Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (13 December 1915 – 18 June 1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in Des Teufels General. His English-language roles include James Bond villain Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Éric Carradine in And God Created Woman (1956), and Professor Immanuel Rath in The Blue Angel (1959).
Jürgens was born on 13 December 1915 in the Munich borough of Solln, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire. His father, Kurt, was a trader from Hamburg, and his mother, Marie-Albertine, was a French teacher.[1][2] He had two elder twin sisters, Jeanette and Marguerite.[3] He began his working career as a journalist before becoming an actor at the urging of his actress wife, Louise Basler. He spent much of his early acting career on the stage in Vienna. Due to serious injuries that he sustained in a car accident in the summer of 1933, he was unable to have children.[4]
Jürgens was critical of Nazism in his native Germany. In 1944, after filming Wiener Mädeln, he got into an argument with Robert Kaltenbrunner (brother of high-ranking Austrian SS official Ernst Kaltenbrunner), SS-ObersturmbannführerOtto Skorzeny and a member of Baldur von Schirach's staff in a Viennese bar without knowing who they were. After this event, Jürgens was sent to a labor camp for the "politically unreliable" in Hungary. After a few weeks he managed to escape and went into hiding.[2][5][6][7] Jürgens became an Austrian citizen after the war.
Jürgens maintained a home in France, but frequently returned to Vienna to perform on stage. He died there from a heart attack on 18 June 1982. He had suffered a heart attack several years before. During this he had a near-death experience where he claimed he died and went to hell. Jürgens was interred in the Vienna Central Cemetery.
curd, jürgens, curd, gustav, andreas, gottlieb, franz, jürgens, december, 1915, june, 1982, german, austrian, stage, film, actor, usually, billed, english, speaking, films, curt, jurgens, well, known, playing, ernst, udet, teufels, general, english, language, . Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jurgens 13 December 1915 18 June 1982 was a German Austrian stage and film actor He was usually billed in English speaking films as Curt Jurgens He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in Des Teufels General His English language roles include James Bond villain Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 Eric Carradine in And God Created Woman 1956 and Professor Immanuel Rath in The Blue Angel 1959 Curd JurgensCurd Jurgens in 1976BornCurd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jurgens 1915 12 13 13 December 1915Solln Kingdom of Bavaria German EmpireDied18 June 1982 1982 06 18 aged 66 Vienna AustriaNationalityAustrianOccupationActorYears active1935 1982Height1 92 m 6 ft 4 in SpousesLulu Basler m 1938 div 1947 wbr Judith Holzmeister m 1947 div 1955 wbr Eva Bartok m 1955 div 1956 wbr Simone Bicheron m 1958 div 1977 wbr Margie Schmitz m 1978 wbr AwardsVolpi Cup for Best Actor1955 Les heros sont fatigues Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Partial filmography 5 References 6 External linksEarly life EditJurgens was born on 13 December 1915 in the Munich borough of Solln Kingdom of Bavaria German Empire His father Kurt was a trader from Hamburg and his mother Marie Albertine was a French teacher 1 2 He had two elder twin sisters Jeanette and Marguerite 3 He began his working career as a journalist before becoming an actor at the urging of his actress wife Louise Basler He spent much of his early acting career on the stage in Vienna Due to serious injuries that he sustained in a car accident in the summer of 1933 he was unable to have children 4 Jurgens was critical of Nazism in his native Germany In 1944 after filming Wiener Madeln he got into an argument with Robert Kaltenbrunner brother of high ranking Austrian SS official Ernst Kaltenbrunner SS Obersturmbannfuhrer Otto Skorzeny and a member of Baldur von Schirach s staff in a Viennese bar without knowing who they were After this event Jurgens was sent to a labor camp for the politically unreliable in Hungary After a few weeks he managed to escape and went into hiding 2 5 6 7 Jurgens became an Austrian citizen after the war Career EditJurgens went on to play soldiers in many war films Notable performances in this vein include his breakthrough screen role in Des Teufels General 1955 The Devil s General a fictional portrayal of World War I flying ace and World War II Luftwaffe general Ernst Udet followed by Roger Vadim s film Et Dieu crea la femme And God Created Woman starring Brigitte Bardot Jurgens first Hollywood film was The Enemy Below 1957 in which he portrayed a German U boat commander In 1962 he played the German general Gunther Blumentritt in The Longest Day 1962 Later in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 he played the villain Karl Stromberg a sociopathic industrialist seeking to transform the world into an ocean paradise His last film appearance was as Maitre Legraine beside Alain Delon and Claude Jade in the spy thriller Teheran 43 1981 In English language television he played Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in several episodes of the BBC series Fall of Eagles 1974 and appeared as General Vladimir in the BBC s Smiley s People 1982 Jurgens grave in the Vienna Central Cemetery Although he appeared in over 100 films Jurgens was also a notable stage actor He was member of several theatres in Vienna Volkstheater 1938 1941 Burgtheater 1940 1953 and 1965 1968 and others He played the title role of Hugo von Hofmannsthal s play Jedermann at the Salzburg Festival from 1973 until 1977 arguably the most high profile role for a German speaking male actor In 1966 he appeared in a short run on Broadway at the Eugene O Neill Theatre opposite Geraldine Page directed by George Schaefer 8 His last stage appearance was with the Vienna State Opera on 9 March 1981 as Bassa Selim in Mozart s opera Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail 9 He also directed a few films with limited success e g Bankraub in der Rue Latour and wrote screenplays e g Bonus on Death He titled his 1976 memoir und kein bisschen weise And Not At All Wise 10 11 Jurgens provided the German voice of the journalist in the 1980 German dub of Jeff Wayne s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds Personal life EditJurgens maintained a home in France but frequently returned to Vienna to perform on stage He died there from a heart attack on 18 June 1982 He had suffered a heart attack several years before During this he had a near death experience where he claimed he died and went to hell Jurgens was interred in the Vienna Central Cemetery He was 1 92 metres 6 ft 4 in tall 12 Brigitte Bardot nicknamed him the Norman Wardrobe during their work for Et Dieu crea la femme 13 In the summer of 1957 Jurgens had a short but intense affair with actress Romy Schneider 14 Jurgens was married to Lulu Basler actress 15 June 1937 8 October 1947 divorced Judith Holzmeister 16 October 1947 1955 divorced Eva Bartok 13 August 1955 1956 divorced 15 Simone Bicheron 14 September 1958 1977 divorced Margie Schmitz 21 March 1978 18 June 1982 his death Partial filmography EditThe Royal Waltz 1935 as Kaiser Franz Joseph of Austria Jurgens first film Family Parade 1936 as Graf Erik Stjernenho The Unknown 1936 as Hans Wellenkamp Love Can Lie 1937 as Student Holger Engstrom To New Shores 1937 as Bobby Wells Friend Tango Notturno 1937 as Friend of Jac Musician uncredited The Girl of Last Night 1938 as Die drei Attaches uncredited Salonwagen E 417 de 1939 as Prinz Heinrich Karl Weltrekord im Seitensprung 1940 as Peter Enderlein Kapellmeister Herz ohne Heimat 1940 as Bob uncredited Operetta 1940 as Karl Millocker Stimme des Herzens 1942 as Volontar Drews Whom the Gods Love 1942 as Emperor Joseph II Women Are No Angels 1943 as Bandini Ein glucklicher Mensch 1943 as Petersen Ein Blick zuruck de 1944 as Dr Erich Thienwiebel Eine kleine Sommermelodie de 1944 as Wolfgang Schwab The Singing House 1948 as Bandleader Hans Storch Hin und her de 1948 as Prinz Bernardo The Angel with the Trumpet 1948 as Graf Leopold Thraun On Resonant Shores 1948 as Stefan Keller The Heavenly Waltz 1948 as Clemens M Weidenauer Verlorenes Rennen de 1948 as George Miller Das Kuckucksei de 1949 as Dr Kurt Walla Lambert Feels Threatened 1949 as Kommissar Roland Hexen de 1949 as Heinz Wagner Viennese Girls 1949 as Graf Lechenberg Bonus on Death 1950 as Gunarson Opera Tenor Der Schuss durchs Fenster 1950 Kissing Is No Sin 1950 as Kammersanger Felix Alberti The Disturbed Wedding Night 1950 as Lawrence Vinning A Rare Lover 1950 as Sascha Borotraz Ein Lacheln im Sturm de 1951 as Jean Langrand Das Geheimnis einer Ehe de 1951 as Conductor Felix Adrian Der schweigende Mund de 1951 as Architect Reinhold Gangsterpremiere de 1951 as Kommissar House of Life 1952 as Axel Jolander Knall and Fall as Imposters 1952 as John Vandergold 1 April 2000 1952 as Capitano Herakles Rose of the Mountain 1952 as Composer Jack Long Praterherzen de 1953 as Toni Brandstetter They Call It Love 1953 as Peter Malmo Music by Night 1953 as Hans Kersten The Last Waltz 1953 as Rittmeister Graf Sarassow Everything for Father 1953 as Clemens Haberland Meines Vaters Pferde I Teil Lena und Nicoline de 1954 as Pat A Woman of Today 1954 as Heinz Bender Circus of Love 1954 as Toni Prisoners of Love 1954 as Willi Kluge Orient Express 1954 as Bate The Confession of Ina Kahr 1954 as Paul Kahr Du bist die Richtige de 1955 as Stefan Selby Des Teufels General 1955 as Gen Harry Harras Love Without Illusions 1955 as Walter Die Ratten 1955 as Bruno Mechelke Heroes and Sinners 1955 as Wolf Gerke Du mein stilles Tal de 1955 as Gerd Devil in Silk 1956 as Thomas Ritter The Golden Bridge 1956 as Balder Without You All Is Darkness 1956 as Dr Robert Kessler And God Created Woman 1956 as Eric Carradine The House of Intrigue Italian Londra chiama polo Nord 1956 as Colonel Bernes Michael Strogoff 1956 as Michel Strogoff Bitter Victory 1957 as Major Brand An Eye for an Eye fr 1957 as Dr Walter Les Espions 1957 as Alex The Enemy Below 1957 as Von Stolberg Tamango 1958 as Captain John Reinker This Happy Feeling 1958 as Preston Mitchell Me and the Colonel 1958 as Colonel Prokoszny The Inn of the Sixth Happiness 1958 as Captain Lin Nan Der Schinderhannes 1958 as Johann Schinderhannes Buckler Le vent se leve fr 1959 as Eric Muller Ferry to Hong Kong 1959 as Mark Bertram Conrad The Blue Angel 1959 as Professor Immanuel Rath Magnificent Sinner 1959 as Czar Alexander II I Aim at the Stars 1960 as Wernher von Braun Brainwashed 1960 as Werner von Basil Gustav Adolf s Page 1960 as King Gustav Adolf Bankraub in der Rue Latour 1961 as Cliff MacHardy Girl in a Suitcase 1961 as Rich Guy in Boat uncredited The Triumph of Michael Strogoff 1961 as Michel Strogoff Disorder 1962 as Carlo s Father The Longest Day 1962 as General Gunther Blumentritt I Don Giovanni della Costa Azzurra 1962 as Mr Edmond Three Penny Opera de 1963 as Captain Macheath Miracle of the White Stallions 1963 as Gen Tellheim Of Love and Desire 1963 as Paul Beckmann Nutty Naughty Chateau 1963 as Hugo Falsen Hide and Seek 1964 as Hubert Marek Encounter in Salzburg 1964 as Hans Wilke General Director Les Parias de la gloire 1964 as Ludwig Goetz Psyche 59 1964 as Eric Crawford DM Killer de 1965 as Kurt Lehnert Lord Jim 1965 as Cornelius Who Wants to Sleep 1965 as Stefan von Cramer Zwei Girls vom Roten Stern de 1966 as Dave O Connor Congress of Love de 1966 as Czar Alexander I Target for Killing 1966 as Gerard van Looch Giant The Gardener of Argenteuil 1966 as The Baron Dirty Heroes 1967 as General Edwin von Keist The Karate Killers 1967 as Carl von Kessen Der Lugner und die Nonne de 1967 as The Cardinal OSS 117 Double Agent 1968 as Il Maggiore The Doctor of St Pauli 1968 as Dr Jan Diffring Babeck de 1968 TV miniseries as Babeck The Assassination Bureau 1969 as Gen von Pinck Battle of the Commandos 1969 as Gen von Reilow On the Reeperbahn at Half Past Midnight 1969 as Hannes Teversen Battle of Britain 1969 as Baron von Richter Battle of Neretva 1969 as Lohring Slap in the Face 1970 as Thomas Nathan Terbanks Hotel by the Hour 1970 as Kommissar Canisius The Invincible Six 1970 as Baron Hello Goodbye 1970 as Baron De Choisis The Priest of St Pauli 1970 as Konrad Johannsen Cannabis 1970 as Henri Emery The Mephisto Waltz 1971 as Duncan Mowbray Ely Kapt n Rauhbein aus St Pauli de 1971 as Captain Markus Jolly Nicholas and Alexandra 1971 as the German Consul to Switzerland Fieras sin jaula 1971 as Ronald Marvelling Kill Kill Kill Kill 1971 as Grueningen A la guerre comme a la guerre fr 1972 as Russian general Der Kommissar TV 1972 1973 as Harald Bergmann Dr Hochstatter The Vault of Horror 1973 as Sebastian segment 3 This Trick ll Kill You Profession Adventurers 1973 as Alvarez Soft Beds Hard Battles 1974 as General Von Grotjahn Fall of Eagles TV 1974 as Otto von Bismarck Radiografia di una Svastika 1974 Cagliostro 1975 as Cardinal Braschi Derrick Season 2 episode 4 Madeira 1975 as Paul Bubach A Second Spring de 1975 as Fox Povero Cristo 1975 as Man Engaging Giorgio The Mimosa Wants to Blossom Too 1976 as Josef Popov As of Tomorrow de 1976 as Senator Shelton The Twist 1976 as Le bijoutier Jeweller The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 as Karl Stromberg Schoner Gigolo armer Gigolo 1978 as Prince Breakthrough 1979 as Gen Hofmann Missile X The Neutron Bomb Incident 1979 also known as Teheran Incident and Cruise Missile as Baron Marchant Goldengirl 1979 as Dr Serafin La lunga strada senza polvere it 1979 Cameo uncredited La Gueule de l autre 1979 as Wilfrid Why the UFOs Steal Our Lettuce de 1980 as UFO Commander The Sleep of Death 1980 as Count St Alyre Teheran 43 1981 as Maitre Legraine Collin de TV film 1981 as Hans Collin Smiley s People BBC TV 1982 as General Vladimir final film role References Edit Curt Jurgens War Films Star The New York Times UPI June 18 1982 Archived from the original on 2013 06 21 Retrieved February 27 2022 a b Luce William P 27 July 1977 The Man You ll Love to Hate The New York Times Archived from the original on 2018 02 22 Retrieved 2022 04 13 Childhood and Youth Nachlass Curd Jurgens Retrieved 2022 02 12 Specht Heike 2015 Curd Jurgens General und Gentleman Die Biographie in German Aufbau Digital ISBN 9783841210302 Zauner Gunther Wien Wo Personlichkeiten zu Hause waren PDF in German p 69 Curd Jurgens 102 in German Retrieved 2022 02 19 Karney Robyn 1984 The Movie Stars Story Crescent Books The Great Indoors by Irene Kamp Eugene O Neill Theatre January 17 February 5 1966 Playbill Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail 9 March 1981 Vienna State Opera Jurgens Curd und kein bisschen weise Munich Droemer Knaur 1976 ISBN 3 85886 054 9 Curd Jurgens Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 2022 02 19 Sill Oliver 1991 Zerbrochene Spiegel in German Walter de Gruyter p 227 ISBN 978 3 11 012697 6 Retrieved 8 May 2009 quoting Holba et al Reclams deutsches Filmlexikon Stuttgart 1984 p 181 ISBN 978 3 15 010329 6 Curd Jurgens im Portrat in German Hubert Burda Retrieved 8 May 2009 Balfanz Eckhard 10 June 2012 Liebesbeweise Romy Schneider liebte Curd Jurgens fur 2 Wochen Die Welt Eva Bartok 72 Actress in Films of 50 s and 60 s obituary AP in The New York Times 5 August 1998External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curd Jurgens Curd Jurgens at IMDb Curd Jurgens at the Internet Broadway Database as Curt Jurgens Curd Jurgens Estate at Deutsches Filminstitut Frankfurt am Main Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Curd Jurgens amp oldid 1139977606, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
