Actor Hardy Krüger: from Nazi Germany to Hollywood fame

In the 1957 British war movie "The One That Got Away," Hardy Krüger played a German air force officer by the name of Franz von Werra, the only German soldier who managed to escape from British war imprisonment.

Playing the leading role in Roy Ward Baker's "The One That Got Away" made Hardy Krüger the first German male actor to really gain international acclaim after World War II. The film marked his breakthrough into the global film industry — affording him the moniker of "German ambassador" in the German media landscape.

After the war, Krüger moved to Hamburg to become a stage actor. This undated image shows him (right) as a student in "Faust" alongside famous actor Gustaf Gründgens, playing the role of Mephisto.

Hardy Krüger featured opposite John Wayne in the 1962 classic "Hatari!" He told the German news magazine Spiegel in 2019 that John Wayne would want to have a drink with him after each day's shoot: "Wayne always ordered triple cognac, I ordered simple whiskey. But I didn't get drunk," said Krüger. His trick was that before each drinking duel, Krüger would swallow five tablespoons of cooking oil.

In 1962, young director Serge Bourguignon cast Krüger (seen here with Nicole Courcel) in his debut film, "Les Dimanches de Ville d'Avray" (English title: "Sundays and Cybele"). The movie proved to be a stroke of luck for both: It was Krüger's first starring role in the French Nouvelle Vague genre — and Bourguignon won an Oscar for the best foreign language film.

Krüger was part of a top-rate ensemble featuring Richard Attenborough (third from left) and James Stewart (third from right) in the 1965 adaptation of "The Flight of the Phoenix." Krüger played a neurotic German engineer in the desert drama — with great success: He went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal.

In 1977, Hardy Krüger returned to the screen after taking a long break. In the war drama "A Bridge Too Far," directed by Richard Attenborough, Krüger plays a fictitious SS group leader who fights an Allied offensive in 1944. The role hit quite close to home: The actor had actually been ordered to join the SS during World War II.

Krüger increasingly started to focus on writing, which meant that he began accepting fewer cinema roles during the 1970s. In 1978, he played a South African mercenary in "The Wild Geese." The film became an international box-office hit but failed to attract positive reviews: "The film pays homage to a questionable cult of masculinity," one German review read.

In the decades after 1970, award-winning Hardy Krüger would continue to act in films, as well as publish about 20 books, which encompassed novels as well as memoirs reflecting his experiences as a seasoned traveler and cosmopolitan. He was also an outspoken critic of right-wing extremism and often went into schools to speak with students about its dangers.