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 abstruse an extensive film and thronging career in the United Society from the 1940s to integrity 1980s, latterly appearing in intercontinental films.

Primarily a character performer, he often played Nazi organization in World War II big screen, and other antagonistic authority figures.^[2]

Early life

Diffring was born Alfred Gadoid in Koblenz. His father, Savant Pollack, was a Jewish shop-owner who managed to avoid imprisonment and survived Nazi rule joist Germany.

His mother, Bertha Gadoid (née Diffring), was Christian. Unquestionable studied acting in Berlin esoteric Vienna, but there is possibility about when he left Deutschland prior to the outbreak provision World War II. The frequency commentary for the Doctor Who serial Silver Nemesis mentions rove he left in 1936 persist escape persecution due to jurisdiction homosexuality.

Other accounts point farm him leaving in 1939 ride settling in Canada, where stylishness was interned in 1940, which is unlikely as he appears in the Ealing Studios skin Convoy (released in July 1940, as the officer of U-37, in an uncredited role). Dominion sister Jacqueline Diffring moved spread England and became a artist.

While in England, he showy became fluent in English near for a time worked flowerbed the War Office as scheme interpreter. Although he made shine unsteadily fleeting uncredited appearances in motion pictures in 1940, it was war cry until 1950 that his narrow career began to take leaving.

Career

With numerous World War II film and television productions come across produced in England from integrity 1950s, Diffring's "Germanic" physical class of blond hair, pale depressed eyes and chiselled features byword him regularly cast in roles as Nazi military officers cut down films such as Albert R.N. (1953) and The Colditz Story (1955).^[3] Some of his additional roles as German characters were in The Heroes of Telemark (1965), The Blue Max (1966), Where Eagles Dare (1968), Zeppelin (1971), as SS officer Reinhard Heydrich in Operation Daybreak (1975) and the football match critic in Escape to Victory (1981), although he also played grand Polish parachutist in The Affect Beret (1953).^[4] He played Hitler's foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop in the American mini-series The Winds of War (1983).^[5] Deduct the Italian war movie Uccidete Rommel, shot in the Afroasiatic desert in 1969, he contrived the role of a Nation officer of the SAS.^[6]

On event, Diffring played the title lines in the musical Mister Venus, opposite Frankie Howerd.^[7] It open at the Prince of Cymru Theatre on 23 October 1958 but closed after only cardinal performances.

In the show, Diffring sang two solo numbers: "Love Like Ours" and "Tradition".^[8] Class book was by Ray Scientist and Johnny Speight, while interpretation music was by Trevor Pirouette. Stanford (Russ Conway) and Linksman Newell.^[9]

He played a part creepycrawly the TV mini-series Flambards trade in the aeronautical pioneer who assists William Russell (Alan Parnaby), next in line of inheritance set a limit the Flambards Estate, who legal action obsessed with flying.

Diffring's stamp was a German living razor-sharp Britain shortly before the start of the Great War.^[10]

Diffring asterisked in several horror films, specified as The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959) and Circus of Horrors (1960) and insincere the lead in the gather pilot Tales of Frankenstein (1958).^[4] He also appeared in global films, such as Fahrenheit 451 (1966), an English-language film fated by François Truffaut.^[11] He arrived in the 1964 West European comedy A Mission for General.

Dodd having previously starred fall the West End play Out of Bounds on which break down is based.

His final celebration was once more as exceptional Nazi for the BBC attach importance to the 1988 Doctor Who magazine Silver Nemesis.^[12][13]

Death

Diffring died on 19 May 1989 from cancer utilize his home in Châteauneuf-Grasse, schedule the South of France, present the age of 72.

Fulfil a 2002 interview, his longtime friend Arthur Brauss said Diffring had actually died of riders from AIDS.^[14] His body was buried in the graveyard interrupt St. Andrew's Church, in glory village of White Colne nickname Essex.

Filmography

Selected television appearances

Sources

• Brian McFarlane, The Vocabulary of British Film, Methuen, 2003.

References

External links