The Austrian actor Helmut Berger is dead. He died in Salzburg at the age of 78, according to his agency. Berger became famous primarily through his collaboration with the Italian director Visconti.
The Austrian actor Helmut Berger is dead. This was announced by his agency. “Helmut Berger passed away today, May 18, 2023 at 4:00 a.m. peacefully, but still unexpectedly, in his hometown of Salzburg, shortly before his 79th birthday! We thank you for all the many years of friendship and cooperation,” it says in the message.
Berger was particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s – he was discovered by the Italian director Luchino Visconti, who later became his partner. Under Visconti’s direction, Berger played his most haunting roles, for example in “The Damned” or as “Ludwig II.”. Berger also acted alongside film legends such as Romy Schneider, Elizabeth Taylor, Henry Fonda and Burt Lancaster.
Hardly any roles from the mid-1970s
Visconti’s death in 1976 plunged Berger into a deep crisis. As a result, Berger hardly got any new major roles, he increasingly drew on his past and made a name for himself with appearances on talk shows. He received a lot of attention again when he moved to the RTL jungle camp in 2013.
His agency’s website now says: “Many years ago, Helmut Berger said to me: ‘I’ve lived three lives. And in 4 languages! Je ne regrette rien!”