Bruno Ganz Biography / Wim Wenders

Born 1941 to a Swiss worker and his Northern Italian wife.

Bruno Ganz debuted at the theatre in 1961 and gained there a good reputation as a solid, young actor. In 1970 he founded with 'Peter Stein' the theatre company "Schaubuehne" of Berlin. His debut at the movies was early and unsuccessful in 1960. Only in 1975 after "Sommergaeste (1975)" he could show his talent as a reflexive actor with tendencies towards introspection.

Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:

Sad-looking leading man of the "New German Wave" of films, known for doomed, self-tortured protagonists. After achieving success on the stage in Germany, he won a major film role in Eric Rohmer's The Marquise of O (1976), which was followed by Werner Herzog's atmospheric Nosferatu the Vampire (1979) and Volker Schlondorff's Circle of Deceit (1981). He has appeared in The Boys From Brazil (1978), The Girl From Lorraine (1980), and Strapless (1989), but may be best known for his films with Wim Wenders, The American Friend (1977) and-especially-Wings of Desire (1988), playing an angel who wants to be human again. Recent films include the provocative Australian drama The Last Days of Chez Nous the Italian-made Especially on Sunday (in the title segment), and Faraway, So Close! a "sequel" to Wings of Desire all released in 1993

February 1996: Ganz inherits the mysterious Iffland-Ring from Josef Meinrad, which is given to the most important actor of German speaking theatre since 200 years.

Filmography

Epsteins Nacht (2001) .... Adam Rose
Eyewitness (2001)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Faust (2000) (TV) .... Faust
Pane e tulipani (2000) .... Fernando Girasoli
   aka Bread and Tulips (2000)
WerAngstWolf (2000)
    aka WhoAfraidWolf (2000)
You Can't Go Home Again (1998) (voice) .... Narrator
Mia aiwniothta kai mia mera (1998) .... Alexandre
   aka Eternity and a Day (1998)
   aka Eternità e un giorno, L' (1998) (Italy)
   aka Éternité et un jour, L' (1998) (France)
Gegen Ende der Nacht (1998) (TV) .... Fehleisen
Saint-Ex (1997) .... Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Tödliches Schweigen (1996) (TV) .... Hans Plache
Tatort - Schattenwelt (1996) (TV) .... Bombadil
Anwalt Abel - Ein Richter in Angst (1996) (TV) .... Crusius
"Grande Fausto, Il" (1995) (mini) TV Series .... Biagio Cavanna
Lumière et compagnie (1995) .... Damiel (segment "Wim Wenders")
   aka Lumiere y compañía (1996) (Spain)
   aka Lumière and Company (1995)
Heller Tag (1994) .... Georg
Quator des possibles, Le (1993) (voice) .... Voiceover
    aka Quartet of the Possibles, The (1993)

In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993) .... Damiel
aka Faraway, So Close! (1993) (USA)

Absence, L' (1993)
   aka Absence, The (1995) (USA)
   aka Abwesenheit, Die (1994) (Germany)
   aka Ausencia, La (1993) (Spain)
Brandnacht (1992) .... Peter Keller
   aka Night on Fire (1992)
Last Days of Chez Nous, The (1992) .... J.P.
Prague (1992) .... Josef
Domenica specialmente, La (1991) .... Vittorio
   aka Especially on Sunday (1991) (USA)
Börn náttúrunnar (1991) .... The Angel
   aka Children of Nature (1991)
   aka Kind der Natur (1992) (Germany)
   aka Reisen tilbake (1991) (Norway)
Erfolg (1991)
   aka Success (1991)
"Tassilo - Ein Fall für sich" (1990) TV Series .... Tassilo
Bankomatt (1989) .... Bruno
Undergångens arkitektur (1989) (voice) .... Narrator
(German, subtitled English versions)
   aka Architecture of Doom, The (1989)
Strapless (1989) .... Raymond Forbes
Amore di donna, Un (1988)

Himmel über Berlin, Der (1987) .... Damiel
aka Ailes du désir, Les (1987) (France)
aka Wings of Desire (1987) (USA)

"Väter und Söhne" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Heinrich Beck
   aka "Fathers and Sons" (1986/II) (mini)
   aka "Sins of the Fathers" (1986) (mini)
Río de oro, El (1986)
Ijssalon, De (1985) .... Gustav
   aka Ice-Cream Parlour, The (1985)
   aka Private Resistance (1985) (USA)
Killer aus Florida (1983) (TV)
Dans la ville blanche (1983) .... Paul
   aka Cidade Branca, A (1983) (Portugal)
   aka In the White City (1983) (USA)
Krieg und Frieden (1983)
   aka War and Peace (1983)
Rece do gory (1981)
   aka Hands Up! (1981)
Fälschung, Die (1981) .... Georg Laschen
   aka Circle of Deceit (1981)
   aka False Witness (1981)
   aka Faussaire, Le (1981) (France)
Dame aux camélias, La (1981) .... Count Perregaux
   aka Dama delle camelie, La (1981) (Italy)
   aka Lady of the Camelias (1981)
   aka Storia vera della signora delle camelie, La (1981) (Italy)
   aka True Story of Camille, The (1981)
5 % de risque (1980)
Erfinder, Der (1980)
Provinciale, La (1980) .... Remy
   aka Girl from Lorraine, The (1980)
Retour à la bien-aimée (1979) .... Dr. Stephan Kern
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979) .... Jonathan Harker
   aka Nosferatu - fantôme de la nuit (1979) (France)
   aka Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) (USA)
Boys from Brazil, The (1978) .... Professor Bruckner
Geschichte einer Liebe (1978) (TV)
Messer im Kopf (1978) .... Hoffmann
   aka Knife in the Head (1978)
Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte (1978) (TV) .... Thomas Rosemund
   aka Black and White Like Day and Night (1978) (TV)
Linkshändige Frau, Die (1977) .... Bruno
   aka Left-Handed Woman, The (1977)

The American Friend (1977) (USA)
... Jonathan Zimmermann
L' Ami américain (1977) (France)
Der Amerikanische Freund (1977)

Wildente, Die (1976)
   aka Wild Duck, The (1976)
Marquise von O..., Die (1976) .... The Count
   aka Marquise d'O..., La (1976) (France)
   aka Marquise of O, The (1976)
Lumière (1976) .... Heinrich Gruin
   aka Lumiere (1976) (USA)
Sommergäste (1975)
Große Familie, Eine (1970) (TV)
Mutter, Die (1970) (TV)
Schlacht bei Lobositz, Die (1968) (TV)
Sanfte Lauf, Der (1967) .... Barnhard Kral
Chikita (1961)
Dach überem Chopf, Es (1961)
  aka Dach überm Kopf, Ein (1961)
Wenn Männer Schlange stehen (1961)
Herr mit der schwarzen Melone, Der (1960)

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