Gert Fröbe
Encyclopedia
Karl Gerhart Fröbe, better known as Gert Fröbe (ˈɡɛɐt ˈfʁøːbə) (25 February 19135 September 1988) was a German
actor who starred in many films, including the James Bond
film Goldfinger
as Auric Goldfinger
, The Threepenny Opera
as Peachum, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
as Baron Bomburst
, and in Der Räuber Hotzenplotz as Hotzenplotz.
, Fröbe was a member of the Nazi Party before World War II
. He joined the NSDAP in 1929 at the age of 16 and left it again in 1937. However, he aided two German Jews by hiding them from the Gestapo
. Because of his former membership in the Nazi Party, the film Goldfinger was initially banned in Israel
until the family came forward and thanked him for saving their lives.
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 Standardconsumer), became a German term equivalent to Average Joe or Fred Bloggs. 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 novelized by Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt
. His role as a serial killer
of children drew the attention of the producers of the James Bond movie Goldfinger, (1964) and he was chosen to play one of the most well-remembered villains of the series, gold tycoon Auric Goldfinger
.
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 coupe and the sedan.
Besides acting, Fröbe was a prolific reciter of lyric poetry, especially that of Christian Morgenstern
and Joachim Ringelnatz
.
Fröbe died in Munich
in September 1988 at age 75 from a heart attack
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actor who starred in many films, including the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Goldfinger
Goldfinger (film)
Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title...
as Auric Goldfinger
Auric Goldfinger
Auric Goldfinger is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger. His first name, Auric, is an adjective meaning of gold...
, The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
as Peachum, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car is a children's book written by Ian Fleming for his son Caspar, with illustrations by John Burningham...
as Baron Bomburst
Baron Bomburst
Baron Bomburst is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The character did not appear in Ian Fleming's original novel; it was created by the film's screenwriter, Roald Dahl. Played by Gert Fröbe, Bomburst rules the Barony of Vulgaria together with his...
, and in Der Räuber Hotzenplotz as Hotzenplotz.
Life
Born in ZwickauZwickau
Zwickau in Germany, former seat of the government of the south-western region of the Free State of Saxony, belongs to an industrial and economical core region. Nowadays it is the capital city of the district of Zwickau...
, Fröbe was a member of the Nazi Party before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He joined the NSDAP in 1929 at the age of 16 and left it again in 1937. However, he aided two German Jews by hiding them from the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. Because of his former membership in the Nazi Party, the film Goldfinger was initially banned in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
until the family came forward and thanked him for saving their lives.
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 Standardconsumer), became a German term equivalent to Average Joe or Fred Bloggs. In 1958 he was cast as the villain in the Swiss-German film Es geschah am hellichten Tag
Es geschah am hellichten Tag
Es geschah am hellichten Tag is the title of a 1958 Swiss suspense film directed by Ladislao Vajda. In 1997, it was remade under the same title as a German TV film, directed by Nico Hoffmann. There was also a Dutch remake of the film, by Rudolf Van Den Berg, under the title The Cold Light of Day...
(It Happened in Broad Daylight), which was novelized by Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire...
. His role as a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
of children drew the attention of the producers of the James Bond movie Goldfinger, (1964) and he was chosen to play one of the most well-remembered villains of the series, gold tycoon Auric Goldfinger
Auric Goldfinger
Auric Goldfinger is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger. His first name, Auric, is an adjective meaning of gold...
.
Fröbe made several appearances in all-star casts in the 1960s, including the films The Longest Day
The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
, Is Paris Burning?
Is Paris Burning?
Is Paris Burning? is a 1966 film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by rival branches of the French Resistance and the Free French Forces.-Plot:...
, Monte Carlo or Bust
Monte Carlo or Bust
Monte Carlo or Bust is a 1969 comedy film. The story is based on the Monte Carlo Rally - first raced in 1911 - and the film recalls this general era, set in the 1920s. The film is a British/French/Italian co-production, and was released in the United States under the title Those Daring Young Men in...
, and Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin...
. Because of his thick German accent, Fröbe was dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
in some of his classic roles, including by British actor Michael Collins in Goldfinger. He also appeared in $
$ (film)
$, also known as Dollars and in the UK as The Heist, is a 1971 American caper film starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The movie was written and directed by Richard Brooks and produced by M.J. Frankovich. The supporting cast includes Gert Fröbe, Robert...
(1971) with Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
and Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
. During the 1980s Fröbe played small parts in Mercedes Benz W123 commercials, helping to promote the coupe and the sedan.
Besides acting, Fröbe was a prolific reciter of lyric poetry, especially that of Christian Morgenstern
Christian Morgenstern
Christian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern was a German author and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on March 7, 1910...
and Joachim Ringelnatz
Joachim Ringelnatz
Joachim Ringelnatz is the pen name of the German author and painter Hans Bötticher. His pen name Ringelnatz is usually explained as a dialect expression for an animal, possibly a variant of Ringelnatter, German for Grass Snake...
.
Fröbe died in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in September 1988 at age 75 from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Filmography (selection)
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Berliner Ballade | ||
| 1954 | The Eternal Waltz The Eternal Waltz The Eternal Waltz is a 1954 West German film dramatizing the life of Johann Strauss II. The initial story was written by Hanns Marschall and Ruth Charlotte Silbermann, and the film itself was written by Alexander Lix; the adaptation was by Paul Verhoeven who also directed the film.-Cast:*Bernhard... |
Gawriloff | |
| 1955 | Dunja Dunja Dunja is a 1955 Austrian film adaptation of an Alexander Pushkin novel starring Eva Bartok, Gert Fröbe and Ivan Desny.... |
||
| 1956 | Winter in the Woods Winter in the Woods Winter in the Woods is a 1956 German drama film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Claus Holm.-Cast:* Claus Holm - Martin* Sabine Bethmann - Marianne* Rudolf Forster - Baron Malte* Helen Thimig - Baronin Henny* Willy A... |
Gerstenberg | |
| 1957 | Typhon sur Nagasaki Typhon sur Nagasaki Typhon sur Nagasaki is a French drama romance film from 1957, directed by Yves Ciampi, written by Jean-Charles Tacchella, starring Jean Marais... |
||
| He Who Must Die He Who Must Die He Who Must Die , is a 1957 French film directed by Jules Dassin. It is based on the novel Christ Recrucified by Nikos Kazantzakis. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean Servais - Photis* Carl Möhner - Agha... |
Patriarcheos | ||
| 1958 | Nasser Asphalt Nasser Asphalt Nasser Asphalt is a 1958 West-German thriller with Horst Buchholz and Gert Fröbe that was directed by Frank Wisbar.-Plot:... |
Jupp | |
| 1960 | The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse is a 1960 film made in West Germany. It was the last film directed by Fritz Lang and concerned the further exploits of Dr. Mabuse, a character Lang had used in two previous films in 1922 and 1933.The movie, based on the Esperanto novel Mr... |
Inspector Kras | |
| 1961 | Auf Wiedersehen Auf Wiedersehen (film) Auf Wiedersehen is a 1961 German comedy film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Gert Fröbe, Joachim Fuchsberger, Günter Pfitzmann, Werner Peters and Elke Sommer. It was based on a novel by Reinhold Pabel... |
Angelo Pirrone | |
| 1962 | The Longest Day The Longest Day (film) The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II.... |
Unteroffizier Kaffeekanne | |
| Redhead Redhead (film) Redhead is a 1962 German-Italian drama film directed by Helmut Käutner. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Ruth Leuwerik - Franziska Lukas* Rossano Brazzi - Fabio* Giorgio Albertazzi - Patrick O'Malley... |
Kramer | ||
| 1964 | Greed in the Sun Greed in the Sun Greed in the Sun is a 1964 French comedy film directed by Henri Verneuil. It was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean-Paul Belmondo - Rocco* Lino Ventura - Hervé Marec dit 'Le plouc'* Reginald Kernan - John Steiner alias Peter Frocht... |
Castigliano dit 'La betterave' | |
| Goldfinger Goldfinger (film) Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title... |
Auric Goldfinger | Dubbed into English by Michael Collins. | |
| Tonio Kröger Tonio Kröger (film) Tonio Kröger is a 1964 German drama film directed by Rolf Thiele, based on the novel of the same name. It was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean-Claude Brialy - Tonio Kröger* Nadja Tiller - Lisaweta Iwanowna... |
|||
| 1965 | Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin... |
Colonel Manfred von Holstein | |
| A High Wind in Jamaica A High Wind in Jamaica (film) A High Wind in Jamaica is a 1965 film, based on the novel of the same name, and directed by Alexander Mackendrick for the 20th Century-Fox studio. It starred Anthony Quinn and James Coburn as the pirates who capture the children.... |
Dutch Captain | ||
| 1966 | Is Paris Burning? Is Paris Burning? Is Paris Burning? is a 1966 film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by rival branches of the French Resistance and the Free French Forces.-Plot:... |
Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz Dietrich von Choltitz General der Infanterie Dietrich von Choltitz was the German military governor of Paris during the closing days of the German occupation of that city during World War II... |
|
| Triple Cross | Col. Steinhager | ||
| 1967 | Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon is a 1967 British science fiction comedy film directed by Don Sharp and produced by Harry Alan Towers... |
Professor von Bulow | |
| I Killed Rasputin I Killed Rasputin I Killed Rasputin is a 1967 Italo-Franco biographical film directed by Robert Hossein. Gert Fröbe stars as the main subject, Grigori Rasputin. It is based on the work Lost Splendor by Felix Yusupov, a nobleman and participant in the murder of Rasputin. The script was approved by Yusupov and he... |
Grigori Rasputin Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a Russian Orthodox Christian and mystic who is perceived as having influenced the latter days of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their only son Alexei... |
||
| 1968 | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car is a children's book written by Ian Fleming for his son Caspar, with illustrations by John Burningham... |
Baron Bomburst Baron Bomburst Baron Bomburst is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The character did not appear in Ian Fleming's original novel; it was created by the film's screenwriter, Roald Dahl. Played by Gert Fröbe, Bomburst rules the Barony of Vulgaria together with his... |
|
| 1969 | Monte Carlo or Bust Monte Carlo or Bust Monte Carlo or Bust is a 1969 comedy film. The story is based on the Monte Carlo Rally - first raced in 1911 - and the film recalls this general era, set in the 1920s. The film is a British/French/Italian co-production, and was released in the United States under the title Those Daring Young Men in... (Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies) |
Willi Schickel & Horst Muller | |
| 1971 | $ $ (film) $, also known as Dollars and in the UK as The Heist, is a 1971 American caper film starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The movie was written and directed by Richard Brooks and produced by M.J. Frankovich. The supporting cast includes Gert Fröbe, Robert... |
Mr. Kessel | |
| 1972 | Ludwig Ludwig (film) Ludwig is a 1972 film directed by Italian director Luchino Visconti about the life and death of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Visconti's muse, Helmut Berger, stars as Ludwig, while Romy Schneider reprises her role as Empress Elisabeth of Austria in a very different portrayal compared to her role in... |
Father Hoffmann | |
| 1974 | And Then There Were None And Then There Were None (1974 film) And Then There Were None is a 1974 film version of the Agatha Christie mystery novel of the same name. Two previous theatrical adaptations were released in 1945 and 1965, and a videotaped made-for-television version was broadcast in 1959... |
Wilhelm Blor | Dubbed into English by Robert Rietti Robert Rietti Robert Rietti , usually credited as Robert Rietty, is a Italian actor and director.- Biography :Born of Italian heritage, Lucio Rietti was “discovered” at the age of 8 by his father Vittorio who noticed the boy had completely memorized a copy of a script he had given Lucio having wanted help from... . |
| 1976 | Death Rite Death Rite -Plot:At a luxury hotel in Djerba, Tunisia, psychic magician Vestar meets the dark Edouard . Heading to the hotel, Vestar has a vision of a woman being murdered in the desert. Edouard, a member of the leisure class, decides to use his influence to make the dream become a reality... |
Vestar | |
| 1977 | The Serpent's Egg The Serpent's Egg (film) The Serpent's Egg is a 1977 United States / West German co-produced film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring David Carradine as Abel Rosenberg, which is set in 1920s Berlin. This was Bergman's one and only Hollywood film... |
Inspector Bauer | |
| 1979 | Bloodline | Inspector Max Hornung | |
| 1980 | The Umbrella Coup The Umbrella Coup The Umbrella Coup is a 1980 French comedy film directed by Gérard Oury, starring Pierre Richard, Gordon Mitchell and Gert Fröbe.The creation of the film was inspired by several assassinations of Bulgarian dissidents where the so-called Bulgarian umbrella was used as a weapon... |
Otto Krampe aka Whale | |
| 1985 | The Little Vampire The Little Vampire The film version of the story was released in 2000 and stars Jonathan Lipnicki, Richard E. Grant, Jim Carter, and Alice Krige.-Plot:Tony Thompson is an only child whose family has moved to Scotland from California. In the new country, he has no friends, and he is picked on and beaten up by bullies... (Television series) |
Hans-Heinrich Geiermeier |