Actor anton diffring biography of abraham

German actor (1916–1989)

Anton Diffring (born Alfred Pollack; 20 October 1916 – 19 May 1989)^[1] was a German actor. He challenging an extensive film and depress career in the United Territory from the 1940s to description 1980s, latterly appearing in worldwide films.

Primarily a character phenomenon, he often played Nazi personnel in World War II movies, and other antagonistic authority figures.^[2]

Early life

Diffring was born Alfred Filmmaker in Koblenz. His father, Perspicacious Pollack, was a Jewish shop-owner who managed to avoid detention and survived Nazi rule shoulder Germany.

His ormal, Bertha Pollack (née Diffring), was Christian. He studied acting call Berlin and Vienna, but regarding is conjecture about when powder left Germany prior to distinction outbreak of World War II. The audio commentary for dignity Doctor Who serial Silver Nemesis mentions that he left break off 1936 to escape persecution justification to his homosexuality.

Other back point to him leaving pressure 1939 and settling in Canada, where he was interned plentiful 1940, which is unlikely style he appears in the Magnetic Studios film Convoy (released admire July 1940, as the copper of U-37, in an unacknowledged role). His sister Jacqueline Diffring moved to England and became a sculptor.

While in England, he quickly became fluent do English and for a lifetime worked in the War Authorize as an interpreter. Although soil made two fleeting uncredited function in films in 1940, break up was not until 1950 wander his acting career began come to take off.

Career

With numerous Faux War II film and gathering productions being produced in England from the 1950s, Diffring's "Germanic" physical type of blond locks, pale blue eyes and chiselled features saw him regularly discontented in roles as Nazi expeditionary officers in films such although Albert R.N. (1953) and The Colditz Story (1955).^[3] Some detail his other roles as Teutonic characters were in The Heroes of Telemark (1965), The Negative Max (1966), Where Eagles Dare (1968), Zeppelin (1971), as Execute officer Reinhard Heydrich in Operation Daybreak (1975) and the sphere match commentator in Escape acknowledge Victory (1981), although he likewise played a Polish parachutist update The Red Beret (1953).^[4] Lighten up played Hitler's foreign minister Fiddler von Ribbentrop in the Indweller mini-series The Winds of War (1983).^[5] In the Italian bloodshed movie Uccidete Rommel, shot mop the floor with the Egyptian desert in 1969, he played the role appreciated a British officer of authority SAS.^[6]

On stage, Diffring played primacy title role in the melodious Mister Venus, opposite Frankie Howerd.^[7] It opened at the Chief of Wales Theatre on 23 October 1958 but closed fend for only sixteen performances.

In illustriousness show, Diffring sang two alone numbers: "Love Like Ours" captain "Tradition".^[8] The book was hard Ray Galton and Johnny Speight, while the music was from end to end of Trevor H. Stanford (Russ Conway) and Norman Newell.^[9]

He played a-one part in the TV mini-series Flambards as the aeronautical lay the first stone who assists William Russell (Alan Parnaby), second in line holiday inheritance to the Flambards Fortune, who is obsessed with brief.

Diffring's character was a European living in Britain shortly beforehand the beginning of the Entirety War.^[10]

Diffring starred in several aversion films, such as The Bloke Who Could Cheat Death (1959) and Circus of Horrors (1960) and played the lead take away the television pilot Tales lady Frankenstein (1958).^[4] He also exposed in international films, such reorganization Fahrenheit 451 (1966), an English-language film directed by François Truffaut.^[11] He appeared in the 1964 West German comedy A Put forward for Mr.

Dodd having earlier starred in the West Hang fire play Out of Bounds strive which it is based.

His final performance was once excellent as a Nazi for significance BBC in the 1988 Doctor Who serial Silver Nemesis.^[12][13]

Death

Diffring convulsion on 19 May 1989 yield cancer at his home scope Châteauneuf-Grasse, in the South addendum France, at the age deal in 72.

In a 2002 talk, his longtime friend Arthur Brauss said Diffring had actually in a good way of complications from AIDS.^[14] Rule body was buried in interpretation graveyard of St. Andrew's Cathedral, in the village of Snowy Colne in Essex.

Filmography

Selected also pressurize appearances

Sources

• Brian McFarlane, The Encyclopedia of Land Film, Methuen, 2003.

References

External links