Hardy Krüger facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hardy Krüger
Krüger in 2013
Born	Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger (1928-04-12)12 April 1928 Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, Germany
Died	19 January 2022(2022-01-19) (aged 93) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Years active	1944–2011
Spouse(s)	Renate Densow ​ ​ (m. 1950; div. 1964)​ Francesca Marazzi ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1977)​ Anita Park ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	3, including Hardy Krüger Jr.

Hardy Krüger (born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger; 12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022) was a famous German actor and writer. He starred in over 60 films, starting in 1944. Krüger became a big movie star in Germany during the 1950s. Later, he acted in many international films. Some of his well-known movies include Hatari!, The Flight of the Phoenix, and A Bridge Too Far.

Hardy Krüger's life experiences made him a strong supporter of anti-fascism. This means he was against political systems that are very strict and often involve a dictator, like the Nazis.

Early Life and His Stand Against Nazism

Hardy Krüger was born in Wedding, Berlin, in 1928. His parents were strong supporters of the Nazis, a political party that ruled Germany with a dictator, Hitler, from 1933 to 1945. Krüger said he was "raised to love Hitler." From 1941, he went to an elite Adolf Hitler School.

At age 15, Hardy started his film career in a movie called The Young Eagles. There, he met the actor Hans Söhnker. Söhnker was secretly against the Nazis. He helped people hide from the Nazi government. Söhnker taught Krüger about the dangers of Nazism. Krüger even helped his friend by delivering messages to people in hiding.

In March 1945, when he was only 16, Krüger was forced to join a Nazi military group. He was in heavy fighting. He was ordered to shoot at American soldiers but refused. Because he refused, he was sentenced to death for being a "coward." However, another officer stopped the order. Krüger said this moment made him completely turn away from Nazism. He later escaped and hid until the war ended. He became a member of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation. He often spoke publicly against extreme ideas and supported democracy, sharing his own experiences.

Acting Career and Life's Work

Hardy Krüger at the Locarno film festival in 1955

After Second World War, Krüger continued acting in small theater roles. He couldn't afford to go to acting school. In the 1950s, he became a German film star. He appeared in films like Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach (1953). Krüger wanted to act in international films because he found German movies of that time a bit simple.

He first became known to English-speaking audiences in 1957. This was for the British war film The One That Got Away. It told the true story of Franz von Werra, a German prisoner of war who escaped from Allied forces.

In 1960, Krüger bought a farm called Ngorongoro in Tanganyika Territory (now Tanzania). He owned it for 13 years. This farm and the area around it were used for the film Hatari! (1962). Krüger starred in this movie with John Wayne. He loved the area so much during filming that he decided to live there.

Krüger spoke German, English, and French very well. This allowed him to work in many European and American films. He played the main role in the Oscar-winning film Sundays and Cybele (1962). He also had a key role in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). Other films he acted in include The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969). In this film, he played a German officer during World War II. He tried to find hidden wine in a small Italian town. He also appeared in Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975) and A Bridge Too Far (1977). In A Bridge Too Far, he shared a scene with the famous actor Laurence Olivier. He also starred in The Wild Geese (1978) with Richard Burton.

Because of his blond hair and blue eyes, Krüger often played German soldiers. This was a bit strange because he thought "war films were boring." His own experiences in the war were very difficult for him. He was against making war seem glorious.

Krüger and his wife Anita in 2013

In the late 1980s, Krüger mostly stopped acting. He became a writer instead. He wrote novels, travel books, and stories about his own life. He published 16 books starting from 1970. Four of his books were translated into English. He also directed several TV documentaries. These documentaries showed his travels around the world.

Personal Life and Passing

Krüger met his first wife, Renate Densow, when he was just 16. They married later, and they had a daughter named Christiane Krüger (born 1945). Their marriage ended in 1964.

His second marriage was to Francesca Marazzi, an Italian painter. This marriage lasted from 1964 to 1977. They had two children together: Malaika Krüger (born 1967) and Hardy Krüger Jr. (born 1968). During the 1960s and 1970s, Krüger lived at a ranch in Tanzania. This ranch was called "Hatari Lodge," where the film Hatari! was filmed.

Krüger married his third wife, Anita Park, in 1978. They lived in California and Hamburg, Germany. This marriage lasted a long time. It was around this time that he stopped acting. This allowed him to spend more time at home.

Hardy Krüger passed away at his home in Palm Springs, California, on 19 January 2022. He was 93 years old.

Selected Filmography

Source:

Awards

• 1959 Bravo Otto (bronze)
• 1960 Bravo Otto (silver)
• 1983 Deutscher Filmpreis
• 1986 Goldene Kamera
• 2001 Bavarian Film Awards Honorary Award
• 2001 Officier de la Légion d’Honneur
• 2008 Bambi: Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2009 Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2011 Jupiter Award, Lifetime Achievement
• 2014 Star on the Boulevard der Stars [de] in Berlin

See also

In Spanish: Hardy Krüger para niños

• List of people from Berlin