Posted on 02/16/2019 6:23:16 AM PST by Drew68
The Swiss actor died at home in Zurich on Friday night, his management said.
Ganz was well-known in German-language cinema and theatre and also had roles in English-language films including The Reader and The Manchurian Candidate.
His most famous role, however, was as Adolf Hitler in Downfall. One particular scene depicting Hitler in apoplectic fury became a meme and spawned thousands of parodies online.
The film, called Der Untergang in German, told the story of Hitler's final days in his Berlin bunker. It grossed $92m (£71.3m) at box offices around the world when it was released.
t was named winner of the BBC Four World Cinema Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but since then it has become almost as famous for a wave of internet parodies of its final scene, poking fun at numerous news events.
A New York Times reviewer called Ganz's performance "intriguing" and "creepily charismatic".
In 2005 Ganz told The Guardian newspaper that he spent four months preparing for the role, studying historical records including a secretly-recorded tape of Hitler and observing people with Parkinson's disease, which he came to believe the dictator had.
But he said: "I cannot claim to understand Hitler. Even the witnesses who had been in the bunker with him were not really able to describe the essence of the man.
"He had no pity, no compassion, no understanding of what the victims of war suffered."
Ganz, the most famous Swiss actor, had a rich and varied career. He played a vampire in Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) and an angel in Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire (1987) and its sequel Faraway, So Close! (1993).
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
It’s one of my favorites now.
RIP Bruno.
Thx Hermann. >:(
Was thinking the same thing!
Wings of Desire is one of my favorite films,and with ‘Downfall’ demonstrate the amazing range of this actor. Rest in Peace.
Amazing actor. His work in Downfall is one for the ages.
This one even had props added. LMAO.
That’s sad. Loved watching all of those parodies. He was a great actor.
Yup
ping
RIP
Downfall is a great movie and Ganz was great as Hitler.
He has been in a ton of movies and he was truly a great actor.
RIP.
It’s already out. Completely different scene.
I’m sorry to hear this fine actor has passed.
Nevertheless like many others here the first thought that came to my mind when hearing about this was “oh no, wait until Hitler finds out about this..!.”
Downfall - Hitler's Outrage (Original Subtitles, Extended Length)
I'm sure there will be many.
RIP. He was wonderful in his movies. Sexy in a hang dog way.
Love Mel Brooks, comic genius!
The “Hitler finds out” videos were often funny, but “Downfall” (Der Untergang, it says on my old DVD case) was a great movie, and Ganz was outstanding as Hitler.
LOL! But it’s more like Hitler Rap than polka.
If Bruno Ganz ever saw it, he would sigh & shake his head, “So THIS is what I will be most remembered for!!?”
FWIW, I don’t recall a gun being fired inside the bunker, maybe it was cut from the version I saw. That would have been deafening!
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