Austrian actor Helmut Berger, star of such European cinema masterpieces as Luchino Visconti’s “The Damned” and Vittorio De Sica’s “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis”, has died at the age of 78.
The family assures that Berger died peacefully at his home in Austria of natural causes. In Filmin you have several of his films.
In one of the most historic and creative periods of European cinema, the 1960s and 1970s, Berger carved a niche for himself in the pantheon of stars thanks to a handful of films directed by Visconti, his former romantic partner.
“The Damned,” “Ludwig” and “Conversation Piece,” all of which featured Berger in prominent roles, were enormously successful at the box office, critically and awards-wise.
Berger was nominated for a Golden Globe for “The Damned,” which was also nominated for an Oscar for best screenplay in 1970. No less than the late German film master Rainer Werner Fassbinder called it “perhaps the greatest film, the film that I think means as much to the history of cinema as Shakespeare does to the history of theater.”
One of the first bisexual actors to break taboos
Awarded the honorary Teddy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2007 Berlinale for his innovative creative roles exploring gay and bisexual characters.
Berger’s drag imitation of Marlene Dietrich in “The Damned” led legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder to comment, “Except for Helmut Berger, there are no interesting women today.”
It also influenced Madonna, who said, “I think it’s androgyny, whether it’s David Bowie or Helmut Berger, that has influenced my work the most.”
In his heyday, Berger garnered newspaper attention and was a paparazzi favorite for his wild behavior and heady love life.
His 1998 biography contains his recollections of many of those escapades, which include an eclectic variety of dalliances with both Bianca and Mick Jagger.
His health was never the best because of drugs.
Apart from his collaborations with Visconti, Berger had a long and somewhat erratic career, struggling with drug and alcohol addiction for many years.
In the 1980s, her erratic behavior had stalled her film career and she found work as a guest star in nine episodes of the hit U.S. soap opera “Dynasty”.
During the first decade of this century, Berger retired completely from show business to care for his ailing mother.
His last comeback attempt included a 2013 appearance on the German version of “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here”, which ended after only two days due to health problems. He leaves us today, at the age of 78.
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