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Klaus Kinski
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Klaus Kinski

Klaus Kinski was a celebrated and controversial German actor.

He was born on October 18, 1926 in Zoppot, Danzig (now Sopot, Gdansk) as 'Nikolaus Karl Günther Nakszynski' and died of a heart attack in Lagunitas, California, USA on November 23, 1991.

Blond-haired, blue-eyed Kinski served in the German army during World War II, however, much of this time was spent as a POW under British control. After the war, he began acting on the stage, and soon moved, pragmatically, to film, where the money was better. He acted in an enormous number of films, most of them considered crap (Schrott) by Kinski himself.

His film roles include A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958), The Counterfeit Traitor (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), For a Few Dollars More (1966), Grand Slam (1968). His international reputation was built on his collaborations with director Werner Herzog in such films as Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972), Woyzeck (1978), and Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979).

In real life, Kinski often appeared as a drunken, sex-crazed maniac, chronicling his exploits in an autobiography that rivals Wilt Chamberlain's in terms of sexuality. Due to him playing a lot of crazy, murderous villains in his films (for example in the Edgar Wallace series) and his determined, often obsessive behavior, he often was referred to as a crazy genius.

He was married four times and had three children, two daughters (Nastassja Kinski and Nola Kinski, both being actresses) and a son (Nikolai Kinski).


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Klaus Kinski Facts

Birth NameClaus Gunther Nakszynski
OccupationActor, Director, Writer
BirthdayOctober 8, 1926
SignLibra
BirthplaceSopot, Poland
Date of deathNovember 23, 1991 (age 65)
Height5' 8" (1m73)  How tall is Klaus Kinski compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Not available.