Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 – 5 January 2000) was an Austrian actor and film director.

Life and career

Wicki studied in the city of Breslau such topics as art history, history and German literature. In 1938, he transferred to the drama school of the Staatliches Schauspielhaus in Berlin. In 1939, because of his membership in the ''Bündische Jugend'', he was imprisoned for many months in the

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoner ...

. After his release, he moved to Vienna, then in 1944 to Switzerland. After World War II, he starred in many films, including '' Die letzte Brücke'' (1953) and '' Es geschah am 20. Juli'' (1955). He was also a photographer. His first attempt at directing came three years later with the documentary ''Warum sind sie gegen uns?'' (1958). He became internationally famous with his 1959 anti-war film ''

Die Brücke The Brücke (Bridge), also Künstlergruppe Brücke or KG Brücke was a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905. Founding members were Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Later memb ...

'', which was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. In 1961 he won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the

11th Berlin International Film Festival The 11th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 23 June to 4 July 1961. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Italian film '' La notte'' directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Jury The following people were announced as being on the ...

for his film '' The Miracle of Father Malachia''. His break in Hollywood came shortly thereafter when he was chosen to direct Marlon Brando and

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the ...

in the highly acclaimed World War II espionage thriller, '' Morituri'' in 1965. Wicki was a patron of the International Film Festival in Emden-Norderney, which first started in 1990. Wicki first married Agnes Fink, a fellow acting colleague, and later married Elisabeth Endriss, also a colleague. In the documentary ''Verstörung – und eine Art von Poesie'' (June 2007), Elisabeth Wicki-Endriss portrayed Wicki's life and work. Wicki is buried at the Nymphenburger cemetery in Munich (grave number 4-1-23). In 2001, the Bernhard Wicki Memorial Fund was established in Munich. Since 2002, it has awarded a yearly prize, ''The Bridge'', to selected films that promote peace. A further prize of 15,000 euros, endowed in 2006, is presented in his name in the city of

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of Em ...

Selected filmography

Director * ''Warum sind sie gegen uns?'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959) * '' The Miracle of Father Malachia'' (1961) * '' The Longest Day'' (with Ken Annakin and

Andrew Marton Andrew Marton (born Endre Marton; 26 January 1904 – 7 January 1992) was a Hungarian-American film director. In his career, he directed 39 films and television programs, and worked on 16 as a second unit director, including the chariot race in ...

) (1962) * '' The Visit'' (1964) * '' Morituri'' (1965) * ' (1971) * ''Karpfs Karriere'' (1971) * '' The Conquest of the Citadel'' (1977) * ' (1984) * ''Sansibar oder Der letzte Grund'' (1987) * ''

Spider's Web A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web, or cobweb (from the archaic word '' coppe'', meaning "spider") is a structure created by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey. Spid ...

'' (1989) Actor * '' Der Postmeister'' (1940) – Statist (uncredited) * ''The Falling Star'' (1950) – Otto * '' Young Heart Full of Love'' (1953) – Vitus Zingerl * ''

The Last Bridge ''The Last Bridge'' (german: Die Letzte Brücke) is a 1954 Austrian-Yugoslavian war drama film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring Maria Schell, Bernhard Wicki and Barbara Rütting.Von Dassanowsky p.157 It tells the story of a German nurse ...

'' (1954) – Boro * '' Circus of Love'' (1954) – Franz * '' Prisoners of Love'' (1954) – Franz Martens * ''

The Mosquito ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' (1954) – Hugo * '' A Double Life'' (1954) – Rainer von Hohenburg * '' The Eternal Waltz'' (1954) – Johann Strauß Sohn * '' Children, Mother, and the General'' (1955) – Hauptmann Dornberg * '' Jackboot Mutiny'' (1955) – Oberst Graf v. Stauffenberg * ''Du mein stilles Tal'' (1955) – Erik Linden * ' (1955) – Geert von Innstetten * '' Fruit Without Love'' (1956) – Dr. Kolb * ''Weil du arm bist, mußt du früher sterben'' (1956) – Dr. Grüter * ' (1956) – Dr. Jan Vlimmen * '' Queen Louise'' (1957) – Zar Alexander * ' (1957) – Robert * ''

The Zurich Engagement ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (1957) – Paul Frank * ''Es wird alles wieder gut'' (1957) – Unterhaltungschef Dr. Johann Krapp * ''

Escape from Sahara ''Escape from Sahara'' (German: ''Madeleine und der Legionär'') is a 1958 West German adventure drama film directed by Wolfgang Staudte and starring Hildegard Knef, Bernhard Wicki and Hannes Messemer. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Be ...

'' (1958) – Luigi Locatelli * '' The Cat'' (1958) – Bernard Werner * '' Restless Night'' (1958) – Priest Brunner * ''Frauensee'' (1958) – Karl Anton Graf Chur * ' (1959) – Tex Richards * ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when per ...

'' (1960) – Rohrbach * ''

La Notte ''La Notte'' (; en, "The Night") is a 1961 drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau and Monica Vitti (with Umberto Eco appearing in a cameo). Filmed on location in Milan, the film is the r ...

'' (1961) – Tommaso Garani * '' L'amore difficile'' (1962) – Hans (segment "Il serpente") * ''

Eleven Years and One Day ''Eleven Years and One Day'' (german: Elf Jahre und ein Tag) is a 1963 West German drama film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Bernhard Wicki and Paul Hubschmid.Bergfelder p.115 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Mun ...

'' (1963) – Karl Rodenbach * '' Portuguese Vacation'' (1963) – Bernard * ' (1969) – Vaeter / Father * ''

Carlos Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

'' (1971, TV Movie) – Philipp * '' Crime and Passion'' (1976) – Rolf * ''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, an ...

'' (1977, Season 4, Episode 3: "Eine Nacht im Oktober") – Dr. Lechner * '' The Glass Cell'' (1978) – Police Commissioner Österreicher * '' Despair'' (1978) – Orlovius * '' The Left-Handed Woman'' (1978) – Verleger * '' The Man in the Rushes'' (1978) – Sir Gerald * '' Death Watch'' (1980) – Katherine's Dad * ''

'' (1980, Season 7, Episode 9: "Zeuge Yuroski") – Karl Yurowski * ' (1982) – Lehrter * '' The Mysterious Stranger'' (1982, TV Movie) – Heinrich Stein * '' Spring Symphony'' (1983) – Baron von Fricken * '' A Love in Germany'' (1983) – Dr. Borg * ''

Dangerous Moves ''Dangerous Moves'' (french: La Diagonale du fou) is a 1984 French-language film about chess, directed by Richard Dembo, produced by Arthur Cohn, starring Michel Piccoli, Alexandre Arbatt, as well as Liv Ullmann, Leslie Caron, and Bernhard Wick ...

'' (1984) – Pühl * ''

Paris, Texas Paris is a city and county seat of Lamar County, Texas, United States. Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods, the population of the city was 24,171 in 2020. History Present-day Lamar County was part of Red Rive ...

'' (1984) – Doctor Ulmer * ''Bereg'' (1984) – Weber, Verleger * ''

A Kind of Anger ''A Kind of Anger'' is a novel by British thriller writer Eric Ambler, first published in 1964. Like many of Ambler's post-war novels the thriller plot is laced with elements of comedy. Plot summary A car comes hurtling down the drive of a re ...

'' (1984, TV Movie) – Philipp Sanger * ' (1985) – George Abbot * ' (1986) – Von der Mühle * ''

'' (1989) – Herr Waizenbaum * ''

Martha and I ''Martha and I'' ( cs, Marta a já, german: Martha und ich) is a 1990 Czechoslovak-West German drama film directed by Jiří Weiss. It was entered into the main competition at the 47th Venice International Film Festival. Cast *Marianne Sägebre ...

'' (1990) – Narrator (scenes deleted) * ''

Success Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. It may be viewed as the opposite of failure. The criteria for success depend on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person mig ...

'' (1991) – Bichler * ''Das Geheimnis'' (1993) – Dr. Virgil Schwarz * ''Prinzenbad'' (1993) – Dany

Decorations and awards

* 1958: Film Award in Silver (documentary) for ''Warum sind sie gegen uns?'' (''Why they are against us?'') * 1960: The Golden Bowl, Film Award (Director), German Film Critics Award, German Youth Film Award,

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

nomination (Best Foreign Film) for ''

'' (''The Bridge'') * 1960: United Nations award for contribution to peace * 1961:

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

(Best Director) for '' The Miracle of Father Malachia'' * 1962:

Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book '' Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Sal ...

* 1972: Golden Camera (Director) and Film Award (Director) for ''Das falsche Gewicht'' (''The wrong weight'') * 1976: Film Award for many years of excellent work in the German film industry * 1977: Film Award in Silver for '' The Conquest of the Citadel'' * 1979: St. Jakob Prandtauer Prize for Science and Art of the city of

St Pölten ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

* 1982: Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany * 1985: Film Award (Director) for ''Die Grünstein-Variante'' (''The greenstone variant'') * 1986: Helmut Käutner Award * 1986: Critics Award for ''Die Grünstein-Variante'' * 1988: Adolf Grimme Award for ''Sansibar oder Der letzte Grund'' (''Zanzibar or The last Reason'') * 1989: Film Award (Special Film Award 40 years Federal Republic of Germany) for ''Die Brücke'' * 1989: Bavarian Film Award * 1989: Honorary Award of the ''

Abendzeitung The Abendzeitung (''"Evening Paper"''), sometimes abbreviated to AZ, is a liberal morning tabloid newspaper from Munich, Germany. A localized edition is published in Nuremberg. The paper is published six days a week; the masthead of the Saturday ...

'' (''Evening Paper'') * 1989: Academy Award nomination (Best Foreign Film) and Film Award (Director) for '' The Spider's Web'' * 1990:

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

: Berlinale Camera * 1990: Schwabing Art Prize (prize) * 1992:

Universum Film AG UFA GmbH, shortened to UFA (), is a film and television production company that unites all production activities of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann in Germany. Its name derives from Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (normally abbreviated ...

prize * 1992:

Bavarian Order of Merit The Bavarian Order of Merit (german: Bayerischer Verdienstorden) is the Order of Merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavari ...

* 1998: DIVA Award * 1999: Medal "Munich shines" in gold * 2000:

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian ...

References

External links

* *
Photographs and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wicki, Bernhard 1919 births 2000 deaths People from Sankt Pölten Austrian film directors Austrian male film actors Austrian male television actors German-language film directors Silver Bear for Best Director recipients Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class 20th-century Austrian male actors Best Director German Film Award winners

Life and career

Selected filmography

Decorations and awards

References

Further reading

External links