Film actor, born in Sopot, N Poland. In the 1930s his family moved to Germany, where he joined the army in 1942. Soon captured, he spent the rest of the War in a British concentration camp, where he first went on stage. He later played many minor parts in films such as spaghetti Westerns (including Clint Eastwood's For a Few Dollars More), then became known for his leading roles in the films of Werner Herzog, such as Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) and Fitzcarraldo (1982). He was also acclaimed for his role in Nosferatu, the Vampyre (1979), a remake of the Dracula story.
Klaus Kinski (October 18, 1926 – November 23, 1991) was a German actor, famous for his ability to project on-screen intensity, and for his explosive temperament. Although he acted in over 180 films, his international reputation is built on five collaborations with German director Werner Herzog, including the films Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), and Fitzcarraldo (1982).
Life
Kinski was born Nikolaus Karl Günther Nakszyński in Zoppot (today Sopot), Free City of Danzig (today Poland). In 1930/31, the family moved to Berlin and Kinski attended the Prinz-Heinrich-Gymnasium in Schöneberg.
Kinski was drafted into the German Army in 1944 and served in the Netherlands. He began acting and changed his name to Klaus Kinski. His last stage appearances were in November 1971, part of his "Jesus Tour", a one-man show in which Kinski reinterpreted the Gospels with Jesus as a ranting psychopath.
Off-screen, Kinski often appeared as a wild-eyed, sex-crazed maniac. (A libel suit from Marlene Dietrich due to Kinski depicting her as a lesbian resulted in the book being withdrawn from circulation until her death). He was married three times and had (according to his autobiography) at least five children, three of whom he regarded as such: two daughters (Nastassja Kinski and Pola Kinski), and a son (Nanhoï Kinski), all of them actors.
When he died of a heart attack in Lagunitas, California, United States at age 65, only his son Nanhoï attended the funeral (his ashes were strewn in the Pacific Ocean).
Reputation
His international reputation is built on five collaborations with director Werner Herzog, in the films Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972), Woyzeck (based on the play by Georg Büchner) (1979), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982), and finally Cobra Verde (1987). Some of Kinski and Herzog's arguments during these productions have been preserved on both tape and film, with both apparently threatening to even kill each other during one heated dispute. Herzog's retrospective on his work with Kinski was released in the United States as My Best Fiend (1999).
Kinski was an extremely hard worker and strove for perfection, but was frequently at odds with collaborators and directors, and rarely a team player. On one infamous occasion Kinski hurled a lit candelabra from the stage at an audience deemed insufficiently appreciative, almost burning the theatre down. On another, whilst filming Aguirre: The Wrath of God, irritated by the noise from a hut where cast and crew were playing cards, Kinski fired three shots at it, blowing the top joint off one extra's finger. After a dispute during the shooting of Fitzcarraldo Kinski started leaving the jungle location (over Herzog's refusal to fire a sound assistant), only changing his mind after Herzog threatened to shoot Kinski and then himself.
Often referred to as a mad genius, Werner Herzog described him as "an outright egomaniac". Herzog also once said, "People like Brando are just kindergarten compared to Kinski". Fritz Kortner (whom Kinski mentions in his autobiography) was also famous for being very harsh and brutal during rehearsals.
With his fluency in English, his unique appearance, and his ability to project on-screen intensity, Kinski was always able to get roles, although the quality of the productions varied wildly, most of them considered "junk" (Schrott) by Kinski himself.
Kinski's last film (which he also wrote and directed) was Kinski Paganini (1989), in which he played the legendary violinist Niccolò Paganini. Kinski also starred as the main terrorist character in the 1977 Israeli movie "Operation Thunderbolt", based on the events of the 1976 Operation Entebbe.
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