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A photo of Swiss actor Bruno Ganz at the German Film Festival in Tokyo, 11 June 2005 Photo sourced from

Top 10 Facts about Bruno Ganz

Bruno Ganz who was born on 22 March 1941 was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, 脡ric Rohmer, Francis Ford Coppola, and Wim Wenders.

He earned widespread recognition with his roles as Jonathan Zimmerman in The American Friend (1977), Jonathan Harker in Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) and Damiel the Angel in Wings of Desire (1987).Let’s take a look at some of the top facts about him;

1.He was born on 22 March 1941 in Zurich

Ganz was born on 22 March 1941 in Zurich to a Swiss-German factory worker father and a northern Italian mother.He had decided to pursue an acting career by the time he entered university. He was equally drawn to stage and screen but initially enjoyed greater success on the stage. 

As a teenager he attended drama school and later worked as a bookseller, as well as training to be a paramedic. He left Switzerland in the early 1960s to become a stage performer in Gottingen and Bremen, playing Hamlet in 1965, a role he was to reprise 17 years later.

2.Ganz made his theatrical debut in 1961

Ganz made his theatrical debut in 1961 and devoted himself mainly to the stage for almost the next two decades. In 1970, he helped found the Berliner Schaubuhne ensemble and two years later performed in the Salzburg Festival premiere of Thomas Bernhard’s Der Ignorant und der Wahnsinnige, under the direction of Claus Peymann. 

In 1960 Ganz landed his first film role, in Der Herr mit der schwarzen Melone (The Man in the Black Derby). Despite the support of lead actor Gustav Knuth, Ganz’s cinematic debut was not particularly successful and it was only many years later that his career in film got off the ground.

3.He received several awards and accolades on his life

Star of Bruno Ganz at “Boulevard der Stars” in Berlin Photo sourced from

He received several awards and accolades on his life including ; Actor of the Year” in German magazine Theater , Hans-Reinhart-Ring, given by the Swiss Society for Theatre Culture, , Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), Swiss Film Prize, David di Donatello Award for Bread and Tulips, European Film Award, Austrian Decoration for Science and Art. 

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany,Star on the Boulevard of the Stars in Berlin, Asteroid 199900 Brunoganz, discovered by Silvano Casulli in 2007, was named in his honor, Lifetime Achievement Award, Goldene Kamera, Special Golden Camera 300 for lifetime achievement, Manaki Brothers Film Festival. 

4.He became only the fifth actor in more than a century to receive the illustrious Iffland-Ring

In 1996 he became only the fifth actor in more than a century to receive the illustrious Iffland-Ring, given to the 鈥渕ost significant and most worthy actor of the German-speaking theatre鈥�. He won the Donatello award for the gentle Italian comedy-drama Bread and Tulips (2000). 

He was also seen in Jonathan Demme鈥檚 remake of The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Francis Ford Coppola鈥檚 eccentric fantasy Youth Without Youth (2007), the thriller The Baader Meinhof Complex and the Oscar-winning Holocaust drama The Reader (both 2008).

5.He was renowned for being prominent figure in German language film

He was an acclaimed Swiss actor who was a prominent figure in German language film and television for over fifty years.In cinema, Ganz became one of the best-known and most acclaimed actors in the German language, collaborating with many of the most respected European actors and directors of his time.

He also starred in international features that reached a global audience. His film debut was The Gentleman in the Black Derby (1960). He also starred in Unknown (2011), The Counselor (2013), and The Party (2017).

6.He also featured in several drama related films

Bruno Ganz leaving the premiere of “The Reader” at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival Photo by Siebbi

Ganz also featured in drama films including; drama-film 鈥楴ight Train to Lisbon鈥� (2013), French-German film 鈥楾he Legend of Michael Kohlhaas鈥� (2013), crime-thriller 鈥楾he Counselor鈥� (2013). He co-starred alongside Christopher Plummer in drama-thriller 鈥楻emember鈥� (2015).

He also starred as 鈥楪randpa鈥� in Swiss family-film 鈥楬eidi鈥� (2015), as 鈥楪ottfried鈥� in British black-comedy 鈥楾he Party鈥� (2017), as ancient poet 鈥榁irgil鈥� in horror-film 鈥楾he House that Jack Built鈥� (2018).His final film appearances were in epic historical drama-film 鈥楢 Hidden Life鈥� and 鈥榃inter Journey鈥� (both 2019).

7.Ganz was married to Sabine in 1965

Ganz was married to Sabine from 1965 until his death, although they were separated for a long time; their son, Daniel, was born in 1972. Mr. Ganz separated from Sabine Ganz, whom he married in 1965 but appeared never to have divorced.

He is survived by his partner, the theatrical photographer Ruth Walz, and a son, Daniel, born in 1972.Ganz was also honored with the Order of Merit of Germany and was made a knight of the French L茅gion d’honneur. 

8.He was also multilingual 

A photo of Swiss actor Bruno Ganz at the German Film Festival in Tokyo, 11 June 2005 Photo sourced from

He was also multilingual and so good and fluent in the following languages;Swiss High German, English, French, Italian, B眉hnendeutsch and German. This are some of the languages he was good at. 

Best known for depicting Hitler, Bruno Ganz is considered one of the most important contemporary actors of German-language cinema.He mastered the art of acting so much and acted in the best way ever in the Germany language cinema.

9.His net worth is around $9 million

His net worth is around $9 million. He got most his basic income source mostly from being a successful Actor.He was among the actors who had the one of the hugest following on social media, and the most influential celebrities. 

He was equally drawn to stage and screen but initially enjoyed greater success on the stage.Bruno was ranked in the list of most popular actors in the Germany language.He was ranked among the best actors of all time. 

10.Ganz died on 16 February 2019 aged 77

In February 2018, doctors in Salzburg found that Ganz was suffering from intestinal cancer, and he immediately began chemotherapy.Ganz died on 16 February 2019 at his home in the village of Au, in W盲denswil, Switzerland, at the age of 77, a month shy of his 78th birthday.

He was surrounded by his partner, the theatrical photographer Ruth Walz, and his son Daniel.From 1996 until his death in 2019, Ganz held the Republic of Austria’s Iffland-Ring, which passes from actor to actor鈥攅ach bequeathing the ring to the next holder, judging that actor to be the “most significant and most worthy actor of the German-speaking theatre”.