Helmut Berger
Helmut Berger (born May 29th 1944 as Helmut Steinberger in Bad Ischl, Austria) is an Austrian actor.
Berger was born into a family of hoteliers. Although he had no interest in gastronomy or the hospitality industry, he initially trained and worked in this area. At the age of 18, he moved to London, where he did odd jobs whilst simultaneously taking acting classes. After studying languages in Perugia, Berger moved to Rome.
In 1964, he first met Luchino Visconti, whose life partner he later became. Visconti gave him his first acting role in the movie Le Streghe (1967) (in the episode "La Strega Bruciata Viva"), but he attained international fame playing Martin von Essenbeck in Visconti's The Damned (1969).
In what is perhaps his best known scene, in this film he mimics the role of Lola, as played by Marlene Dietrich in Der blaue Engel. However, the role of Ludwig II of Bavaria in Visconti's Ludwig can be considered the pinnacle of his acting career; he portrays the monarch from his blooming youth to his dissolute final years, in the process revealing a nervous and paranoid lord of decay drawn from his own weaknesses and psychological depths.
Visconti's death in 1976 plunged Berger into a deep personal and financial crisis. Visconti's will, in which Berger was apparently named as heir, could not be found. A former friend and companion of Visconti, the director Franco Zeffirelli, has subsequently castigated Berger publically, accusing him of exploiting his mentor. In addition to a suicide attempt on the first anniversary of Visconti's death, Berger has had alcohol and drug-related problems.
As well as appearances in B movies and smaller prestige pictures, Berger consequently also worked in television, notably Dynasty, but since Visconti no director has ever been able to activate Berger's potential again.
Berger, with his dissipated lifestyle and openly acknowledged bisexuality, has always been a welcome guest on talk shows telling for example of erotic adventures with Marisa Berenson, whom he supposedly wished to marry, and Mick Jagger).
In 2004, to the great interest of the Austrian media, Berger moved from Rome to Salzburg to live with his mother, but denied runours of financial difficulties, explaining he was merely looking for a new apartment in Rome. He also declared he had sworn off all drugs.
Selected filmography
- 1969 The Damned
- 1970 Dorian Gray
- 1972 Ludwig
- 1977 La Belva col Mitra
- 1983 Dynasty (television)
- 1990 The Godfather Part III
- 1993 Ludwig 1881
- 1997 Die 120 Tage von Bottrop (televison)