Gert Fröbe
| Gert Fröbe | |
|---|---|
 Gert Fröbe as he appeared on a 2000 German stamp |
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| Born | Karl Gerhart Fröbe 25 February 1913 Oberplanitz (now Zwickau), Saxony, Germany |
| Died | 5 September 1988 (aged 75) Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1948–1988 |
| Spouse(s) | Karin Kuderer-Pistorius (1970–?) Beate Bach (1962–1968) Hannelore Görtz (1953–1959) Tatjana Iwanow (1 child) Clara Peter (1 child) |
Karl Gerhart Fröbe, better known as Gert Fröbe (German pronunciation: [ˈɡɛɐt ˈfʁøːbə]; 25 February 1913 – 5 September 1988), was a German film actor known for his work as Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film Goldfinger, as Peachum in The Threepenny Opera, as Baron Bomburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and as Hotzenplotz in Der Räuber Hotzenplotz.
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Early life [edit]
Karl Gerhart Fröbe was born in Oberplanitz, today part of Zwickau. He was initially a violinist, but he abandoned it for cabaret and theatre work.[1]
He joined the Nazi Party in 1929 at the age of 16 and left it in 1937.[2] During the Nazis' reign, he aided two German Jews by hiding them from the Gestapo.[3]
Acting career [edit]
Fröbe gained fame in one of the first German movies made after World War II, called Berliner Ballade (The Ballad of Berlin, 1948). His role as "Otto Normalverbraucher" (lit. Otto Average Consumer), became a German term equivalent to Average Joe or Fred Bloggs.[4] In 1958, he was cast as the villain in the Swiss-German film Es geschah am hellichten Tag (It Happened in Broad Daylight), which was turned into a novel by Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt. His role as a serial killer of children drew the attention of the producers of the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger and he was chosen to play one of the most well-remembered villains of the series, gold tycoon Auric Goldfinger. Because of his former membership in the Nazi Party, the film Goldfinger was initially banned in Israel until the Jewish family that he protected came forward and thanked him for saving their lives.[3]
Fröbe made several appearances in all-star casts in the 1960s, including the films The Longest Day, Is Paris Burning?, Monte Carlo or Bust, and Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines. Because of his thick German accent, Fröbe was dubbed in some of his classic roles, including by British actor Michael Collins in Goldfinger. He also appeared in $ (1971) with Goldie Hawn and Warren Beatty. During the 1980s, Fröbe played small parts in Mercedes Benz W123 commercials, helping to promote the coupé and the sedan.[citation needed]
Besides acting, Fröbe was a prolific reciter of lyric poetry, especially that of Christian Morgenstern and Joachim Ringelnatz.[citation needed]
Fröbe died in Munich in September 1988 at age 75 from a heart attack.[citation needed]
On February 24, 2013, the eve of the 100th anniversary of Frobe's birth, Shirley Bassey performed the title song to Goldfinger at the 85th Academy Awards.
Selected filmography [edit]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Berliner Ballade | Otto Normalverbraucher | |
| 1954 | The Eternal Waltz | Gawriloff | |
| 1955 | Dunja | ||
| 1956 | Winter in the Woods | Gerstenberg | |
| 1957 | The Girl and the Legend | Mr. Gillis | |
| Typhon sur Nagasaki | |||
| He Who Must Die | Patriarcheos | ||
| 1958 | Nasser Asphalt | Jupp | |
| 1959 | Old Heidelberg | Doctor Jüttner | |
| 1960 | The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse | Inspector Kras | |
| 1961 | The Green Archer | Abel Bellamy | |
| The Return of Dr. Mabuse [note 1] | Kommissar Lohmann | USA screening in 1966 | |
| Auf Wiedersehen | Angelo Pirrone | ||
| 1962 | The Longest Day | Unteroffizier Kaffeekanne | |
| Redhead | Kramer | ||
| 1964 | Greed in the Sun | Castigliano dit "La betterave" | |
| Goldfinger | Auric Goldfinger | Dubbed into English by Michael Collins. | |
| Tonio Kröger | Policeman Peterson | ||
| 1965 | Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines | Colonel Manfred von Holstein | |
| A High Wind in Jamaica | Dutch Captain | ||
| 1966 | Is Paris Burning? | General Dietrich von Choltitz | |
| Triple Cross | Colonel Steinhager | ||
| 1967 | Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon | Professor von Bulow | |
| I Killed Rasputin | Grigori Rasputin | ||
| 1968 | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Baron Bomburst | |
| 1969 | Monte Carlo or Bust [note 2] | Willi Schickel / Horst Muller | |
| 1971 | $ | Mr. Kessel | |
| 1972 | Ludwig | Father Hoffmann | |
| 1974 | And Then There Were None | Wilhelm Blor | Dubbed into English by Robert Rietti. |
| 1976 | Death Rite | Vestar | |
| 1977 | The Serpent's Egg | Inspector Bauer | |
| 1979 | Bloodline | Inspector Max Hornung | |
| 1980 | The Umbrella Coup | Otto Krampe ("Whale") | |
| 1986 | The Little Vampire (TV series) | Detective Gurrmeyer |
Notes [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Fokart, Burt A. (September 7, 1988). Obituary: "Gert Frobe, 75; Portrayed Goldfinger in Bond Movie". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ kultiversum.de. (February 2nd, 2010 (retrieved 11-30-2010)). Hotzenplotz und Pickelhaube.
- ^ a b "Gert Frobe, an Actor, Dies at 75". Associated Press/The New York Times. (September 6, 1988)
- ^ Deutsches Bühnen-Jahrbuch - Google Bücher. Books.google.de. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
External links [edit]
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