William Berger (actor)

William Berger
Berger in 1967
Born Wilhelm Thomas Berger
June 20, 1928
Innsbruck, Austria
Died October 2, 1993(1993-10-02) (aged 65)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names Bill Berger
Wilhelm Berger
Occupation Actor
Children 6, including Debra and Katya Berger

William Berger, also known as Bill Berger and Wilhelm Berger, born Wilhelm Thomas Berger (June 20, 1928 – October 2, 1993) was an Austrian American actor, mostly associated with Euro and spaghetti Westerns, as well as travel documentaries.

Biography

Career

Berger in Faccia a faccia (1967)

A former roommate of Keith Richards, his earliest work was in Broadway theater, but while visiting Italy, he was cast in his first Western, Break Up in 1965. A series of westerns followed, including Faccia a faccia (1967), Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die! (1968), If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death (1968), Sabata (1969) and Keoma (1975). He also starred in the horror films Five Dolls for an August Moon, My Dear Killer, Monster Shark and The Murder Clinic.

In the early 1970s, Berger spent some time in an Italian prison, wrongly accused of possession of hashish and cocaine, but resumed his acting career after his release. His later fare included Super Fly T.N.T. (1973), Oil! (1977), Hercules (1983) and The King's Whore (1990). His 1985 memoirs, Half Way Home, recount his life to that point.

Berger collaborated with his good friend, famed Spanish horror film director Jesus Franco, appearing in 7 films for him: The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff, Night of the Killers, Faceless, Golden Temple Amazons, Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun,[1] Dirty Game in Casablanca,[2] and A Captain of 15 Years.

Personal life

William Berger married several times. He had two daughters with his first wife: Carin Berger (born 1952) and actress Debra Berger (born March 17, 1957). He also had a son with his first wife, named Wendell Nelson Berger, who was born on December 28, 1972.

By his second wife, singer and actress Hanja Kochansky, he had two more children: a daughter actress Katya Berger and a son child actor Kasimir Berger (born in London on October 7, 1974). Kasimir starred with his father in the TV mini-series Christopher Columbus (1985) as Diego as a Child, in Tuareg - Il guerriero del deserto (1984) uncredited as Gacel's son, and acted with his mother and sister in the Joe D'Amato horror classic Rosso sangue (1981) as Willy Bennett.

On June 21, 1975, he had one last son Alexander Völz with Dörte Völz. He had no children at all with his last wife, Linda Berger.

William Berger died on October 2, 1993 in Los Angeles, California, of prostate cancer.[3] Jesus Franco was particularly upset by his passing, speaking of his grief in various interviews.

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Jesús Franco, una antalogía" (in Spanish): 6. Retrieved 25 September 2018 – via Scribd Inc.
  2. ↑ Sáinz, Salvador. "Juego sucio en Casablanca (1985)". Diario de Cine (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  3. ↑ Prickette, James (20 January 2012). McLendon, Charles Anthony, ed. Actors of the Spaghetti Westerns. Xlibris Corporation. p. 63. ISBN 9781469144290.
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