor
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Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton (2014)
Tom Courtenay
Tom Courtenay (2015)
Casey Affleck
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Timothée Chalamet (2017)
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
VIAF: 85499663
LCCN: n92046447
ISNI: 0000 0001 1576 6840
GND: 122265939
SUDOC: 052448975
BNF: cb13894283v (data)
MusicBrainz: c4bd7519-d921-456c-8ec0-cdb56da0379f
NLA: 35774923
NKC: xx0032389
BNE: XX950704
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