Horst Werner Buchholz (4 December 1933 – 3 March 2003) was a German actor, best known in English-speaking countries for his roles in The Magnificent Seven, in which he played Chico, Fanny, and the Billy Wilder comedy One, Two, Three. Worldwide, from 1952 to 2002, he appeared in more than sixty feature films. During his youth he was sometimes called "the German James Dean".
Having established himself in theatre and radio work and able to speak several languages he got into film work by dubbing voices on foreign films. One of these was Walt Disney's Pinocchio which, due to the war, wasn't released in Germany until 1951 and he dubbed the voice of Lampwick.
Considered for Fallada and Bukovsky in Lifeforce (1985).
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Having established himself in theatre and radio work and able to speak several languages, he got into film work by dubbing voices on foreign films. One of these was Walt Disney's Pinocchio which, due to the war, wasn't released in Germany until 1951 and he dubbed the voice of Lampwick.
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Was to star as Charles Wilder in the 1977 The Cat and the Canary (1978) but pulled out at the 11th hour . The producers seriously considered suing him for his actions.
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He received tribute as part of the annual "In Memoriam" segment at the 75th Annual Academy Awards, 2003.
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His participation in Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three (1961) was the reason that he was unable to be in Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Omar Sharif later received his first- and thus far, only- Oscar nomination for playing the role originally intended for Buchholz.
Despite being of German/Danish background, he has portrayed a variety of roles that include a Mexican gunman (The Magnificent Seven (1960)), a Russian soldier (Sky Without Stars (1955)), a Polish sailor (Tiger Bay (1959)), and and Italian painter (The Empty Canvas (1963)).
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His first foreign film was the British drama Tiger Bay (1959).
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During the filming of One, Two, Three (1961), he was seriously hurt in a car accident that prevented him from shooting for over two months.
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Spoke fluent German, English, French, Spanish, Italian and Russian.
Son of a shoemaker, he dropped out of school so he could take acting lessons.
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Made his Broadway debut with "Cherie" in 1959.
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Died in intensive care of pneumonia while recovering from a broken thighbone.
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Called "the German James Dean" because he was type casted as rebellious teenager in the late 1950s.
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In 1981, Buchholz failed as host of the dubious "Astro-Show" on German TV, which was canceled after only five shows. In the show, the popular astrologer Elizabeth Teissier had been at his side.
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Landed his first stage role at 15 in a Berlin theater version of the German children's classic "Emil and the Detectives."
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Lived in Paris and Switzerland with his wife Myriam Bru. They also had a daughter, Beatrice.
$1.7 Million
