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Eric Braeden
Eric Braeden - Monte-Carlo Television Festival.jpg
Braeden in 2013
Born
Hans-Jörg Gudegast

(1941-04-03) April 3, 1941 (age 83)
Bredenbek, Free State of Prussia, Germany
(present-day Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)
Education University of Montana
Occupation Actor
Years active 1960–present
Spouse(s)
Dale Russell
(m. 1966)
Children Christian Gudegast

Eric Braeden (born Hans-Jörg Gudegast; April 3, 1941) is a German film and television actor, known for his roles as Victor Newman on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, as Hans Dietrich in the 1960s TV series The Rat Patrol, Dr. Charles Forbin in Colossus: The Forbin Project, as Dr. Otto Hasslein in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and as John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film Titanic. He won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1998 for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the role of Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless.

Early life

Braeden was born Hans-Jörg Gudegast in Bredenbek, Germany (near Kiel), a city in northern Germany where his father was once mayor. In his autobiography, titled I'll Be Damned, published by Harper Collins in 2017, Braeden revealed that he was a survivor of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff sinking. The MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German armed military transport ship which was sunk on January 30, 1945 by Soviet submarine S-13, in the Baltic Sea, while evacuating German civilian and military refugees. It is estimated that 9,400 people died. It was the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history. He emigrated to the United States in 1959, and attended the University of Montana, Missoula.

Career

Braeden accumulated many TV and film credits during his first two decades in America, and guest-starred in 120 roles. His earliest credits were all under his birth name, Hans Gudegast.

During the 1960s, he appeared in several episodes of TV's longest-running World War II drama (1962–1967) Combat!, always playing a German soldier. In 1965, he appeared in a film called Morituri starring Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner, and guest-starred in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. as T.H.R.U.S.H. agent Mr. Oakes in "The Discotheque Affair", season two, episode five.

Eric Braeden Hans Gudegast The Rat Patrol 1966
Braeden in The Rat Patrol, 1966

In 1966, he guest-starred as Luftwaffe Major Bentz in episode 28, "Day of Reckoning", of season two of the TV series Twelve O'Clock High (a series which was very loosely based on the classic 1949 war film with the same name) and also appeared in an episode of the 1966 espionage drama series Blue Light. His main character for the next two years was his regular starring role playing German Hauptmann (Captain) Hans Dietrich on the TV series The Rat Patrol (1966–1968),

He starred in the 1969 Western 100 Rifles with Raquel Welch, Burt Reynolds, and Jim Brown (noted for the first big-screen interracial love scene between Welch and Brown), once again playing a villainous German military officer opposite Fernando Lamas. This was his last credit under his birth name.

His starring role in the movie Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), was when he first took the stage name of Eric Braeden. Lew Wasserman of Universal Pictures told him that no one would be allowed to star in an American film if he or she had a German name. After much thought, he took the name Braeden from his hometown of Bredenbek.

His other movie appearances in the 1970s included the role of Dr. Otto Hasslein in Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), and that of the arrogant but formidable race-car driver, Bruno von Stickle, in Walt Disney's 1977 Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. Throughout the 1970s, he also guest-starred in a variety of television shows, including The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and also appeared in several episodes of the long-running CBS Western series Gunsmoke.

Eric Braeden (Los Angeles, July 2007)
Braeden in July 2007

In addition to many episodic roles, Braeden also appeared as Colonel John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. Braeden told Cindy Elavsky that filming the scene in Titanic, in which his character drowned, "was one of the scariest moments in this business for me."

Victor Newman

In 1980, he was offered the role of self-made business magnate Victor Newman on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. Initially, the role was for a 26-week run. His character imprisoned his wife's lover, and became so popular the character became a love-to-hate villain, and his contract was extended.

Braeden won a Daytime Emmy for his work in 1998. In February 2017 he celebrated his 37th anniversary with the show. In 2020, the show marked Braeden's 40th anniversary as Victor onscreen.

In October 2009, Braeden and The Young and the Restless came to an impasse regarding contract negotiations, and press reports indicated he might leave the show. CBS later announced, though, that Braeden had inked a new three-year deal and would remain with the show, agreeing to a reduction in salary, which was the original issue.

Personal life

In 1958, Braeden, under his birth name Hans-Jörg Gudegast, won the Germany National Team Championship in track and field (discus, shot put, and javelin) with the Rendsburger TSV. Braeden later went on to win the 1973 National Challenge Cup as a fullback with the Jewish American soccer club Maccabi Los Angeles, scoring the winning goal in the semifinal game and a penalty kick in the championship game against Chicago Croatian. In the 1970s/80s, he could often be seen boxing at the Hoover Street and Broadway gyms in Los Angeles. He was a tennis player and has participated in many celebrity events.

He married his college sweetheart Dale Russell in 1966. His son, Christian, is a director who created the film Den of Thieves, starring Gerard Butler.

Health

In April 2023, Braeden announced he was diagnosed with "high-grade" bladder cancer. He discovered his cancer diagnosis while recovering from knee-replacement surgery and while undergoing prostate-related treatment. In August 2023, Braeden revealed he was now cancer-free.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1961 Operation Eichmann Klaus
1962–1964 Combat! Corporal Hans Gruber / Sergeant Ecktmann 6 episodes
1965 Morituri Radio Officer Uncredited
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Mr. Oakes Episode: "The Discotheque Affair"
12 O'Clock High Major Gerhard Bentz / Captain Zoller 2 episodes
1966–1967 Mission: Impossible Andrei Fetyakov / Marcus Von Frank 2 episodes
1966–1968 The Rat Patrol Captain Hans Dietrich 58 episodes
1966 The Virginian Augustin Episodes: "No Drums, No Trumpets"
1968 Dayton's Devils Max Eikhart
1969 100 Rifles Lieutenant Franz Von Klemme
1969–1973 Hawaii Five-O Djebara / Klaus Marburg / Dr. Paul Farrar 3 episodes
1970 The Mask of Sheba Dr. Morgan TV movie
Colossus: The Forbin Project Dr. Charles A. Forbin
The Young Rebels Major Zanker Episode: "The Hostages"
1971 Escape from the Planet of the Apes Dr. Otto Hasslein
Mannix Viktor Gruniev Episode: “Woman in the Shadows”
Bearcats! Colonel Reinert Episode: "Dos Gringos"
1971–1974 Gunsmoke Jack Sinclair / Talley / Carl Jaekel 5 episode
1972 The Judge and Jake Wyler Anton Granicek TV movie
1973 McCloud Ravik Episode: "The Million Dollar Round Up"
Lady Ice Peter Brinker
The Six Million Dollar Man Findletter TV movie
Death Race Stoeffer TV movie
The ... Hank Baron
1973–1975 Barnaby Jones Hans / Jennings / Raven / Steven Kingston 2 episodes
1974 Banacek Paul Bolitho Episode: "The Vanishing Chalice"
The Ultimate Thrill Roland Parlay
Kolchak: The Night Stalker Bernhardt Stieglitz Episode: "The Werewolf"
1975 Death Scream Kosinsky TV movie
1976 Cannon Carl Bruckner Episode: “The Quasar Kill”
1975–1978 Wonder Woman Donalsen / Captain Drangel 2 episodes
1977 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Karl Heller Episode: "The Critic"
Kojak Kenneth Krug Episode: "When You Hear the Beep, Drop Dead"
Code Name: Diamond Head Ernest Graeber TV movie
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo Bruno Von Stickle
1978 The Eddie Capra Mysteries Leo Episode: "Murder! Murder!"
Piranha Dr. Robert Hoak (swimming double) Uncredited
1979 CHiPs Senator Bob Larwin Episode: "MAIT Team"
1980 The Aliens Are Coming Leonard Nero TV movie
1980–present The Young and the Restless Victor Newman
1981 Charlie's Angels John Reardon Episode: "Attack Angels"
1986 Airwolf Nick Kincaid Episode: "Birds of Paradise"
1986 Murder, She Wrote Colonel Gerhardt Brunner Episode: "One White Rose for Death"
1990 The Ambulance The Doctor
Lucky Chances Dimitri Stanislopolous 3 episodes
1993 Perry Mason: Wicked Wives David Morrison
1994 The Nanny Frank Bradley Sr. Episode: "Sunday in the Park with Fran"
1995 Diagnosis: Murder Himself Episode: "Death in the Daytime"
1997 Titanic John Jacob Astor IV
1998 Meet the Deedles Elton Deedle
1999 The Bold and the Beautiful Victor Newman 4 episodes (January 25–28, 1999 )
2008 The Man Who Came Back Reese Paxton
2008 How I Met Your Mother Robin Scherbatsky Sr. Episode: "Happily Ever After"
2018 Den of Thieves "Ziggy" Zerhusen

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations for Eric Braeden
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1986
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role on a Daytime Serial The Young and the Restless Nominated
1987
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Nominated
1988
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role: Daytime The Young and the Restless Nominated
1989
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role: Daytime The Young and the Restless Won
'
1990
Distinguished German-American of the Year N/A Himself Won
1990
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor: Daytime The Young and the Restless Nominated
1990
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Nominated
1991
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor: Daytime The Young and the Restless Nominated
1992
People's Choice Awards Favorite Male Performer In A Daytime Serial The Young and the Restless Won
1993
Soap Opera Digest Award Hottest Male Star The Young and the Restless Nominated
1994
Soap Opera Digest Award Hottest Male Star The Young and the Restless Nominated
1996
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Nominated
1997
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Nominated
1997
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor: Daytime The Young and the Restless Won
1998
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Won
1999
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Nominated
1999
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor The Young and the Restless Nominated
2000
Soap Opera Digest Award Favourite Actor The Young and the Restless Nominated
2001
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor The Young and the Restless Won
2000
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Nominated
2004
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Young and the Restless Nominated
2005
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Lead Actor The Young and the Restless Nominated
2007
Hollywood Walk of Fame N/A Himself Won
2007
Gilmore Award
the Pacific Pioneers, a radio
and television industry group
N/A Himself Won
2009
Friend of German Award
from the American Association
of Teachers of German
N/A Himself Won
2017
Soap Awards France Best Villain of the Year The Young and the Restless Won
2018
Soap Awards France Best Actor of the Year The Young and the Restless Nominated
2018
Soap Awards France Best Villain of the Year The Young and the Restless Nominated
2020
Soap Hub Awards Favorite The Young and the Restless Actor The Young and the Restless Won

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Eric Braeden para niños

  • Victor Newman and Nikki Reed
  • Supercouple
  • Distinguished German-American of the Year
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