Bruno Ganz

Swiss actor (1941–2019)

AI overview

Bruno Ganz was a Swiss actor who had a long career in film and theater from the 1960s until his death in 2019. He is widely remembered for his performances in acclaimed international films and for bringing depth to complex characters on screen.

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Film & TV

Zürich, Switzerland

Bruno Ganz (March 22, 1941 – February 16, 2019) was a Swiss actor who 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…

Known for

Films to Die For — (archive footage) (uncredited)2025
Bruno Ganz - The Longing Revolutionary — Self2022
Wim Wenders, Desperado — Self (archive footage)2020
Who the F... is Roger Rossmeisl — Narrator (voice)2020
Wim Wenders - Von Filmen und Träumen — Self2020
A Hidden Life — Richter2019
The Witness — Nikola Radin2019
The Naked King - 18 Fragments on Revolution — Narrator German (voice)2019
Winter Journey — George Goldsmith2019
The House That Jack Built — Verge2018

via TMDB

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Bruno
Family name: Ganz
Gender: male
Citizenship: Switzerland
Place of birth: Zurich
Place of death: Au
Occupation: film director
Educated at: Zurich University of the Arts
Languages spoken: German
Native language: Swiss High German
Award: Swiss Grand Prix for performing arts / Hans Reinhart Ring
Notable work: Wings of Desire
Field of work: acting
Image: Bruno Ganz 2011.jpg
Number of children: 1
Work location: Switzerland
Residence: Zurich

Show 10 more facts

start of work period: 1960-00-00
end of work period: 2018-00-00
Commons category: Bruno Ganz
date of birth: 1941-03-22
date of death: 2019-02-15
cause of death: small intestine cancer
name in native language: Bruno Ganz
nominated for: European Film Award for Best Actor
member of: Deutsche Filmakademie
manner of death: natural causes

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Encyclopedic overview

Bruno Ganz ( Swiss Standard German: [ˈbruːnoː ˈɡants] ; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Francis Ford Coppola, Theo Angelopoulos and Wim Wenders, earning widespread recognition with his roles as Jonathan Zimmerman in The American Friend (1977), Jonathan Harker in Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) and Damiel the Angel in Wings of Desire (1987).

Ganz received renewed international acclaim for his portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the Academy Award-nominated film Downfall (2004). He also had roles in several English-language films, including The Boys from Brazil (1978), Strapless (1989), The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), Luther (2003), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Reader (2008), Unknown (2011), The Counselor (2013) and Remember (2015). On stage, Ganz portrayed Dr. Heinrich Faust in Peter Stein's staging of Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two in 2000.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Bruno Ganz” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Bruno Ganz

Film & TV

Known for

Wikidata facts

Encyclopedic overview

Gallery (4)

Available in 59 languages

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