Horst Buchholz

In 1960, a sharp-eyed young German sat alongside Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. He was 27 years old, and the major studios called him the European James Dean. The label wasn't empty, because Horst Buchholz carried that mix of rage and vulnerability that postwar cinema urgently sought.

He was born in Berlin in 1933. He grew up amid the rubble and began by dubbing foreign films to bring some money home. In 1955 he shot Marianne de ma jeunesse, and French critics noticed him before the German film industry did.

And the gamble paid off.

His role in Die Halbstarken in 1956 earned him the label of Germany's official rebel. The film took in millions of marks and opened the doors of international studio offices to him. But he didn't want to be just a pretty face for Berlin teen magazines.

The Gunslinger Who Defied Hollywood

John Sturges chose him for The Magnificent Seven in 1960. He played Chico, the aspiring gunslinger who gave the group its emotional energy. He was paid a fraction of what McQueen earned, but his name appeared on marquees around the world.

But American fame turned out to be a minefield.

Billy Wilder cast him in One, Two, Three in 1961. Filming in Berlin was a logistical nightmare due to the building of the Wall. Buchholz played a fanatical communist, and Wilder once said that working with him was a constant challenge because of his dry and somewhat haughty temperament.

He turned down the lead role in Lawrence of Arabia because he didn't want to spend months in the desert. It was the biggest strategic mistake of his career. From the mid-1960s onward, his presence in major California productions gradually faded.

He returned to Europe.

Maturity in Golden Ostracism

He worked in Italy, Spain and France, seeking roles that didn't depend solely on his looks. In 1972 he appeared in Cabaret, but his character was overshadowed by the magnetism of Liza Minnelli. He never regained star status in the Anglo-American market.

In 1997, Roberto Benigni cast him in Life Is Beautiful. He played a Nazi doctor obsessed with riddles, in a restrained and dark performance. It was his last major impact before his health declined due to respiratory complications.

Died in Berlin on March 3, 2003 from pneumonia following hip surgery.