Bruno Ganz (German: [ˈbruË no ˈɡantÍ¡s] (listen); 22 March 1941 â€"
16 February 2019)[note 1] was a Swiss actor whose career in German
television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known
for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer,
Francis Ford Coppola, and Wim Wenders, earning widespread recognition
with his roles as Jonathan Zimmerman in The American Friend (1977),
Jonathan Harker in Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) and Damiel the Angel
in Wings of Desire (1987).Ganz received renewed international acclaim
for his portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the Oscar-nominated film Downfall
(2004). He also had roles in several English-language films, including
The Boys from Brazil (1978), Strapless (1989), The Manchurian
Candidate (2004), The Reader (2008), Unknown (2011) and Remember
(2015). On stage Ganz portrayed Dr. Heinrich Faust in Peter Stein's
staging of Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two in 2000.From 1996 until
his death in 2019, Ganz held the Republic of Austria's Iffland-Ring,
which passes from actor to actorâ€"each bequeathing the ring to the
next holder, judging that actor to be the "most significant and most
worthy actor of the German-speaking theatre". Ganz was also honored
with the Order of Merit of Germany and was made a knight of the French
Légion d'honneur.
16 February 2019)[note 1] was a Swiss actor whose career in German
television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known
for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer,
Francis Ford Coppola, and Wim Wenders, earning widespread recognition
with his roles as Jonathan Zimmerman in The American Friend (1977),
Jonathan Harker in Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) and Damiel the Angel
in Wings of Desire (1987).Ganz received renewed international acclaim
for his portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the Oscar-nominated film Downfall
(2004). He also had roles in several English-language films, including
The Boys from Brazil (1978), Strapless (1989), The Manchurian
Candidate (2004), The Reader (2008), Unknown (2011) and Remember
(2015). On stage Ganz portrayed Dr. Heinrich Faust in Peter Stein's
staging of Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two in 2000.From 1996 until
his death in 2019, Ganz held the Republic of Austria's Iffland-Ring,
which passes from actor to actorâ€"each bequeathing the ring to the
next holder, judging that actor to be the "most significant and most
worthy actor of the German-speaking theatre". Ganz was also honored
with the Order of Merit of Germany and was made a knight of the French
Légion d'honneur.
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