Klaus Kinski

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Klaus Kinski

Klaus Kinski
Born Nikolaus Karl Günther Nakszynski
October 18, 1926
Sopot, Free City of Danzig
Died November 23, 1991 (aged 65)
Lagunitas, California, United States
Years active 1948–1989

Klaus Kinski (18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, famous for his ability to project onscreen intensity, and for his explosive temperament. He acted in over 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered for his collaborations with writer/director Werner Herzog.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Gedenktafel in Zoppot (Danzig)

Nikolaus Karl Günther Nakszynski was born in Sopot (German "Zoppot"), in the Free City of Danzig, in 1926. Nikolaus (or "Klaus") was the son of a pharmacist named Bruno Nakszyński and nurse Susanne Nakszyński (nee Lutze). He had three older siblings: Inge, Arne and Hans-Joachim (Achim). In 1930 the family moved to Berlin and settled in a flat in the Wartburg Castle Street 3, in the suburb Berlin-Schöneberg.

During the Second World War Kinski was conscripted into the Paratroops and was captured by the British in Holland in late 1944. At the PoW "Camp 186" in Berechurch Hall in Colchester, England, he played his first theatre roles on stage.


In 1950, Kinski had a three-day stay in a psychiatric hospital; medical records from the period listed a preliminary diagnosis of schizophrenia.[1]

[edit] Career

Kinski appeared in several German Edgar Wallace movies. His collaborations with director Werner Herzog brought him international recognition. In all they made five films together; Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972), Woyzeck (1978), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982), and finally Cobra Verde (1987). In 1977 he starred as terrorist Wilfried Böse in the Israeli movie Operation Thunderbolt, based on the events of the 1976 Operation Entebbe. His last film (which he also wrote and directed) was Kinski Paganini (1989), in which he played the legendary violinist Niccolò Paganini.

[edit] Personal life

Kinski chronicled his exploits in the autobiography—Kinski: All I Need Is Love, which was largely fabricated to generate sales, according to Werner Herzog's documentary film My Best Fiend.

He is the father of actress Nastassja Kinski, although he had little contact with her following the divorce from her mother, Ruth Brigitte Tocki, in 1968.

[edit] Reputation

Herzog's retrospective on his work with Kinski was released in the United States as My Best Fiend (1999).

The American antifolk music group Elastic No-No Band created a song called "I Am Klaus Kinski (And This Is My Song)", which is an imaginary response by Kinski to Herzog's film My Best Fiend.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Documentaries

[edit] Discography

Kinski released nearly 25 spoken word records, some of which were re-released on CDs[3].

[edit] References

  1. ^ Psycho-Akte von Klaus Kinski entdeckt, Bild, 22 July 2008. (German)
  2. ^ Album Details for Kinski on Folkways
  3. ^ Information on spoken word releases

[edit] External links

Search Wikiquote Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Klaus Kinski

[edit] Further reading

  • Klaus Kinski: All I Need Is Love (1988), ISBN 0-394-54916-3, re-titled Kinski Uncut: The Autobiography of Klaus Kinski (1997), ISBN 0-14-025536-2.
  • Christian David: Kinski. Die Biographie. (2006), Berlin: Aufbau-Verlag 2006. ISBN 3-351-02647-1
  • Peter Geyer: Klaus Kinski: Leben, Werk, Wirkung (2006), Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp 2006. ISBN 351818220X


Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Kinski"
Personal tools