Hardy Krüger ✝

Hardy Krüger (German: [haːɐ̯.di ˈkʁyː.ɡɐ] (listen); born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger; 12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022) was a German actor and author, who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increasingly turned to roles in international films such as Hatari!, The Flight of the Phoenix, The Wild Geese, Sundays and Cybele, A Bridge Too Far, The Battle of Neretva, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, The Red Tent, The One That Got Away, and Barry Lyndon. Hardy Krüger's life story made him a convinced and committed anti-fascist. Hardy Krüger was born in Wedding, Berlin, in 1928, the son of Max and Auguste (Meier) Krüger. Krüger's parents were ardent Nazis and he stated in a 2016 interview that he was "raised to love Hitler." From 1941, he attended an elite Adolf Hitler School at the Ordensburg Sonthofen. At the age of 15, Hardy made his film début in Alfred Weidenmann's The Young Eagles. It was here that he met the eminent actor Hans Söhnker, who became a friend for life. Söhnker was a covert anti-Nazi, who gave refuge to those fleeing the regime. He made a point of educating Krüger, who assisted his friend with delivering messages to fugitives.