As a lover of old films I was always fascinated by Klaus Kinski, that creepy looking German actor with the bulging eyes, I knew nothing about him so using Wikipedia I was able to find out a lot. It seems to me his own life was was as eventful as some of the parts he played. I have to say I was not surprised to read he had spent some time in a mental hospital.
I’m a curious old geezer about actors and films they were in, I’ve seen so many over the years, so Wikipedia is a godsend to me. I remember star names but nothing much else about them, now I can snoop away to my hearts content, the fact that so many of the men had their little peculiarities never took anything away for me from some of their brilliant performances on the screen.(I was very surprised to find out so many of the leading men were gay for example):shock:
Here’s a snippet about Kinski from Wiki.
“During the Second World War, Kinski was conscripted at the age of 17 into the German Wehrmacht some time in 1943, and served with the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) as an elite paratrooper (Fallschirmjäger).[11] [12] He saw no action until the winter of 1944, when his unit was transferred to the Netherlands.[11] He was captured by the British on his second day of combat.[13]
Kinski gave a different version of events in his 1988 autobiography. He said that he made a conscious decision to desert; he had been captured by the Germans, court-martialed as a deserter and sentenced to death, but he escaped and hid in the woods. A British patrol opened fire on him, he was wounded in the arm and they took him captive. After being treated for his injuries and interrogated, Kinski was transferred to a prisoner of war camp in Britain. The ship transporting him was torpedoed by a German U-boat, but arrived safely. He was held at the prisoner of war “Camp 186” in Berechurch Hall in Colchester, Essex.[11][14]
There he played his first roles on stage, taking part in variety shows intended to maintain morale among the prisoners.[11][14] By May 1945, at the end of the war in Europe, the German POWs were anxious to return home. Kinski had heard that sick prisoners were to be returned first, and tried to qualify by standing outside naked at night, drinking urine and eating cigarettes. He remained healthy however, and was finally returned to Germany in 1946, after spending a year and four months in captivity”
He was never afraid to speak his mind, didn’t matter who he was talking to.
“Kinski refused the lead villain role of Major Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark, telling director Steven Spielberg, “This script is a yawn-making, boring pile of shit.”
You tell him Klaus, it was only a job anyway.
Klaus, a popular name in Germany I believe, never came across a Klaus in Dublin, although theres a fair haired chap who visits the national childrens hospital every year called Sandy Klaus, he brings them toys and sweets, but he ain’t of German origin he’s just a good natured chimney sweep from Ballyfermot.;-)
“Yawn making, boring pile of shit” I’d love to get the opportunity to use that one, I think it’s brilliant, reminds of that ITV program that used to be on Sunday evenings in the 70’s “Stars on Sunday”
https://i.postimg.cc/MKxGNtSC/klous-kinski.jpg
