Bruno Ganz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bruno Ganz
Ganz in 2011
Born	(1941-03-22)22 March 1941 Zürich, Switzerland
Died	16 February 2019(2019-02-16) (aged 77) Wädenswil, Switzerland
Resting place	Friedhof Rehalp (Zürich)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1960–2019
Spouse(s)	Sabine Ganz ​ ​ (m. 1965, separated)​
Partner(s)	Ruth Walz
Children	1
Awards	"Actor of the Year" by Theater heute Hans-Reinhart-Ring Iffland-Ring Swiss Film Prize David di Donatello European Film Award Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Lifetime Achievement Award, Goldene Kamera

Bruno Ganz (born March 22, 1941 – died February 16, 2019) was a famous Swiss actor. He worked in plays, TV shows, and movies in Germany for almost 60 years.

He was well-known for working with directors like Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders. Some of his most famous movie roles include Jonathan Zimmerman in The American Friend (1977), Jonathan Harker in Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), and Damiel the Angel in Wings of Desire (1987).

Bruno Ganz also gained a lot of fame for playing Adolf Hitler in the movie Downfall (2004). He appeared in many English movies too, such as The Boys from Brazil (1978) and The Reader (2008). On stage, he played Dr. Heinrich Faust in a long play called Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two in 2000.

Early Life and Acting Dreams

Bruno Ganz was born in Zürich, Switzerland, on March 22, 1941. His father worked in a factory, and his mother was from Italy.

Even before he went to university, Bruno knew he wanted to be an actor. He loved both stage plays and movies. At first, he found more success acting in plays.

A Career on Stage and Screen

Starting on Stage

Bruno Ganz began his acting career in plays in 1961. For nearly 20 years, he mostly focused on theater. In 1970, he helped start a theater group called the Berliner Schaubühne.

Ganz at the Tokyo Film Festival in 2005

In 1973, a German magazine called Theater heute named him "Actor of the Year." This award showed how talented he was on stage. One of his most challenging roles was playing the main character in the play Faust (Parts I and II) in 2000. He even got hurt during rehearsals for this big role!

Becoming a Film Star

Bruno Ganz got his first movie role in 1960 in a film called The Man in the Black Derby. But it took many years for his movie career to really take off.

His big break in movies came in 1976 with the film Summerfolk [de]. After this, he became a well-known actor in Europe and the United States. He worked with famous directors from the New German Cinema movement, like Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders. He also worked with international directors such as Éric Rohmer and Francis Ford Coppola.

In 1977, he starred with Dennis Hopper in American Friend. In this movie, he played a sick father who becomes a hired killer. In 1979, he was in Herzog's vampire movie Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht. He also acted alongside Sir Laurence Olivier in the thriller The Boys from Brazil (1978).

Ganz in 2017

In 1987, Bruno Ganz played the angel Damiel in Wim Wenders's movie Wings of Desire. He played this role again in Faraway, So Close! in 1993. He also appeared in The Reader as a person who survived a difficult time in history. In 2011, he was in Unknown with Liam Neeson. Later in his career, he played the grandfather in the movie Heidi (2015).

Playing Adolf Hitler

One of Bruno Ganz's most famous roles was playing Adolf Hitler in the 2004 movie Der Untergang (Downfall). He spent four months studying for the role to make his performance very realistic. Critics praised his acting, saying he showed Hitler as an old, sick leader in his final days.

Later Life and Passing

Bruno Ganz was married to Sabine from 1965. They had a son named Daniel, born in 1972. Even though they were married, they lived separately for a long time.

In February 2018, doctors found that Bruno Ganz was ill, and he started treatment.

Bruno Ganz passed away on February 16, 2019, at his home in Switzerland. He was 77 years old. His partner, Ruth Walz, and his son Daniel were with him.

From 1996 until his death, Bruno Ganz held the Iffland-Ring. This special ring is given to the actor considered the "most important and worthy actor in German-speaking theater." Bruno Ganz also received other important awards, like the Order of Merit from Germany and was made a knight of the French Légion d'honneur.

Awards and Special Honors

Star on the Boulevard of the Stars in Berlin

• 1973: Named "Actor of the Year" by the German magazine Theater heute
• 1991: Received the Hans-Reinhart-Ring from the Swiss Society for Theatre Culture
• 1996: Awarded the Iffland-Ring
• 1998: Became an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
• 2000: Won the Swiss Film Prize
• 2000: Received the David di Donatello Award for Bread and Tulips
• 2004: Won a European Film Award
• 2005: Honored with the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
• 2006: Received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2010: Got a star on the Boulevard of the Stars [de] in Berlin
• 2011: Received the Pardo alla Carriera at the Locarno International Film Festival
• 2012: An asteroid, 199900 Brunoganz, was named after him
• 2014: Given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Goldene Kamera awards
• 2015: Received a Special Golden Camera 300 for lifetime achievement at the Manaki Brothers Film Festival

Filmography

Bruno Ganz appeared in many films, including:

See also

In Spanish: Bruno Ganz para niños